Would you really shoot?

[dtpilot 0]

Ok this is a question aimed at those with concealed carry licenses but feel free to answer anyways.

So would you really shoot if the time came? I have had my carry license for about 8 months now and still can't give myself a straight answer to whether or not I would pull the trigger in a deserving situation. It is a split second decision to make a mistake or to save your life. One puts you in jail for the rest of your life and the other allows you to take another breath in freedom.

So try and help me out here and give me something to work off...would you pull the trigger?

"Believe me! The secret of reaping the greatest fruitfulness and the greatest enjoyment from life is to live dangerously!"
-- Friedrich Nietzsche

[ACMESkydiver 0]

Moving to Speaker's Corner in 3...2...1...

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

[adamjenner 0]

If a guy is running after me with a sharp object or another gun and has intention of killing me, I'd mow that sucker down in a second.

Other then that no i wouldn't use a gun for anything. Only in self defence (WHEN there's no other way of handling it)
I mean if someone has a weapon and you can disarm them with other means that's a LOT better than killing/injuring them. But if there is no way and the only option would be to shoot them then yes i would.

Is that what you're looking for?

[Yoshi 0]

I would never carry a gun, but if for some strange reason I found myself with a gun in my hand and my life or my wifes life soon to be taken if I didnt pull the trigger.... "click" would be the next thing heard.

-yoshi

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this space for rent.

[ladyskydiver 0]

Yes - as long as it was clearly a case of self-defense or if a person that I care about is in danger and there was no other alternatives.

Life is short! Break the rules! Forgive quickly! Kiss slowly! Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile.

[edwinsneller 0]

You betcha.

---
Some days it's not even worth the effort to chew through the restraints.

[tweak 0]

If it came down to him or me (meaning I know I'm about to be seriously injured or killed)... I wouldn't even give it a second thought. If I thought I could safely "wing" the guy without putting myself or others in danger, I'd try not to kill him (I have a Glock .45 caliber, so a shoulder, high leg or gut shot would probably take most if not all of the fight out of him). But if there's a gun pointing at me or in motion to point at me, I'd be likely to put 3 or 4 center chest. Better him than me. I'd rather be alive than thinking "Oh I should have pulled the trigger", as the lights start to go out and everything gets dark.

[Douva 0]

Yes, I would use lethal force to stop the threat of death or serious bodily harm to myself or a loved one. In certain circumstances, I might extend that protection to an unaffiliated third party. If you don't think you could do that, you don't need to be carrying a gun--It's all downside and no upside.

I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

[AMax 0]

I was always taught to only pull/aim a weapon if decision to shoot is made.
In my opinion, you should not even consider carrying a weapon if you have any second guesses.
Weapons are made to kill. That's why I believe most of the people do not need them but that's a different topic.

Edit to correct spelling

[lawrocket 3]

My guess is that fully half of the people out there who have killed in self-defense seriously doubted whether they ever could actually do it.

Would I really shoot? I dunno. I hope I'll never have to find out.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[Jib 0]

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So would you really shoot if the time came?

The alternative is to die (or you shouldn't have pulled it in the first place). So, yes I would shoot until the attacker was neutralized.

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the depth of his depravity sickens me.
-- Jerry Falwell, People v. Larry Flynt

[skydiver30960 0]

Here's the way I look at it, and I apologize if I get windy.

One thing I took away from my first conceal/carry class is that the law is flawed. Even if your life is threatened, you could still get jailed on a technicality. So what I've tried to train myself to think in that split-second I hope to have between when the situation presents itself and I have to act:

"Is stopping the act I am about to stop worth spending the next 20 years of my life in jail?"

I just try to train myself to assume the worst, assume that even if I'm justified some sleazebag lawyer will still pin it on me as unjustified and base my decision on that. So is it worth killing for:

Stopping a murder (mine or someone else's)? Sure. Because although I lose 20 years, I would hope to give myself (or someone else) more than 20 years of life that they would lose if the crime were completed, so that's cool.

Stopping a rape (of a man or woman, myself or otherwise). Probably. This is something that can really fuck someone up for life, so maybe stopping this from happening is worth the stretch.

Stopping some guy from leaving my house with my TV? Shit no. I can buy another TV. Shout "freeze" and try to intimidate him, but if he bolts for the door then let him go, it ain't worth it.

Elvisio "whozzat creeping round my back stair" Rodriguez

[antifnsocial 0]

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So try and help me out here and give me something to work off...would you pull the trigger?

I might just pull it if I see one more dumbass gun thread!! Would everyone just chill with the guns already. They are weapons, like this thread and the others and you're KILLING us with it!!!

Please feel free to reply to my posts and pm's, but only if you're smart enough to understand what they really mean.

[Ducky 0]

I think a similar topic has been discussed here. As for aiming not to kill or trying to "wing him" umm nope. I'd aim for the center and pull the trigger, more than once I might add. No sense in using DEADLY force to try and injure someone. If all you want to do is injure then don't use DEADLY force ie a gun.

