Deadly force or "shoot to kill" is that level of force which is inherently likely to cause death or great bodily injury. Firearms, bladed weapons and explosives are among those weapons the use of which is considered deadly force. Death is the cessation of physical life in a living organism or the state of the organism after that event. ... A firearm is a kinetic energy weapon that fires either a single or multiple projectiles propelled at high velocity by the gases produced by action of the rapid confined burning of a propellant. ... Iron age axe from Gotland A bladed weapon is a weapon with a blade. ... This article is concerned solely with chemical explosives. ...

"Use of deadly force" is often granted to police forces when the person or persons in question are believed to be an immediate danger to people around them. For example, an armed man in a shopping mall shooting at random without regard to the safety of the people around him, and refusing or being unwilling to negotiate, would likely warrant usage of deadly force, as a means to prevent further danger to the community. In the United States this is governed by Tennessee v. Garner, which said that "deadly force...may not be used unless necessary to prevent the escape and the officer has probable cause to believe that the suspect poses a significant threat of death or serious physical injury to the officer or others." In Australia, it has recently been proposed that Police officers should have this power when a person might in the future pose a threat to others (Australian Anti-Terrorism Bill 2005). The Federal Anti-Terrorism Bill 2005 is draft legislation, intended to hamper the activities of any potential terrorists in Australia. ...

In general, all armed bodies, be they the police or military or some offshoot thereof, have the ability to issue authorization for the usage of such force. Self-defence resulting in usage of deadly force by a civilian or civilians against an individual or individuals is often subject to examination by a court if it is unclear whether it was necessary at the point of the offence, and whether any further action on the part of the law needs to be taken.

Some legislation, such as the Ley de Fugas of the Spanish Restoration, has authorized deadly force against escapes. However, this was often abused as prisoners were shot dead in cold blood and then said to be trying to escape. El Turno Pacifico was a system put in place in Spain by Canovas, Under this plan, The Quiet Turn, the two political parties of the time, the Liberal-conservatists of the right and the Liberals on the central left would take turns being in power. ... Escape could mean any of the following: Look up Escape on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Escape is the act of leaving a dangerous or unpleasant situation. ...

See also

• Monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force
• Non-lethal force
• Police
• Shoot-to-kill policy in Northern Ireland, an issue relating to the troubles in Northern Ireland