Chris Phelps said:
In either case, I would wait for them to get within arms reach of me, grab the wrist of the hand holding the knife, pull it in the direction they were running, then quickly snap it back, effectivly [sic] taking their feet out from under them and landing them on their back, I would then quickly twist in the downward direction of their arm, while pulling up to roll their body over... then I would put my knee in their back, lock their elbow in a position in which it was impossible for them to move, and proceed to yell for someone to call the police.
Not everyone is trained in hand-to-hand combat at a level which would make this even remotely possible. Even for those that are, not everyone has the speed and/or agility to perform a maneuver such as this. Not everyone has the strength to do the same, as well.
Knives are dangerous. When we used knives in class (of the rubber variety), it was very monotonous, very predictive, and very telegraphed. Our instructor made it very clear to us that even an untrained person with an edged weapon, coming towards you with erratic movements, would be a
serious threat. The movies and even classroom exercises make it seem easy – but it is not.
I think most people with common sense realize this. Therefore, IMO, those posting that they would draw and fire do not necessarily coincide with your assumption:
Chris Phelps said:
...CCW's have allowed people to slack off in their hand to hand combat skills. Too many people are eager to shoot someone in these situations.
...it only means they're more than likely, just being realistic. Now, you could be a complete uber-ninja, I have no idea. But for the average, above average, and even skilled person; taking on a deranged lunatic with an edged weapon is an absolute tactical disaster.
Edited to answer Glen's original post:
#1 - Bang, you're dead.
#2 - I'd take some stabbings from my son if I thought I could over-come him eventually. But ultimately, I'll kill
anyone who's trying to kill me. Even a son deserves to die when he's so messed up he's murdering his own family members. That goes for any human IMO.
So yes, the value of a person does make a difference to me - at least initially.