Be aware of pranksters

Even if you weren't 'guilty' it could certainly ruin your life.
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What makes you think it would ruin my life?

I'm peaceably minding my own business and some idiot fakes a robbery.

Well to bad for him/her. I won't feel bad cause it won't be my fault.

Deaf
 
What makes you think it would ruin my life?

I'm peaceably minding my own business and some idiot fakes a robbery.

Well to bad for him/her. I won't feel bad cause it won't be my fault.

Deaf
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Everybody handles stress differently. Kudos for you if you don't think you'd be effected even if you were totally in the right by ending someones' life for their folly and pranking. I think most people, even shooting in self defense, struggle with it for a period of time. I've known countless Soldiers that killed real bad guys and were justified, but struggle every day with the memories.

And it's worse for anyone charged with the crime even if they beat the charges.
 
Frankly, I would question the humanity of anyone that is NOT emotionally impacted to some degree by killing another human being, even in a perfectly justified self-defense scenario, let alone a ill-conceived prank gone horribly, horribly wrong. I pray to God I never have cause to use any of my weapons (cane, knife, gun, knitting needles, hands and feet) to kill an attacker, but if I do, I fully expect to need some counseling in the aftermath.
 
I'm not a fan of "pranks," no matter whether they're the pernicious ones we're discussing here, or the common-or-garden variety, such as having a new shooter (often a woman) try out a .44 mag revolver. I think there's always an element of cruelty and aggression in them; at the very least, they're an unattractive form of dominance behavior. I'd make a small exception for pranks carried out within groups of equals, when they're truly harmless and reciprocity is fully expected.

The emotional effects of shooting someone in self-defense are another subject entirely, and as such are off-topic in this thread.
 
Everybody handles stress differently. Kudos for you if you don't think you'd be effected even if you were totally in the right by ending someones' life for their folly and pranking. I think most people, even shooting in self defense, struggle with it for a period of time. I've known countless Soldiers that killed real bad guys and were justified, but struggle every day with the memories.

And it's worse for anyone charged with the crime even if they beat the charges.
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I didn't end his life for his 'folly'. HE ended his life for his folly.

I cannot control what stupid people do.

Now if it was just a cell phone or a pen and I THOUGHT it was a gun and no robbery attempt was even being done, fake or not, well that is part my responsibility. And yes, I would feel badly about it and it would affect my life.

But to come up to me with a fake gun or knife, well that is THEIR responsibility.

Fortunately we have the STG law here in Texas. That may explain why we don't have to many jokers who fake robberies.

Deaf
 
If it convinces you, then the piper is paid

Some of the pranks that are being pulled are so ludicrous that you know it's a prank. However, many of the pranks are realistic and can cause someone to get hurt. There is a video of some punks cruising a neighborhood and coming near groups of people and booming out the sounds of gunshots. The video shows that people were truly frightened. The prank ended when they did this to someone and that person pulled a gun and returned fire at what they percieved to be someone shooting at them.

If you dance with the devil, you will have to pay the piper. Pranksters need to be aware that in this day and time, more people are taking responsibility for their own defense and the jokes might cause them serious injury or death.
 
the law doesnt care anymore. as long as one of them is recording it on a camera, they can claim "creative documentary work" and get off with a fine.
 
I wonder if any victims of these mean spirited actions (some people call pranks) have filed civil suits.

Intentional infliction of emotional distress is a tort. The emotional distress suffered by the plaintiffs must be "severe."

Thinking of the video with the scary clown who smashed a prone body to a bloody pulp, then advanced menacingly on the innocent victim.

I wonder if a jury could be persuaded that people pretending to be murderers who threatened a plaintiff with acts which the plaintiff reasonably believed to be a real threat to their life committed intentional infliction of emotional distress.
 
I wonder if any victims of these mean spirited actions (some people call pranks) have filed civil suits.

Intentional infliction of emotional distress is a tort. The emotional distress suffered by the plaintiffs must be "severe."

Thinking of the video with the scary clown who smashed a prone body to a bloody pulp, then advanced menacingly on the innocent victim.

I wonder if a jury could be persuaded that people pretending to be murderers who threatened a plaintiff with acts which the plaintiff reasonably believed to be a real threat to their life committed intentional infliction of emotional distress.
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A successful tort lawsuit requires duty, failure to adhere to duty, causation and damages. What damages are these 'victims' suffering? And even if a person prevails after spending $10,000 on litigation, if the sued party has no money, the judgment is worthless (unless there are garnished wages, and good luck getting paid).

Now, one of these days a victim will fall and get hurt, have a heart attack, run blindly away and into speeding traffic, etc... then these morons will have a wrongful death or injury lawsuit (for which they likely don't have the means to pay any damages anyway, hence the need to do these childish stunts instead of working real jobs).
 
leadcounsel said:
A successful tort lawsuit requires duty, failure to adhere to duty, causation and damages. What damages are these 'victims' suffering? And even if a person prevails after spending $10,000 on litigation, if the sued party has no money, the judgment is worthless (unless there are garnished wages, and good luck getting paid).

Now, one of these days a victim will fall and get hurt, have a heart attack, run blindly away and into speeding traffic, etc... then these morons will have a wrongful death or injury lawsuit (for which they likely don't have the means to pay any damages anyway, hence the need to do these childish stunts instead of working real jobs).
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PTSD... as documented though a reasonable period of time after filing a police report, seeing appropriate professionals, keeping a daily diary/log, and having several witness to any initial/ongoing change(s) in your personality, lifestyle, professional performance, etc. All of this clearly evident of emotional/mental, social and personal economic damage.

EDIT: Would the trouble be worth it? It depends on how severe the impact was/is and whether the perpetrator is wealthy... and how good his/their attorneys are vs. yours.;)
 
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PTSD... as documented though a reasonable period of time after filing a police report, seeing appropriate professionals, keeping a daily diary/log, and having several witness to any initial/ongoing change(s) in your personality, lifestyle, professional performance, etc. All of this clearly evident of emotional/mental, social and personal economic damage.
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I suspect that would not survive a summary judgment or directed verdict motion from opposing counsel, unless a person directly and tangibly lost his/her job, and ABILITY to mitigate by earning income, and tangible economic harm proximately caused by such a stunt. It's so immensely unlikely that a 'reasonable person' would become effectively unemployable and anti-social from this stunt...

Of course, if a person had a pre-disposition due to life experiences, the 'thin skull' rule in Torts may allow a person to recover... But then there's still the question of a person not being able to recover from such a prank, and significant financial damages proximately caused by the prank.

Talk about a long-shot!
 
I'm reminded of the Girl that jumped out of a door at her Father and He shot her . And the exchange student from Japan that was shot in New Orleans several years ago during Halloween that didn't know every one was not into the celebration . He kept coming towards a Man on his porch that was showing him a .44 Mag and telling him to stop . As terrible as these and other situations are if somone was pulling a realistic enough prank on me I hope they would let me know its a prank before things got outta hand . The 2 cases mentioned are around a decade old and were used to try and pass anti firearm laws by the left . They were not sucessful at the time . It would have banned alot of now legal firearms and how you store the ones you would be abel to own .
 
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