Kwak

Sometimes your the bug, sometimes your the windshield. Sometimes your the hammer sometimes your the nail. Question is Hun, Do you wanna get hammered or do you wanna get nailed?????

[tweak 0]

I'd only pull if there were a life involved, mine or someone else's. To save personal property from theft, absouletly not! As for someone getting raped, I'd have to say no. Hold the F@#$er till the cops get there, beating him as necessary of course. But if he has a gun and is about to use it, sure, boom boom boom, out go the lights.

[MC208B 0]

well of course I would. Probably a gut shot too!

[Douva 0]

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I'd only pull if there were a life involved, mine or someone else's. To save personal property from theft, absouletly not! As for someone getting raped, I'd have to say no. Hold the F@#$er till the cops get there, beating him as necessary of course. But if he has a gun and is about to use it, sure, boom boom boom, out go the lights.

I agree, as a general rule, but I think there are exceptions. A few years back, I was dead broke, barely making rent payments (even got a couple of eviction notices before actually coming up with rent), behind on all my bills, etc. There had been a series of car thefts in the area. My car was among my last remaining assets and my only means of making any money (no real public transportation in Central Texas). I had only the minimum liability insurance on the truck, at the time. After a series of break-ins and car thefts at my apartment complex, I built a pretty elaborate security system to protect my truck (for very little money, if you're interested in knowing how). Had that system gone off in the middle of the night and I'd found somebody trying to drive away in my truck, I don't think I would have hesitated very long before shooting. That truck was the last step between me and homelessness. In essence, I felt like my life was on the line. Now, my new truck is fully insured. If somebody tries to steal it, I'm going to try to stop them, but I'm not going to shoot them--It's just not worth it.

--Douva

PS. Ironic twist ending to the previous story: My old truck was eventually stolen. Nobody could get near it without me knowing, when it was parked outside my apartment, but one night about a week before Christmas of '01, somebody took it from in front of a friend's house. Fortunately, it was found (banged up but running) about two weeks later.

I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

[mardigrasbob 0]

Is it ok if I just kneecap them?
Never pull a gun unless you intend to use it. Never threaten, never back down. A well trained, acurate, and calm shooter does not have to kill.


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[tweak 0]

Well I can certainly see your point there. I used to live in Texas, I know the law is way more forgiving when it comes to these scenarios. Several month ago here in Al., a guy living in one of the project areas shot a guy trying to steal his car. The second guy got away, but when the first guy eventually died from the gunshot wound, they arrested him for murder. I imagine he must have been livid going to jail for trying to protect what little he had.

[Jib 0]

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Is it ok if I just kneecap them?

No, you'll miss.

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A well trained, acurate, and calm shooter does not have to kill.

BS and if your life is in danger, you will be either calm nor too accurate. You'll never hit a knee. In fact, many people would have trouble consistently hitting a knee at 20 feet under perfect circumstances and you don't have the time to worry about it.

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the depth of his depravity sickens me.
-- Jerry Falwell, People v. Larry Flynt

[tunaplanet 0]

I get a kick out of these online hypothetical questions. Of course everyone is going to say they would shoot. Haven't you heard? The internet hosts some of the fiercest and bravest people to ever sit and type behind a keyboard.

Forty-two

[dtpilot 0]

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As for aiming not to kill or trying to "wing him" umm nope. I'd aim for the center and pull the trigger, more than once I might add. No sense in using DEADLY force to try and injure someone. If all you want to do is injure then don't use DEADLY force ie a gun.

Same thing that I was taught...use deadly force only as a last resort an use it to stop further aggression buy stopping the aggression all together. If the aggressor is dead you will be alive.

I got my conceiled carry license mainly because I could. I love handguns and can shoot them very accuratly. I hope that if I am ever in the situation to have to use the weapon that it is for the right reason.

Sometimes I think that I am asking for trouble just having the gun in my car. Asking questions like, "What would I do if I didn't have the gun", "Would there be a better way to avoid to avoid the use of deadly force".

If someone was coming at me with the intent to severly hurt me or kill me with a deadly weapon, they would be the dead one.

"Believe me! The secret of reaping the greatest fruitfulness and the greatest enjoyment from life is to live dangerously!"
-- Friedrich Nietzsche

[AMax 0]

Guns are too scary, my first choice was aways run away

[mardigrasbob 0]

new.wavlist.com/movies/194/ojw-nocomplaints.wav




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[Douva 0]

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Is it ok if I just kneecap them?
Never pull a gun unless you intend to use it. Never threaten, never back down. A well trained, acurate, and calm shooter does not have to kill.

I'd just like to be the second to say that a "well trained shooter" knows that's a bunch of BS. Unless you're auditioning for a wild west show or a guest spot on The "A" Team, shoot center of mass every time.

I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.