RetiredUSNChief
Member
With respect to the "what if" concerns out there...
We can ALWAYS come up with a "what if" scenario to support anything we wish.
What if the kid had a knife? What if the kid had a gun? What if there were a gang of kids? What if? What if? What if?
The reality of any encounter is that you may well and truly be totally screwed and there may be absolutely nothing you can do about it. But then, being alive you're already ultimately well and truly screwed because the one thing you can be absolutely sure of is the fact that nobody ever gets out of life alive...period.
And the other constant in life is the fact that life ain't fair. The universe does not care one wit about "fair". It's a human concept that only has meaning to humans...and only while we're still living, at that.
That said, all you can do is the best you can to make what life you have as pleasant and rewarding as possible until that final day does come, however it may arrive.
As to this particular "what if", concerning being attacked by an 11 year old:
Once upon a time, when I was taking my mandatory 8 hour training course required by the state of South Carolina for my CCW permit, the officer giving the course discussed some examples of "what if".
It boiled down to what constitutes the "presumption of reasonable fear of imminent peril".
Now, you can read the SC statute on this for yourself (Section 16-11-440), but what it boils down to is this: if it ain't reasonable to conclude imminent peril exists, then you are going to be screwed for taking the deadly force course of action. And, since the people who will be making this legal determination will be doing so after the fact and with all kinds of information you may have missed, or not have had at the time, then there exists the very real possibility that you won't be living the rest of your life in as pleasant and rewarding circumstances that you would like.
So you'd better make the wise and prudent decision right the first time. And if it means running away while screaming like a girl, then you'd better hope your pride doesn't interfere with that.
A angry man over 6 feet tall, weighing 250 pounds, with bare hands may indeed be viewed as a very real source of imminent peril.
An angry little old lady only 5 feet tall, 90 pounds soaking wet, with bare hands is not likely to be realistically viewed as a very real source of imminent peril no matter how angry she may be.
An 11 year old with a stun gun against a full grown man walking a 90 pound dog is likewise not likely to be realistically viewed as a very real source of imminent peril.
We can rack up all the "what ifs" we want...but if we have to start looking for a reason to call an attack by ANY person as reason for "imminent peril", then perhaps the answer you want isn't the right one.
Make your decision the best you can, by all means...but if you draw that weapon against another human being, you are cementing your path and you had better be right in every aspect, because if you aren't you will pay the consequences. And no amount of tears or "what ifs" afterwards will ever alter what you did.
I said before that I am thankful that nobody was hurt...and that this very fact presents you with an opportunity to sit down and think about what happened, what lead up to it, and figure out ways to deal with a similar situation should it happen in the future.
The time to train for the "what ifs" is BEFORE the happen so that you have the mental tools you need to more effectively evaluate your course of action in real life.
And when you ask yourself these "what if" questions in the comfort of your own home, you should be honestly diligent in trying to figure out how you would NOT have to use your weapon.
We can ALWAYS come up with a "what if" scenario to support anything we wish.
What if the kid had a knife? What if the kid had a gun? What if there were a gang of kids? What if? What if? What if?
The reality of any encounter is that you may well and truly be totally screwed and there may be absolutely nothing you can do about it. But then, being alive you're already ultimately well and truly screwed because the one thing you can be absolutely sure of is the fact that nobody ever gets out of life alive...period.
And the other constant in life is the fact that life ain't fair. The universe does not care one wit about "fair". It's a human concept that only has meaning to humans...and only while we're still living, at that.
That said, all you can do is the best you can to make what life you have as pleasant and rewarding as possible until that final day does come, however it may arrive.
As to this particular "what if", concerning being attacked by an 11 year old:
Once upon a time, when I was taking my mandatory 8 hour training course required by the state of South Carolina for my CCW permit, the officer giving the course discussed some examples of "what if".
It boiled down to what constitutes the "presumption of reasonable fear of imminent peril".
Now, you can read the SC statute on this for yourself (Section 16-11-440), but what it boils down to is this: if it ain't reasonable to conclude imminent peril exists, then you are going to be screwed for taking the deadly force course of action. And, since the people who will be making this legal determination will be doing so after the fact and with all kinds of information you may have missed, or not have had at the time, then there exists the very real possibility that you won't be living the rest of your life in as pleasant and rewarding circumstances that you would like.
So you'd better make the wise and prudent decision right the first time. And if it means running away while screaming like a girl, then you'd better hope your pride doesn't interfere with that.
A angry man over 6 feet tall, weighing 250 pounds, with bare hands may indeed be viewed as a very real source of imminent peril.
An angry little old lady only 5 feet tall, 90 pounds soaking wet, with bare hands is not likely to be realistically viewed as a very real source of imminent peril no matter how angry she may be.
An 11 year old with a stun gun against a full grown man walking a 90 pound dog is likewise not likely to be realistically viewed as a very real source of imminent peril.
We can rack up all the "what ifs" we want...but if we have to start looking for a reason to call an attack by ANY person as reason for "imminent peril", then perhaps the answer you want isn't the right one.
Make your decision the best you can, by all means...but if you draw that weapon against another human being, you are cementing your path and you had better be right in every aspect, because if you aren't you will pay the consequences. And no amount of tears or "what ifs" afterwards will ever alter what you did.
I said before that I am thankful that nobody was hurt...and that this very fact presents you with an opportunity to sit down and think about what happened, what lead up to it, and figure out ways to deal with a similar situation should it happen in the future.
The time to train for the "what ifs" is BEFORE the happen so that you have the mental tools you need to more effectively evaluate your course of action in real life.
And when you ask yourself these "what if" questions in the comfort of your own home, you should be honestly diligent in trying to figure out how you would NOT have to use your weapon.
