While they’re being simplistic when it comes to actual ‘use of force’ and do the standard clueless journalist bit about confusing “Self Defense” with “Stand Your Ground”,  at least they’re acknowledging that self defense and concealed carry are ‘normal’.

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Amid crime surge in Seattle, some take steps to defend themselves

Reports of violent crime this year in Seattle have already surpassed the historic high number that were reported in the city last year.

It is perhaps not a coincidence then that more people are turning to ways to defend themselves and opting to stand their ground.

From self-defense classes to skyrocketing gun sales, more people are looking for ways to defend themselves amid concerns that they are on their own when it comes to random street crime.

Just a few weeks ago, Morgan Zion, who lives in Seattle, could be heard on cellphone video standing her ground from an attacker.

“I hate to be the person who says, ‘Oh Seattle has gotten so much worse,'” she said. “But it has.”

© Provided by KOMO-TV SeattleStand your ground: Amid crime surge in Seattle, some take steps to defend themselves

Zion and her friend were running the Howe Street stairs in the Capitol Hill neighborhood when she says that run was interrupted by a man in crisis blocking their path who demanded drugs before he started punching.

“I ducked a little bit and then he punches me again,” Zion said. “I just went into mother attack mode and just grabbed him by the shirt and I put him down near the stairs.”

Zion eventually chased him out of the area, but she wasn’t sure how much force she could legally use.

“I didn’t know the right decision to make and the right move to make either,” she said. “And that is the worst place for me to be in.”

More people are worried that they are on their own when it comes to defending themselves against random crime especially since more than 300 officers from the Seattle Police Department have left the department.

According to police data, there were 4,439 incidents of violent crime last year, compared to 4,546 incidents of violent crime in Seattle this year with more than a month remaining in the year.

Some people are now trying to give themselves a fighting chance, enrolling in self defense classes to protect themselves.

“By the time they get there it’s too late,” said Caroline Ly, one of those who has started taking self-defense sessions  as is one of the newest members of a Latosa Escrima, a self-defense class at Seattle Close Range Tactics. She said she was attacked years ago in Seattle, and she’s sharpening her skills.

“This city isn’t the same anymore,” Ly said. “I think every woman in particular should absolutely take self-defense of some sort.”

The class is designed to teach students to respond to sudden extreme violence.

Head instructor Cory Walken calls it self-defense for the streets.

“The goal is to survive,” he said. “It’s not (to) beat them up.”

Walken has been involved in teaching self defense classes for 16 years, and has noticed more people taking his class, which he said could also be COVID related.

“I think there’s an uptick in people taking their own personal responsibility to defend themselves,” he said, adding that one of the biggest lessons is to be aware of one’s surroundings, and if you can walk away then do it. “You go until the threat is neutralized enough that you can escape.”

Turning to a firearm

Then there are those who want to take their protection to another level.

Tiffany Teasdale , owner of Lynnwood Gun and Ammunition, said since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic her shop has seen an 80 percent rise in first-time gun buyers coming in armed with questions.

“They are saying, ‘I never thought in my wildest dreams I would every buy a gun and here I am standing here buying a gun,'” she said. “We ask what made you change your mind and their like, ‘I’m terrified to go to work. I’m terrified to be home by myself. I’m terrified to go out to dinner with my girlfriend or my friends.'”

With more guns in hands, Teasdale’s staff emphasizes safe handling and education first for her customers.

“With less officers on the streets, and longer response times so it makes people think, ‘Well, maybe I should find a way to defend myself instead of waiting for somebody to defend me,’” Teasdale said.

Legal ramifications of standing your ground

But being prepared, may not keep some out of legal jeopardy.

“I have seen individuals make correct decisions,” said  William Kirk, a gun law attorney in Washington state. “And unfortunately I have seen individuals make incorrect decisions, and it cost them legally.”

In Washington, people under attack do not have a duty to retreat if they are located where they have a legal right to be, according to Kirk.

He said, however, that the force that is used has to be proportional and reasonable.

“You don’t get to bring a gun to a fist-fight,” he said. “The amount of force that you use to defend yourself has to be proportional from the amount of force you are protecting yourself from.”

When it comes to guns, Kirk said a person can only use deadly force while defending themself when they are in imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury.

“While you have a Second Amendment right to protect yourself with a firearm, it is a right that comes with a huge level of responsibility,” he said. “And a lawful and responsible gun owner is always going to go out and do all the proper all the training. So that they’re not only proficient with the firearm itself from a physical standpoint, but they are also an educated firearm owner who makes responsible choices.”

Zion said she has a better understanding of how to stand her ground.

“I’m hyper aware than I’ve even ever been before,” she said.

Police and sheriff departments run required background checks on every person who purchases a firearm in their jurisdiction.

In King County:

In Seattle: