Emergency Room nurse Leah Baron is suing two Maryland counties – Baltimore and Howard – over their stun gun ban.

Baron’s ex-boyfriend broke into her home, raped and tried to kill her in 2012. His last words to her were very particular: “If I go to prison, as soon as I get out, I am coming for you and I am going to kill you.”

The man was charged with kidnap and assault and faces a lengthy sentence. He’s not expected to be given early release until 2032, but Baron is convinced he will make good on his promise and attempt to kill her again.

Out of fear for her life, Baron decided to order a stun gun. The company refused to deliver to her address because of her county’s stun gun ban.

Although Baron has applied for a concealed carry permit and owns a gun, she is uncomfortable with the idea of using lethal force to defend herself.

“She is ready, willing and able to use deadly force to defend (herself) and her home from a potentially lethal attack, if necessary and unavoidable,” her lawsuit says (via Washington Post).

Before being attacked, Baron never thought much of gun ownership. Since 2012, that view has significantly changed.

“For those years where I didn’t possess a weapon, I just was in fear constantly,” she said. “As I started learning how to protect myself safely with a weapon, I started to feel better knowing that if something did happen, I can protect myself. t helps decrease the fear that I’ve had everyday since that day. I was completely vulnerable. No way to help my self. No way to escape. That’s a fear you never get over.”

Baron believes a stun gun could save her life if she were to be attacked, something she believes should be protected under her Second Amendment rights.

According to the lawsuit, Baron’s has a number of personal reasons for her hesitation to use lethal force. Not only would she have to live with killing a person, she would also face fact the she’d be “at the mercy of police, prosecutors and jurors who will have weeks or months to second guess a decision to use deadly force made in seconds.”

Baron’s lawyer, George Lyon, has been involved in a number of stun gun ban lawsuits. Lyon is certified NRA firearms instructor and range safety officer and president of the D.C. Chapter of the Community Association for Firearms Education.