Pellet rifle / vandals

[braindead0]

Recently, there has been a lot of car windows shot out with some sort of pellet rifle. Saturday night, that include my wifes (luckily, we just got a new car for her..)..

Of course, the police out here don't care..and I'm not proposing taking things into my own hands (I'd never shoot a vandal, unless I or someone else was in danger).

The question is.. if somebody points a pellet rifle at me... would I be out of bounds drawing down on him/her? Seems to me a pellet rifle could kill, but not very likely....

Any thoughts on the subject?

 

[Hkmp5sd]

If you or any other average person placed in that situation believed that the BG was trying to kill or seriously harm you and had the capability of doing that with the weapon in his hands, then yes, you would be justified. If all you had to do was step inside the house and close the door to eliminate the immediate threat, then no, probably not.

It this case, killing some teenager with a pellet gun is going to cause you a lot of grief. You will most likely be arrested and have to deal with a trial. There will be a lawsuit by his parents. Even if you get off, it would still be very expensive.

If they are doing this frequently and in the same area, what you may consider is getting several of your neighbors to set up video cameras pointed out a front window and get them on tape. Cops would then have to do something.

 

[braindead0]

I doubt the little cowards would hang around anyway. I certainly have no intention of shooting one of these lusers. But, my front door locks with a different key than our side/back doors, we never even have that key on hand (don't use the front much anyway).

I was just curious about the 'deadliness' of a pellet rifle. Obviously, there are different rifles with varying degrees of possible damage... Of course, a cop could probably get away with it anyway..depending on distance, if it's pointing at you how would you know..

The problem with the video camera, you only get 1-2 hours...or delay recording that may extend that to 4 or more. Doesn't cover things overnight. I am considering getting a surveilance video recorder though...

Oh, and as for getting the neighbors to video tape..almost 100% of them are retired..and I doubt anybody else has a video camera.

 

[foghornl]

Braindead:
The X-10 video cams have a lot higher resolution than most of the "industrial/commercial" grade of "surveilence cams", and connected to a standard home VHS format VCR, can record 8 hours on SLP or EP speed. I have a couple set up with motion detectors, and a unit called the "VCR Commander" from X-10. Records 10 minutes whenever it is tripped by the motion detectors. Visit the website:

www.x10.com

for info on the inexpensive stuff, for more selection, although at higher prices, visit:

www.x10pro.com and
www.smarthome.com

 

[braindead0]

Ack, you sound like a popup add ;-)

 

[Preacherman]

Braindead0, a pellet rifle may not be "deadly" in the sense of being easily able to kill you (although the high end of the market shoots .22 pellets at something like 1,000 fps, so these most certainly COULD kill you if they scored a precise hit on something without which you can't live...), but they can cause very serious injuries. I know three teenagers who were hit by pellets while being stupid with their friends. Injuries were:

1. Loss of left eye;

2. Loss of right testicle;

3. Damage to a spinal disc, eventually requiring surgery to fuse two vertebrae.

If you don't mind these things happening to you, sure, leave the vandals in peace to shoot at you. Personally, if I see someone pointing a pellet rifle at me, I'm going to assume that this person is offering an immediate and otherwise unavoidable threat of serious injury, and I will react accordingly - with my own weapon, if necessary. Furthermore, no matter how hostile the press might be, I think I can prove beyond any doubt, in a court of law, that the pellet rifle did, indeed, pose such a threat - if necessary, I can produce three witnesses to testify to the fact!

 

[Greg L]

Frankly if someone is pointing a rifle at me I'm not going to try to take the time to try to id it between an air rifle or a firearm. That said, in this situation, it wouldn't be worth the anguish and expense of blowing these punks away. If the police won't do anything towards getting them caught, it may be worth a call to the mayor to put some pressure on the police. If that doesn't work then maybe a call to a local paper/tv station. They are always looking for easy stories to write/produce.

Greg

 

[10-Ring]

If someone pointed a gun at me, in the context of someone willing to hurt me, I'd think they were just opening themselves up to having appropriate force used to end the threat. IF the gun looks to be a real firearm, I'm not willing to allow myself to get shot by just a pellet gun because it's just a "toy."

 

[Bacchus]

I agree with some of the others...I'm not sure that I could distinguish between an air rifle and a "real" rifle, at a distance, at night. Also, I'm not sure that it's fair to say "real" rifle, since pellet guns could seriously harm you.

 

[80fl]

As posted by the Preach:

2. Loss of right testicle;

I don't care who it is or what they shoot you with. Loss of either the right OR left testicle is grounds for letal force.

 

[Blackhawk]

Last year in Texas, an amorous teenager was killed with a pellet rifle by, IIRC, the father of the girl he was hassling.

If it looks like a gun... well, you know....

 

[Hkmp5sd]

I agree regarding the unknown....

But in this case, braindead0 knows it is a pellet gun and has the ability to avoid a confrontation. If he pushes the situation (which he has has already said that he will not do) and winds up killing the teenager, the prosecutor will go after him with any and everything available. His decision to avoid a confrontation is the correct choice.

 

[XLMiguel]

Most states allow the use of lethal force in response to a threat of death or grave bodily injury. Some pellet guns are certainly capable of both. In my very limited experience, I have never looked down the barrel of a gun that didn't look big/bad enough to scare the crap out of me, so if someone were to point one at me in a threatening situation and I had the means to respond, I'd probably shoot them and hope for the best.

We used to have an old Crossman pellet gun and my wife was of the opinion that that was adequate for home defense. I explained the concept of brandishing to her, and the fact that if you wave a gun (any gun, they don't know) at someone, they may very well respond in a most negative manner (to you) by shooting back, and likely get away with it. We are now much better armed (and educated), but the basic truth of never point a any kind of gun (except, perhaps, a neon yellow/orange/green super-soaker) gun at anyone is well ingrained. I'm working on the nieces & nephews, too, though some of their 'rents ain't real kean on 'Uncle Mike's corrupting infulences' when it come s to firearms.

Bottom line, if you can sell the fact that you were in fear for your life, you will likely walk, but it will be expensive, and it won't be fun. Don't point guns at people. Choose your battles.

 

[bad_dad_brad]

Many pellet rifles are quite lethal, especially at close range. I killed a large raccoon with one at 20 feet, a head shot. The weapon was a Sheridan Blue Streak in .20 caliber. But the shot has to be precise for sure.

However, if you shoot some kid that has a pellet gun, just because he is causing some property mayhem, you will go to jail, unless you are a cop of course.