To all GUN SLINGERS

[Trophy]

When hunting season is over, and open water isn't here yet, people's brains have a tendancy to think of stuff really irrelevant to anything. Come on spring.

><Most cases a hero>
>
>Do you have dreams of becoming a hero by killing someone?


the person you shot would become the hero when he sued you for everything you own
all he needs is a jury that is pro gun control

rebs

There are states that have laws that will allow you to protect your property. It is much tougher to be a thief, crook, murderer, and rapistists in those states. If you are willing to give up your personal property to a thief, then why not give it to me? I will send all of the proceeds to a charitable cause.

The QUESTION was
WHAT WOULD YOU DO??????

Not I own these guns. (I did not own a gun for 15 years, just with all the random violence; I decided to buy a couple, 2 of which have never had a round in them) I only did that just to see where that would go. I know a lot of people do not own guns, as stated I did not for a long time, AND HAVE NO INTENTIONS of getting a permit to carry.
I am NOT sitting home and plotting how to kill someone.
I do not need to go to a gun training class and ask someone about the parameters or ramifications of using force, I already know that.
At 60 years of age I do not feel the need to be a HERO.
To be completely honest I would only help one of my neighbors, she is around 80 years old, and has very few visitors, so I do tend to keep an eye out. The rest I simply ignore, and prefer it that way. I would dial 911, if I felt the need, and was sure it was needed.
If you read the paper on a daily basis someone gets murdered, raped or assaulted. In most of the cases the neighbor or someone will say they heard them yelling for help, or they beat on the door asking help, and the person did not even dial 911 to help for fear of repercussions on them.
It was a simple question but as all questions that are asked on any forum, gets twisted, dissected, and misdirected. The world is a forever changing place, and it seems that most people are concerned for their legal rights before defending their self. Anyone who thinks they can talk a robber out of not hurting you or your family needs to wake up. You stand a less than say 25% chance they won’t, if I had children living with me I would do anything to protect them.
We live in a country where we have the right to own a gun, and I hate to see the day when we lose that right.

<and the person did not even dial 911 to help for fear of repercussions on them>>

I guess it comes down to personal responsibility.

Why should i risk my safety and security and financial well being to to help that person? Shouldn't they take personal responsibility and help themselves?

I owe you nothing and you owe me nothing!!

[Darren MT]

This is a serious issue that everyone needs to think about and is worthy of discussion here. I rambled on about it in the earlier thread that was locked, but will continue here because it is important.

I'm a cop. I get asked this question quite often by concerned citizens, and have addressed the issue for public groups. Basically, here is what I recommend.

1. Know the law in your state. Speak with someone from the county attorney's office, the state attorney general's office, a law enforcment administrator, a qualified self defense instructor, etc. There may be some straight-forward information on your state's website. I know Montana law, but can't comment on other states without doing the same research you can do yourself.

2. In various legal wording, most state laws (DISCLAIMER: CHECK YOUR LAWS) are similar to Montana and give people the right to use whatever amount of force is reasonable and necessary (key words) to protect themselves or anyone else. To justify deadly force, by whatever means, you need to show that, based on your perception, observations, or information known to you at the time, you reasonably believe someone has the intent and present capability of causing death or serious bodily injury to you or someone else and that the threat is immediate. You need to take immediate action. With the exception of those unfortunate states that require people to try to retreat before using force, you don't have to use the least amount of force available. Force simply has to be reasonable. The reasonableness standard may vary from state to state, based on established case law, and may be determined through a legal review of each incident.

3. If you own and/or carry guns for self defense purposes, you need to be familiar with their use and know how to shoot them. A gun can create a false sense of security. Accuracy is greatly decreased in a stressful situation......even when shooting at close distances, especially with a handgun. When you need a gun, you will likely need it in a hurry and your life (or someone else's) may rely on your ability to hit accurately. I would guess that many people who have guns for self defense are unprepared for an encounter. Faced with a deadly threat, they would fumble around trying to get at the gun and would have difficulty hitting the person in a vital area.

4. Safety considerations: Guns have killed far more people in the home from accidental discharges than have been used in self defense. Guns in the home don't necessarily increase safety. If you have kids at home, or people with kids ever come to visit, guns need to be secured. The catch 22 is that guns that are locked up are not readily accessible when you need them. Something to think about.

If you do have to fire a gun in a lawful situation, the shots may pose more danger than what you are trying to prevent. During a split second decision to start shooting at an intruder in your home, where are the missed rounds going to go? Into your child's bedroom? Toward your wife, who you don't see standing behind the intruder calling the police? If you're in a public setting, do you pose a danager for innocent bystanders being hit by stray rounds? These are the same things police officers must be thinking about before they start shooting. A gun in the hands of someone who doesn't know how to use it, in a high stress situation, may cause more problems than it will prevent. Too many people buy a gun for self defense, keep it in their dresser drawer, or worse yet, carry it, and never practice with it. They don't know how to handle it. Relying on luck, or the "spray and pray method" with a gun is not a good deal.

5. You need to be mentally prepared and willing to protect yourself if necessary. The cops aren't usually there, and you may not even be able to call for help. If you have a gun, be prepared to use it. If not, you need to think about alternatives. Guns are certainly superior tools to protect yourself, but there are other options. Never use a gun as a bluff, or to threaten someone when you are not justified. If not justified, threatening someone with a gun is a criminal assault. When you present a gun, you will undoubtedly escalate the situation. Be prepared for taking action. Even though you may have the right to use deadly force against a threat, the safest alternative may be to get away from it. You need to decide, based on the existing circumstances. You need to be mentally prepared to face someone who intends to harm you, regardless of how you will respond. In any case, you need to be decisive and determined. Hesitation and being unsure of yourself will get you hurt or killed.

6. You will be held accountable for your actions and have to live with your decision. Some situations are clear-cut, leaving no room for second guessing and easy to live with. Other situations may not be so clear, haunting you for the rest of life if you feel you made the wrong choice. Failure to use force when necessary may also haunt you, if somebody was hurt because you did nothing. We have a responsibility to act in a lawful and reasonable manner, whether or not we use force. There is a time for taking aggressive action and there is a time for self restraint. Reasonable people know the difference and will make the right decision when the time comes.

[Jack G]

I am a long time NRA member and I have thought a quite a bit about the consequences of shooting someone. People act differently in emergency situtions but there are a few things of which you should be aware should you shoot someone.

If you shoot a person you will have to live with that thought the rest of your life. You might very well wind up bankrupt and possibly in prison.

There is a lot to consider but I think that is the nuts and bolts of it.

Jack

I am an avid hunter and shooter. Unless you are well trained and are competant I would never enter the fray in this situation. I would also prefer to have my 12gauge along with my hand gun or even better my semi-auto scoped Browning 30-06. This is a law enforcement issue and probably better suited for them. Again it is a judgement call and I pray that I would never have to make the decision. You run the serious risk of being shot by the police officers responding or the assailant or his buddies. You also are assuming there is only one of them or the wife or friend at the house who is also armed may shoot you and the assailant thinking you are a team. Thinking this through I would hold the perrimeter on my property and wait for backup.

[went522]

Neighbor...I'd stay out of it. Not my business, I don't want the trouble. I'd call the cops, let them sort it out.

My home...BANG! :exactly:

BIRDDOG

[darin]

I wish I never clicked on this topic...