I can somewhat imagine how I would feel. Besides the sinking feeling in my stomach from fear that she would be injured, I would be so angry with the SOB who threatened her life that in a perfect world I would rip off the arm he used to hold his gun and beat him to death with it.Wow. I do not think I can even imagine how I would feel if I had my wife with me and someone pointed a gun at us.
Wow.
Scary world.
Let's hope you don't ever have to find out, bud.Dr.Coy wrote:I can somewhat imagine how I would feel. Besides the sinking feeling in my stomach from fear that she would be injured, I would be so angry with the SOB who threatened her life that in a perfect world I would rip off the arm he used to hold his gun and beat him to death with it.Wow. I do not think I can even imagine how I would feel if I had my wife with me and someone pointed a gun at us.
Wow.
Scary world.
Actually I am more worried about my ability to effectively use lethal defense if my family is with me than if I am alone. I tend to get very calm and deliberate when faced with crises, however, I'm not sure how the anger I would feel at someone threatening the lives of my family would effect that. By myself I feel extremely confident stressed (my advanced handgun instructor asked me how it is that I shoot better under stress) but I am concerned that with them there I would be overly aggressive or overly cautious and not be as effective.
No, generally speaking (laws vary by state) you need to be in fear of your life or serious bodily injury. Someone walking or running away from you no longer poses a threat. There are some states that allow for protecting property with deadly force.If the robber walks away and he shoots the robber in the back, is it legal? Because there is no intent to harm?
Make sure you check out your state laws though - we aren't lawyers here. :lol:aloe wrote:No, generally speaking (laws vary by state) you need to be in fear of your life or serious bodily injury. Someone walking or running away from you no longer poses a threat. There are some states that allow for protecting property with deadly force.If the robber walks away and he shoots the robber in the back, is it legal? Because there is no intent to harm?
If the robber walks away and he shoots the robber in the back, is it legal? Because there is no intent to harm?
Those are good questions and thoughts. I re-read the story and note that without a diagram of the area it is hard to determine if there was continued risk. Also, the fact that the BG "walked" away instead of "running" makes we wonder if the couple were still at risk and perhaps had to pass by him again or if perhaps he were in a position where he could have harmed them as they tried to drive away. The fact that the BG was walking and not running indicates to me a great amount of audaciousness and experience in such criminal enterprises.I'll probably get creamed for it, but I have to ask the wisdom of engaging after the initial encounter a man who is armed with a gun while your wife is close.
I'm not arm-chair quarterbacking so much as I'm glad the opportunity came up to think about it.
The crook's leaving. You demand he stop. He turns fast and fires. A gun fight breaks out. Your wife gets hit. Or, you go down, and your wife is open for revenge.
Unless she says, "Gimme the carbine, honey! I'll take his right flank!"
I think I'll make it my policy to get the heck out of dodge if I've got somebody with me. Heck, even if I don't, I think the most I'll do is follow at a distance, birddogging for the police. It just doesn't make sense to me to1)risk having to shootanother human beingunless I really, really, have to; 2) risk a wrongful prosecution; 3) risk a civil suit fromhis family.
There is the moral issue of letting an armed predator free to prey and possible injure or kill another person; but I'm wondering if I'm morally obligated to risk myself. I can hear the press howling "vigilante" already. Toss in an anti-gun prosecutor, or an unsypathetic or swayed jury, orsensational press. Hmmmmm. Tough call.
Then there isthe wholesituational awareness question. Withalertness andany luck, I'll be flooring the accelerator beforehe initiatesaggression.
aloe wrote:If the robber walks away and he shoots the robber in the back, is it legal? Because there is no intent to harm?
Welcome to the forum!
I've never heard of a state where such would be legal for defense of person. I've heard of at least one state where one can shoot to protect property.
As the others mentioned, check the law in your state.
I'll probably get creamed for it, but I have to ask the wisdom of engaging after the initial encounter a man who is armed with a gun while your wife is close.
I'm not arm-chair quarterbacking so much as I'm glad the opportunity came up to think about it.
The crook's leaving. You demand he stop. He turns fast and fires. A gun fight breaks out. Your wife gets hit. Or, you go down, and your wife is open for revenge.
Unless she says, "Gimme the carbine, honey! I'll take his right flank!"
I think I'll make it my policy to get the heck out of dodge if I've got somebody with me. Heck, even if I don't, I think the most I'll do is follow at a distance, birddogging for the police. It just doesn't make sense to me to1)risk having to shootanother human beingunless I really, really, have to; 2) risk a wrongful prosecution; 3) risk a civil suit fromhis family.
There is the moral issue of letting an armed predator free to prey and possible injure or kill another person; but I'm wondering if I'm morally obligated to risk myself. I can hear the press howling "vigilante" already. Toss in an anti-gun prosecutor, or an unsypathetic or swayed jury, orsensational press. Hmmmmm. Tough call.
Then there isthe wholesituational awareness question. Withalertness andany luck, I'll be flooring the accelerator beforehe initiatesaggression.
Texas Penal Code, Chapter 9, Section 9.41:Citizen wrote:aloe wrote:If the robber walks away and he shoots the robber in the back, is it legal? Because there is no intent to harm?
Welcome to the forum!
I've never heard of a state where such would be legal for defense of person. I've heard of at least one state where one can shoot to protect property.
As the others mentioned, check the law in your state.
In AZ you can threaten to use deadly force or use deadly force to stop one of many felonies. A Bank robbery would qualify as one (justified use of deadly foce 13-1704, burglary in the second or first degree under section 13-1507 or 13-1508)
So then what is First or second degree burglary?
13-1508. Burglary in the first degree; classification
A. A person commits burglary in the first degree if such person or an accomplice violates the provisions of either section 13-1506 or 13-1507 and knowingly possesses explosives, a deadly weapon or a dangerous instrument in the course of committing any theft or any felony.
B. Burglary in the first degree of a nonresidential structure or a fenced commercial or residential yard is a class 3 felony. It is a class 2 felony if committed in a residential structure.
Therefor in AZ it would be a legal justification for to threaten to use or to use deadly force in such a situation. Regardless of whether he was faciing you or away from you.
§ 9.41. PROTECTION OF ONE'S OWN PROPERTY.
(a) A person in lawful possession of land or tangible, movable property is justified in using force against another when and to the degree the actor reasonably believes the force is immediately necessary to prevent or terminate the other's trespass on the land or unlawful interference with the property.
(b) A person unlawfully dispossessed of land or tangible, movable property by another is justified in using force against the other when and to the degree the actor reasonably believes the force is immediately necessary to reenter the land or recover the property if the actor uses the force immediately or in fresh pursuit after the dispossession and:
(1) the actor reasonably believes the other had no claim of right when he dispossessed the actor; or
(2) the other accomplished the dispossession by using force, threat, or fraud against the actor.
[...] Is $300 worth a man's life? of course not. Not to sound vilgilante, but if I had a gun and let the BG get away only to spend the next month or two worrying about how to pay bills, then whats the use of getting a gun?
At the current moment, I'm saving up to get a gun. Learning how to shoot is one thing, Knowing when to shoot or not and the consequences is another. [...]