Would you use lethal force to defend yourself?

[Tauren]

It is my DUTY to defend my family. Come into my house uninvited and your dead meat.

 

[Amused]

<< can't u try to disable the person nonlethally by aiming at the leg/arm, or knocking him out with a spray/taser? >>


Folks, this ain't the movies, and you ain't Clint Eastwood.

Self defense situations happen in mere seconds. For all you &quot;why not just shoot him in the leg&quot; folks, go to a firing range, lay the gun down on the table in front of you, pick it up and fire it once at a target 15 feet away in less than two seconds. Now, tell me if you could reliably hit a leg or an arm (Or even the head for that matter) in this situation.... and remember, you'll be under a LOT of stress, and your target will likely be moving. This is the very reason police are taught to always aim &quot;center mass.&quot; You have the best chance of a hit if you aim for the chest.

Police also aim center mass because it has the most stopping power. The whole point in shooting an attacker is not to kill, but to insure he will not continue his attack. People on drugs have been known to continue attacking an officer after being shot multiple times. With this being the case, a leg or arm shot is even less appealing in a self defense situation.

Your attacker is NOT going to give you a second chance. He's NOT going to stand still to allow you time enough to aim at something as small as a thigh or calf, and he's NOT going to react kindly if you miss. Your only defense is to NOT MISS, and your best chance of not missing is to aim square in the center of his chest.

To answer the question, yes, without a doubt I would use lethal force to protect myself and/or my family.

 

[Deicide]

Well the kid probably wasnt too experienced with the gun, and if the guy was violent enough to warrant shooting, then he probably didn't have the chance to aim it real well.

 

[Tauren]

Someone at work brought up this subject and said: &quot;What if it was some 16yo kid who was hungry?&quot; and told him I don't know that and I don't care. If you're hungry, knock on the door and I'll let you in, feed you, let you shower, give you money &amp; clothes, and drive you somewhere, because I can afford that. But, you can't stay. I don't know you or your intent and it is my DUTY to not put my family in jeopardy.

 

[Dameon]

After verifying that yes there was a threat validating that level of force, and no way to resolve the situation, yes without hesitation.

 

[mztykal]

Fvck yah! If I was in MAJOR trouble I'd shoot someone to save my ass.

Hell, if someone threatened anyone in my family or my g/f, they'd be hurt, dead, or in a hospital real quick. :|

 

[Ryan]

I don't think I would kill someone, just severly disable them. I would shoot them in the knees, or maybe ankle so that they wouldn't be able to come after me

 

[Ryan]

I would also have an electric tazer taht I would shock the hell outta them with!

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

I would certainly use lethal force to defend myself if the situation called for it, but I think you guys who boldly state you categorically WOULD NOT feel guilt or second-guess yourselves are nuts.

Anyone who has never taken a human life can have any idea how it feels, and everyone I have known who has done it in combat settings (I know several Vietnam vets, including a former Marine/mercenary who has killed a number of people, including up-close killings with knives and his bare hands) and elsewhere (the father of a good friend in high school shot and killed an intruder in his home with a shotgun) has had nightmares and other secondary after-effects for years afterward.

 

[toph99]

this is one of the reasons i took Jiu-Jitsu for 5 years. i would try to avoid it, but we are tought to kill, if need be, but i would not feel guilty for it.

 

[Pacfanweb]

Absolutely

 

[jhu]

no, that way i get to go to heaven faster

 

[flippinfleck]

Hesitation is a weakness. If someone were attempting to harm myself or loved ones, I'd make sure they knew that I didn't appreciate it. As for taking another persons life, only if the situation calls for it. Remember, it is illegal in some places to use greater force to defend yourself. They come at you with a fist, you get in trouble for shooting them. Guilt? None, they asked for it.

 

[Bignate603]

Once coming out of school my friend made a left turn and inadvertantly cut off a guy in a little black sports car (now it's another story ifthis guy whould have been cut off if he hadn't been going twice the speed limit, but any way) We had to pull in and pick something up from a friends house almost exactly across the street so after this guy leans out the window swearing at the top of his lungs and waving two middle fingers sees it he pulls a u-turn right there and blocks our car in. He approached the car banged on the front window until my friend driving rolled it down and threatened him. A big guy about late 20's early 30's threatening a few teenagers and wouldn't stop even when we said seriously we were sorry. Now, the thought crossed my mind that we should have just backed into his car because he left it blocking us in while he said he was going to feed us our own testicles. Would it be legal to smash his car if he used it so we couldn't escape his threats while on private property? If that kid could kill some one for threatening couldn't we just bash the guy's car? (I'm still wondering if the hitch one the back would have popped through the side door)

 

[Ulfwald]

I would and have had to use lethal force to stop an attack. Yes, I felt guilty about pulling the trigger, but......

I would feel even worse had i not stopped the attack and an innocent person had died when I just stood there and did nothing about it.