Reply #71: Sounds like you have never had any training in use of deadly force [View All]

[slackmaster]

I have. WhiskyTangoFoxtrot is exactly right; as a civilian (not a law enforcement officer) it's not appropriate and in most states very illegal for you to use deadly force intervene on behalf of a stranger. If you are not threatened you can't legally join in someone else's fight.

If you try to draw the attention of someone you perceive as a bad guy so that you become personally threatened and then use deadly force, that's illegal too. Concealed weapons permit holders are taught in class (or should be) that they are not police and cannot go looking for trouble.

I've read the NRA magazine. I've seen the self-congratulatory letters about how having their gun enabled them to save innocent lives.

Next time you pick up one of those magazines read the stories more carefully. In every single case people used deadly force to defend themselves or their family, usually in their own homes. That's what civilians using weapons for self-defense is all about.

These people are wetting themselves to be able to send a story like that.

If you seriously believe that people who keep guns for self-defense generally have that in their minds, I submit that if you have decided not to own guns you have made a wise choice. OTOH if you ever have an inkling that you might want to start using a gun, knife, or any other potentially deadly weapon for self-defense I cannot overemphasize the importance of getting training. A good course will teach you how to select an appropriate weapon, the laws and ethics of using deadly force, what will happen to you when you use a deadly weapon in self-defense, and most important of all when not to use it.

The basic rules taught at the place I was trained are these: If something is not worth dying for it's not worth shooting someone for; and if you have to ask yourself whether or not you should use deadly force in a given situation the answer is almost always "No". Carrying a gun is very serious business. A lot of people who use them legally and do all the morally right things end up in jail.