I think we all agree that it would just plain suck to have to shoot somebody, and that post-incident regret or second guessing can get us in trouble (either we second guess ourselves, or somebody in a DA's office armchair quarterbacks) and most self defense shootings, even if they seem clear cut at the time, will seem messy and muddy in hindsight. Most people who carry weapons for self defense have thought pretty seriously about those circumstances, I know that in my CCW class we were sort of forced to confront different scenarios as part of the class.
I think it's a
rare adult who, carrying a lethal weapon,
hasn't given the repercussions and pitfalls of lethal force some serious thought. Those who carry weapons without taking a hard look at the repercussions are likely to end up in jail.
Again, the standard I use is if you sincerely believe 1) that your life is in danger and 2) there is no other way to save it. If those two conditions are ever met (and it's pretty unlikely they ever will) then you use the self defense tools at hand. It really doesn't factor into the "shoot/don't shoot" decision whether the person is in their right mind, or a "good" person or a "bad" person, whether they are smart or dumb, confused or clear headed...Are they genuinely a threat to your life, and is there no better way to end that threat? If you think you have the judgment and situational awareness to know when those conditions are present, and the will to defend yourself if they arise, then carry. If not, don't. But please don't presume to tell us that we haven't given it any thought, or that you don't think we have sufficient judgment to use weapons responsibly.
It's tragic and awful and regrettable to take anybody's life, and taking a life isn't the goal of owning, or carrying weapons. Preserving life, in the face of violence, is.
Owning/bearing arms, most people act like pool shooters or chess players, in that they start to look a few moves ahead in day to day life, to avoid potentially volatile situations, specifically so they don't end up in a situation where they have to draw a weapon. The person that carries the gun as a "lucky rabbit's foot" or magic wand, and thinks it will in some way mitigate the awful consequences of violence - beyond possibly, but not definitely, saving their life - is an uncommonly thoughtless individual.
The gun, the weapon, is like a parachute or fire extinguisher. You don't want to fly without a parachute, but simply
having one doesn't mean you can be cavalier about checking the fuel level in your plane or flying into a thunderstorm - the 'chute might save your life, but you dread
having to use it, you don't suddenly become eager to wreck your plane. A fire extinguisher's good to have, but it's wrong to assume people who own fire extinguisher's casually smoke in bed. On the contrary, the guy who bought the fire extinguisher has probably
thought a lot more seriously about how awful a house fire would be, than the clueless dude who never bought one for his house. Likewise the guy who buys a self defense handgun. A fire extinguisher doesn't make house fire's fun, a parachute doesn't make a plane crash easy or consequence free, and noone thinks a handgun somehow erases the effects of violence or renders dangerous places safe.
Just because I've never wept over a paper target, doesn't mean I'm callous or indifferent about taking a life, or never thought about it. I think
most people, when they take it upon themselves to own and train with a weapon, have that same epiphany as the OP had. Sorry to sound combative, but I keep hearing the OP try to say to one or another poster that they haven't thought about the responsibilities or emotional effects of owning a gun, then walking back her statements a little when they protest. Give us a little credit - we are responsible, we are adults, we are decent people who can exercise compassion and judgment as well as you.
So:
Are you confident you can properly assess the situation and act morally and legally? This is not a question just for you Bill, this is for the rest of you who carry by choice. I may never be completely confident but with every training, I become more prepared.
Anyone who has endeavored to carry a concealed weapon has already answered that question in the affirmative - or they wouldn't carry one. Who are you to question the judgment of strangers?
I took up arms because I believed that it was my responsibility to ensure that I remain alive.
So have the rest of us.
How about if you've known him for 25 years and he's your best bud? Stop the threat and call 911? Stop the threat, call 911 and render aid?
I think if he's trying to kill me, the "best bud" status is revoked. I hope I pick better friends than that. And yes, calling 911 is appropriate when a crime has been committed or people need emergency assistance. Again, like you, others carry or own weapons to preserve their lives. Not to take out any particular individual. It's what someone does, not who they are, that makes them safe or dangerous in a particular situation. If there is another preferable way to deal with the situation, I would take that other way - having access to a weapon doesn't mean you're obligated to use it. If talking my "best bud" down might be an option, or wrestling the gun from his hand, I might choose those. And, if he's a friend, and there is some extraneous thing making him dangerous like a drug interaction or head injury or sudden blood sugar crash, that would be something to take into account, I might accept more risk for a friend's sake - but that would fall into the category of "Is there any better way to deal with the threat?"
I would suggest not using words like "kill" on a public forum though. That may very well be how it turns out, but DAs love words like that.
How about not trolling to get such responses?
