I drew my weapon in self defense: Gun owners & Dog Walkers

always assume everyone has a gun. what happens when you pull your gun to scare him and make him back down, and he shoots you and kills you? he is in the right in the eyes of the law, even if he was the aggressor, you are dead and its his word against yours while you lay there with a gun in your hand.

"pretty sure" wont keep you from going to prison if you make the wrong move.

preventing burglary is different. you are at home and have nowhere to retreat. same with car jacking. kidnapping isn't personal property its a human.

with that being said. if somebody tries to take your shit at gun point/knife point and you feel your life is threatened, by all means, take them down

 

You are right. That said, if someone is asking for my wallet I am going to do one of two things, laugh at them or draw a gun on them. If they have the means to make me think they are serious enough to take my wallet, than my life is in danger.

Now, that does not apply to my wife

 

What do cops do? You are at the advantage if his wasn't drawn on you already. In fact you should give a verbal warning to keep his hands in view and to get running. If it looks like he is reaching for something then you are only protecting your life and limb by shooting.

Certainly not a good situation just like the cops, it could go for or against you, but you need to be trained and prepared for split decisions if you intend to pull out a gun on someone.

 

If someone is asking for my wallet with a gun drawn on me, they are getting my wallet. Even if I am carrying, they are already drawn on me, if I reach I will be shot. Likewise, if someone is make threatening gestures or statements and I believe they may follow through on them, I would like to draw before they do. This is not the wild west and we are not going to pace out 10 steps and draw.

 

That depends... Is your last rubber in the wallet? It might be worth fighting for...

 

you're absolutely right. i would never even try to draw on someone if they already have a gun pointed at me.

i did hear of an instance (and i'm sure there are many more) where the person being robbed reached back as if to get their wallet from their back pocket only to draw and shoot the robber. that takes a lot balls though. don't think i could go through with it. i'd much rather lose 100 bucks or whatever's in my wallet, than even risk being shot/hurt/killed.

 

You can not guarantee this. Noone can.

 

Yeah, my wallets got a bunch of plastic and a little cash, they can have it. I also don't like to carry chambered yet, I know that many think that is nuts, but I am new to the CCW thing and am mostly worried about wild life not thug life.

 

It comes down to training, and warrior mindset my friends. Chris Kyle (RIP) shot and killed two would be assailants, while they were pointing guns at him already. People do it everyday. If you wouldn't draw your gun to protect your own life...I don't care if the guy said "gimme one of those tootsie rolls".......if he/ she has a gun pointed at me......they better be ready to pull the trigger. If you feel differently, then maybe you need to reconsider even carrying a gun because in a sense...you are a sheep. Just my $.02

 

come on man. i get what you're saying, but the sheep, sheep dog, wolf thing is all a bunch of hoopla to get people all psyched up on being a tough guy/savior with a gun. it makes sense to an extent i guess, but i carry a gun to keep myself safe and alive. i will do whatever it takes to do that. if it means handing over my wallet to some idiot, so be it.

then again, i'm a weekend shooter, not a trained SEAL like chris kyle

 

And then back in a round about way to the OP.....

http://www.macon.com/2013/05/30/2498382/bibb-deputies-shoot-one-of-two.html

 

So because you do not agree with how OP used his gun you are thrown automatically in to the anti-gun group?

Great logic.

 

I applaud the OP for showing restraint and not turning a bad situation into a worse one.

Not necessarily how I would have done it, but I wasn't there, so I can't say.

It did make me think about it from another perspective, and that is, if someone shoots my dog - rightly or wrongly - and I am there, he is probably going to die, too.

I'm not trying to be brash or bullheaded. I love my dog more than life itself, and it would be pretty easy to explain.

OFFICER: "What happened here?"

ME: "My dog got loose and he shot it. Then he pointed his pistol at me. I had to defend myself."

Just another thing to think about when dealing with deadly force and people's pets.

 

That is a valid point to consider. But there is a good chance some eye-witnesses have popped out of the woodwork after hearing the commotion and the first shots.

 

I need to stop trying to use the "two schools of thought.." thing on the internet. It somehow causes too much confusion. I'm in the former group, not the latter. There is some merit however in trying to avoid situations such as OP was in. My guns are last line defense, not first, but thats because I will likely lose my freedom and guns after using them once. Its not a card I would play lightly.

 

Speaking of dogs, I always carry......and I always carry a walking stick. If it is a dog threat, I use the stick first and it has never escalated. If the other dog owner complains, I tell them to either leash or keep their dog under control....if anything other, the stick is a diversion while I go for the gun.......

I would much rather explain that I tried to use the stick first.

I commend the OP for his restraint in the above situation.

 

I love my dogs too. But if I am in the wrong and my pet gets hurt as a result. That's my fault. I would hate to think if your dog got out of control and got hit by a car, the driver does the right thing and comes up to you and says I hit your dog. Would you kill him then.

Yes, shooting is a direct act to cause harm to a dog and a car accident is an accident. But that is no different than rightly or wrongly. There is a time when you need to accept responsibility for your actions that might lead to harm to others.

 

Now you are just expecting too much. Common sense is not today's societies strong suit.

 

Are you saying I just cant shoot it into people? Time to throw away my guns.

 

I hear you.

But are you sure that's something you'd be willing to count on in a person after you just put a couple of holes in Fido? Especially if the dog had not bit you? Not so sure that a person who was previously acting irresponsibly would suddenly course-correct.

I'm just making the point that when you are dealing with high emotions, anything is possible, and is something to keep in mind.