# Should the citizenry have the right to forcibly resist an illegal arrest?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-citizenry-have-the-right-to-forcibly-resist-an-illegal-arrest/141594>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [December 9, 2002, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-citizenry-have-the-right-to-forcibly-resist-an-illegal-arrest/141594 "2002-12-09T20:15:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
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**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-citizenry-have-the-right-to-forcibly-resist-an-illegal-arrest/141594/1 "2002-12-09T20:15:45Z")

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Somewhat motivated by the individual gun rights thread [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=148475&), I’m curious to know what people feel about this topic.

At common law, an individual had the right to resist, with physical or even deadly force, an illegal arrest.

Today, of course, resisting an arrest with force of your own is likely to put in in the hospital, or in a standoff on some isolated farm holding. One of the reasons for gun rights was so that citizens would theoretically have the power to curb government’s tyrannical excesses; in today’s world, should the law permit a citizen to resist an illegal arrest?

- Rick

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