Shoot First, Ask Questions Later

[casingpoint]

Not a lot of room for conversation here. Skip the chit-chat.
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[Charles L. Cotton]

I agree with your concept of defending one's self, but "Shoot First, Ask Questions Later" title will bring a smile to Sarah Brady's face. It's her favorite line.

Chas.

[Fangs]

Sketchy at best when using a gun would have been easily justified had the father been armed. He and his son weren't out numbered, there weren't any weapons involved, and yet it resulted in his death. As I see it, by the time he was clearly legal to shoot in self-defense, he was a split second from being knocked senseless.

I don't think shooting first and asking questions later would have flown in court for someone punching your adult son once in the face.

I've given serious thought to situations like this after getting berated on this forum for placing my hand on my pocket gun when three decently sized drunk guys, one of them resting his hand on his pocket knife the whole time, and two angry girls were within stabbing distance of my puny friend, his tiny girlfriend, and me. My conclusion is that I would much rather be in the readiest position to draw and fire if the need arises, though never show my gun unless I'm willing to use it.

Would this guy have been in a huge legal mess for shooting someone's poor loving father/husband/thuglet? Yeah. Would he have been alive had he been armed and decided to fire? Yeah. Overall a tough choice, I just know that Marksiwel would have made it through alive. At least he'd have the pepper spray ready. (I do kinda miss that guy. Wacky way of thinking, but he did make it more interesting.)

We all know that fists can kill. Why is there still such a huge reluctance to call them deadly force?

Edited to add pepper spray comment. This would be an ideal situation to have some handy.

[frazzled]

There isn't, in civilized states. Not if you are an old man and that fact pattern was present.

California, especially hyper wingnut Northern California? Literally anything can happen.

[VoiceofReason]

I've given serious thought to situations like this after getting berated on this forum for placing my hand on my pocket gun

You aren’t the only one that does this.

When someone comes up to me in a parking lot or I am in a restroom etc., I put my hand in my pocket. With the type of pocket holster I have, I can have the gun in my hand. So far I haven’t had to draw it and I can just let go, it drops back in the holster and no one ever knows. Should I ever have to use it though, it would take literally a heartbeat to draw and fire. It could take only a second or two for someone to disable you so you could not get to your gun. Should I ever have to protect myself, chances are my pocket gun would be the first one I used. It may buy me time to get to my Kimber. My son will soon get his CHL too, so if anything like this happens to us, it won’t turn out quite that way.

The father or son should have called the police. The father should not have confronted the scum.

The son and family have my sincere sympathy.

[casingpoint]

Sketchy at best when using a gun would have been easily justified

The only time it will be completely beyond reproach that you should have acted first is when you come up dead or injured. Like the old Border Patrolman wrote, there is No Second Place Winner.