Question about when it is considered appropriate to defend myself and to what degree.
- Thread starter GabbyDP
- Start date
Ok, thank you :smile:
gdcleanfun
Banned
K, I C. But, now at least you know not to let yourself get into that type of situation where you may be dependent on someone else for transportation. We can remember, if nothing else, that we always have on our walking shoes.
Walk this way. :dance3:
deadly force
My first time to post. Certainly a lot of confusion (and angst) concerning when to pull the trigger. I'm 6 ft 2 in, 260 lbs, hold a serious black belt and so I figure I better be damn sure about the situation if I ever do draw a weapon and use it. Hell, I worry about the trouble I would get into just by punching someone (blackbelt and all). So, what to do? First, I think females have an advantage, here, as the "weaker" sex (not being sexist, here, just realistic). Second, I have carried virtuallly all my life (I grew up on the wrong side of the tracks in a major east coast city) and have never even thought of pulling a weapon. I've always been alert to the situation and removed myself if I could, before things became dire. Martial arts training stresses this: be alert, defuse the situation, leave. I think it's encumbent on all of us who carry to have the same mentality. However..I see someone sneaking around my house in the middle of the nite, I'm scared, I'm assuming they are there to do physical harm, all bets are off.
So (need to stop rambling, here), here's my bottom line. This isn't my original thought, but here's what I would do: you shoot someone, you wait for the cops, say "I was in fear for my life" and "I want my lawyer" and then clam up. I truly believe it is better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6.
My two cents.
My first time to post. Certainly a lot of confusion (and angst) concerning when to pull the trigger. I'm 6 ft 2 in, 260 lbs, hold a serious black belt and so I figure I better be damn sure about the situation if I ever do draw a weapon and use it. Hell, I worry about the trouble I would get into just by punching someone (blackbelt and all). So, what to do? First, I think females have an advantage, here, as the "weaker" sex (not being sexist, here, just realistic). Second, I have carried virtuallly all my life (I grew up on the wrong side of the tracks in a major east coast city) and have never even thought of pulling a weapon. I've always been alert to the situation and removed myself if I could, before things became dire. Martial arts training stresses this: be alert, defuse the situation, leave. I think it's encumbent on all of us who carry to have the same mentality. However..I see someone sneaking around my house in the middle of the nite, I'm scared, I'm assuming they are there to do physical harm, all bets are off.
So (need to stop rambling, here), here's my bottom line. This isn't my original thought, but here's what I would do: you shoot someone, you wait for the cops, say "I was in fear for my life" and "I want my lawyer" and then clam up. I truly believe it is better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6.
My two cents.
Mm hmm, this is very true, I have a better understanding of how to plan accordingly in case something should happen :smile:
:laugh::happy:
We are not a weaker sex, physically I feel at a disadvantage, but we're certainly not weaker...:nono::wink:
Agreed, the best case scenario is to never have to pull a weapon in the first place. Mm hmm, I agree, but my first thought is that it would seem suspicious to right away refuse to comment any further about what happened. I understand that legally whatever I say could (and would) be held against me in court, but it seems to me that the cops would be very sceptical. Maybe not, I could be wrong :smile: I think though, if some guy is in my house in the middle of the night, and I shot him, I would think that they will make the assumption that I was merely protecting myself, being a female and therefore the weaker sex :wink:
gdcleanfun
Banned
Welcome JJ.
How so for females being the "weaker sex"? I disagree, but I'm not looking for an argument, just clarification for why you said that.
Play cards? I'll see your two cents and raise ya two more. :haha:
W
wolfhunter
Guest
Gabby, after a crisis incident (car wreck, dog attack, BG in your house at night, etc.) it doesn't matter whether you used a gun or could seem suspicious. Adrenaline and all those other hormones kick in, and typically aren't out of a person's system when the police start asking all the questions. If you choose to answer then, you're liable to babble half coherently and talk yourself into trouble. If you tell the responding officer, "He attacked me, I was in fear for my life, but I'd rather wait for my lawyer before answering any questions," you get a chance to calm down before making a full statement. Another delaying tactic is to ask the EMT/Paramedic to examine you first.
Mm, very good point, something I hadn't considered yet :smile: I have another question :secret: For example, if I am in a dark parking lot late at night by myself (first off, stay in well lit parking areas, I know :wink: ) and a guy approachs me from behind, obviously has sexual intentions, I manage to get away and he attempts to approach me again so I draw my gun, doesn't stop, I shoot. That was an example, but in general, do I need to have physical evidence that I was in danger in order to prove that I pulled a weapon for self-defense reasons? If I'm in a parking lot and no one else was there, the chances of me being able to prove that I acted in self-defense if I obtained no injuires from him are slim to none correct?
W
wolfhunter
Guest
If you draw a gun, you will have to convince at least one person that you were in fear. If you don't think a reasonable police officer will believe you were in fear, you should try an intermediate level of force.
I think they would definitely agree that I was in reasonable fear, I would need to be absolutely certain that I was in reasonable fear before acting. I was curious if it required physical evidence to prove that the act was in self-defense :smile:
W
wolfhunter
Guest
As Netentity said, check your laws. Here in FL, it's what a reasonable person would feel or believe.
Ok, I will look into that :smile: Netentity mentioned that the laws for PA may be more difficult to find..
W
wolfhunter
Guest
Good luck
Thank you! :happy:
Just make sure that you're not so nervous about being attacked that you shoot someone for asking directions. A BG usually looks like a BG, usually has a criminal record and will usually approach in a threatening manner. If you shoot a guy in a business suit who's never had a parking ticket in the parking lot who was walking to his car and approached you to ask directions, you may have a harder time convincing someone your life was in danger.
Yikes...didn't mean to ruffle feathers with "weaker" sex comment. Probably just showing my age: I stand corrected as noting that I meant women are physically weaker (usually) and thus will maybe get some slack that us big, burly types won't in a shoot-no shoot situation. No offense intended.
Mm hmm, agreed, I will be very careful :yes4:
Fair enough, we stand our group here though :wink: While men typically have the physical advantage, it's also important to remember that statisticly, women more often than not are the ones sexually assaulted. So yes, we may be given the benefit of the doubt moreso than men would, but it all depends on the situation.
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