imported post
Grapeshot wrote:
spurrit wrote:
While the original question, in it's original context was rather stupid, I DO see how important it would be to ask this. Say you step outside to confront 1 or more BG's for whatever cause. They're armed, and run for cover, away from their car. Since they're armed and behind cover, and not trying to escape, it would be reasonable to assume they're planning to fight back. In this instance, I would have no trouble taking any available shot.
There is
NO cause for defensive use of force here at all. You know nothing but what you assume. The supposed BGs might be victims running for cover (good response) or LEOs and most importantly even if they are BGs, there is no immediate threat as described here. Advance to the rear and call 911. Your weapon should be your last resort, not your first response. We are not the punishers of what we presume to be to be wrong. Don't shoot training is arguably more important than learning to shoot - any idiot can do that. Carry responsibly and encourage others to do likewise.
Yata hey
Well said, Grapeshot. Any person's primary defense weapon is the brain. The gun is merely a tool to assist that weapon.
It's similar to how, it seems, so many people go around in condition white (even on this board, I fear) and assume that because they have a gun, it will magically start shooting in a defensive situation. It is why many gun carriers only carry a gun when "they might need to use it", and why it seems paranoid to do a threat assessment of a Starbucks before entering... since surely a perpetrator will stop committing a crime, walk 20 yards away in the open, put paint on his face in concentric circles, and stand still while you get into into a proper shooting stance and line up your sights. A gun carrier, especially an open carrier (as CCers will probably be dead before they can "surprise" the BG) needs to train
mentally about how to handle any defensive situation. Anyone can put a hole into a BG at two or three armlengths away (an average distance for a defensive situation). But what is difficult is the process of getting to that situation of putting holes into a BG. Is it OK to shoot a BG in the back? It depends on the situation. He might still be a threat, and it would not be a good idea to shoot. Or he may not be a direct, immediate threat to you and it is still a good idea to shoot. Just like the legal situation, it's a case-by-case assessment of when it is right or wrong, both tactically and morally, to shoot a BG in the back.
