gregw,

You are a better cyclist and better on the draw than I could be. I can't keep to the side of the road with one hand on a slowly moving (but now swerving) loaded bike and the other hand trying to spray the eye of a moving dog snapping around my feet. I guess since you live in KY you've had lots of practice.

People should not be treated the same way because from the perspective of our society as codified by law, one may attack in self-defense only when a "reasonable person" would do so. If the police officer decides that your attack was not reasonable, you might be the one that goes to jail and that's after your alleged assailant has pounded you into oblivion in his/her self-defense.

I agree that one should not fear technicalities in the law, but one shouldn't violate it either.