Yes, I am aware of the Canadian law. Basically they don't want you defending yourself. In Canada I am not allowed to stab someone unless they have ALREADY presented a knife to me as a weapon. (Or some other lethal force)
There is a problem with self defense laws based on equivilent responses. It is that in a self defense situations we often do not have time to assess what we are being hit with. People get stabbed all the time without even realizing their opponent had a knife.
The other issue is that most attacks where you will need a weapon to defend yourself often are initiated by surprise. Usually self defense situations don't start with the two opponents squaring off and presenting their arms to eachother. Often you do not realize you are in a SD scenario until you have recieved a few blows. I am sorry but to me a lethal response IS an equivilent force response to being ambushed, even if those ambushers were unarmed. The surprise WAS their weapon.[concisenessAgree, when a person or group of people assault you, they don't square off they just come at you. Learning how to take a blow or multiple blows is important. When you get hit hard enough to lose conciseness. Your ears ring, you feel dizzy even nasia you see spots, and get tunnel vision. Everything slows down seconds feel like minutes. If not exposed to this in a safe environment and not having experience to learn how to make your mind work and body work. You can learn to make your body react. Most if not every person takes the flight response. Learning how and teaching your mind and body to fight is where the first real battle happens. Best to do that in a class room. A knife at arms reach or closer is just as if not more effective as a fire arm. You can stop a gun from firing if you grab it and remove it from the battery position. If you can control the battery position the person holding the pistol will only concentrate on the pistol. He won't pay attention to the knife until he's been stuck a few time.
