Chuck wrote:Breacher:Good post!One thing that a lot of the "let me carry for self defence" guys forget is the fact that its easy to shoot paper targets. Not everybody is capable of taking human life. Some do it without a second thought. Some will hesitate before doing it - depending on the proximity of the threat, this hesitation may or may not be an issue. Some just cannot do it.
Hell, I have met some target shooters who became a bundle of nerves when offered a deer to shoot.
And all of this is before you take into account andrenalin and stress of a sitation that you are not used to encountering.
You will never know for sure until you actually find yourself in the situation.
If you have to think whether you should shoot or not then you probably should not. However, there's more to carrying than many people are aware of.
if you take a PROPER defensive firearms course, NOT a CLASS then what breacher says is actually part of that course. There are a LOT of considerations to take into account and you do need to ask yourself some deep questions like:
Am I prepared to shoot a man, a woman, a youth, a child even?? How about a work colleague you hav eknown for ages. Then of course there's the aftermath: legals, employer response, religious issues, family and friends - how will they see you now that you hav etaken a life. Let's face it, the liberals will hate you for it, to them you are just like the guy who tried to hurt you....maybe your freinds, employer etc will feel the same.
Next there's the possibility of a civil lawsuit from the family of "deceased good guy" or the attacker himself who was just sharpening his pencil when you "happened upon him standing around the corner and gave him a fright".
Then of course there's the emotional issues: guilt, self doubt, elation, PTSD even?
The whole carry issue is more than just having a gun. You have legal and moral obligations fire higher than any police officer has because you do NOT have a badge of authority like a police officer has.
You go to trial then maybe your jury are all mebers of some anti gun crowd..you have all seen how the media distorts.
Back to ammo - we get asked, what's the "best ammo" etc etc..well home loads and such are out so the simple answer is "what do the police use"? In the USA if you are using what the local PD are using you have a much better chance of a clean outcome both in the fight and the legals afterwards. Yes you can look at BP, flintlocks, weird calibres etc etc etc - then look at how a court of law will view that choice.
Of course every state is different and someone will know someone etc etc - the bottom line is if you carry a gun, get insurance, get your lawyer sorted and on speed dial BEFORE you go any further - if not allow around $75,000 minimum lawyer fees PLUS for each shot fired.
Four Basic Truths of Violent Assault; They will happen closer, faster, more suddenly and with more power than most people believe.
It all depends on the threat and situation, someone throwing a punch at you would not justify lethal force and most people would not shoot. If someone wearing a balaclava and armed was knocking down your door with a sledge hammer intent on killing you , something that happened here regularly, i bet most people would have no hesitation shooting to defend themselves.
Yep, perfect example of shot placement. A .22 sub to the head won't do you much good either.