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TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) It can happen anywhere: a shopping mall, the local basketball court or on the side of the road. Anyone in Florida can come face-to-face with a gun-toting person ready to shoot and ready to claim Stand Your Ground.

Theres kind of a subjective and objective part of it, Tampa attorney Leslie Sammis said. You have to have the fear and also the fear has to be reasonable.

In early February, police say a St. Petersburg woman shot and injured a man coming through a window at her home. She warned him to leave, and when he didnt, she opened fire.

Retired Tampa Police captain Curtis Reeves claims he was fearful for his life when he shot and killed Chad Oulson inside Cobb Grove 16 Theaters in Wesley Chapel in 2014.

Attorneys claim Oulson threw a cell phone at Reeves, so Reeves shot him.

RELATED:Pasco theater shooter Curtis Reeves testifies in Stand Your Ground hearing

Use deadly force as a last resort, said Larry McKinnon of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office.

McKinnon understands the necessity to use a gun as protection and how its legal under Floridas Stand Your Ground law, but admits there could be alternatives before the trigger is pulled. If you have the opportunity to escape the situation without using deadly force and without creating any safety issues with yourself, thats the best course to take, he said.

Experts recommend the following:

People just have to use common sense and they have to be willing to retreat when thats the most reasonable thing to do, Sammis said.

Because the Stand Your Ground law, although legal in some cases, can certainly leave a life-long impact.

All the Stand Your Ground cases Ive seen there hasnt been a person yet who hasnt felt horrible over the fact they had to use deadly force, McKinnon said.

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Experts discuss avoiding use of deadly force as 'Stand Your Ground' case continues - WFLA