Little Wolf
New member
A question for those of you who CCW in regards to the use of deadly force, and when it is justified (give both your point of justification, as well as your state’s if the two differ).
Obviously, there are certain givens in terms of when one should use deadly force, when it is more or less cut and dry. Those being when your life, or the life of a family member, is clearly in danger with no hope to escape or evade the situation.
Something like an armed assault by an mugger, rapist, murderer, etc.
However, there are certain situations where the line may not be as clearly drawn, mostly this is due to situations dealing with unarmed (or seemingly unarmed) individuals posing aggression.
I am posing the following scenarios for you readers to ponder over. These are very likely to happen, actually much more likely than being confronted by an armed aggressor so it is imperative to know how one might deal with such a potential encounter/situation. When would it be justified to pull your weapon in self defense? I know many of you will have different responses to different scenarios because in some states you can only use force on force, while it is not so cut and dried in other cases. So read the following situations as if they were occurring to you right now, and tell us how you would deal with the threats.
Scenario #1.
For instance, saw you are in a bar, on the street, or in a store, etc. and some individual storms up to you angrily gets in your face, nose to nose, and screams about how he is going to kick your ass if you don't back down, leave, etc. from the bar, store, or other premises etc.
What do you do?
A.) Tell him to stop as you see him storming over to you, and pull your weapon if he fails to comply within a certain number of feet?
B.) Back down, take your belongings/friend/girlfriend and comply with his wishes to leave, etc.
C.) Warn him to get back when he gets in your face, while backing up yourself. If he continues to advance pull your weapon.
D.) Stand your ground, and get ready to engage in a (supposed) fist fight if he decides to assault you.
E.) Some other answer.
Is the individual armed? Knife, gun, beer bottle, etc that he will pull on you at any moment? Maybe he just wants to fight you hand to hand? You can not know, but being unable or able to know in regards to this hostile individual, does it change the way you react?
Scenario #2.
Similar to scenario #1, but instead the individual comes up to you and slugs you in the face (or misses if you evade the blow). What do you do?
A.) Try to return blows/engage in a fist fight?
B.) Pull your weapon?
C.) Back up while warning him to stop, then pull your weapon if he fails to comply.
D.) Try to run away/escape. (D. part 2: say you are with family/significant other, and you can’t just abandon them, what do you do?)
E.) Some other alternative?
Finally, Scenario #3.
A group of individuals approaches you, maybe trying to surround/corner you (would that change your answer or not), while talking nastiness about you. Do you….
A.) Pull your weapon
B.) Tell them to back up and disperse, the pull your weapon if they ask why, or persist in approach?
C.) Try to run (If you are not being cornered/surrounded).
D.) Stand your ground and see what happens.
E.) Some other answer?
I am looking forward to seeing what my fellow TFL’ers would do in such situations/scenarios. Knowing what you should do in given situations before hand will make you more likely to react the correct and proper way without having to act on impulse at the time of the event, and to avoid feeling regret for anything that may happen afterward.
Obviously, there are certain givens in terms of when one should use deadly force, when it is more or less cut and dry. Those being when your life, or the life of a family member, is clearly in danger with no hope to escape or evade the situation.
Something like an armed assault by an mugger, rapist, murderer, etc.
However, there are certain situations where the line may not be as clearly drawn, mostly this is due to situations dealing with unarmed (or seemingly unarmed) individuals posing aggression.
I am posing the following scenarios for you readers to ponder over. These are very likely to happen, actually much more likely than being confronted by an armed aggressor so it is imperative to know how one might deal with such a potential encounter/situation. When would it be justified to pull your weapon in self defense? I know many of you will have different responses to different scenarios because in some states you can only use force on force, while it is not so cut and dried in other cases. So read the following situations as if they were occurring to you right now, and tell us how you would deal with the threats.
Scenario #1.
For instance, saw you are in a bar, on the street, or in a store, etc. and some individual storms up to you angrily gets in your face, nose to nose, and screams about how he is going to kick your ass if you don't back down, leave, etc. from the bar, store, or other premises etc.
What do you do?
A.) Tell him to stop as you see him storming over to you, and pull your weapon if he fails to comply within a certain number of feet?
B.) Back down, take your belongings/friend/girlfriend and comply with his wishes to leave, etc.
C.) Warn him to get back when he gets in your face, while backing up yourself. If he continues to advance pull your weapon.
D.) Stand your ground, and get ready to engage in a (supposed) fist fight if he decides to assault you.
E.) Some other answer.
Is the individual armed? Knife, gun, beer bottle, etc that he will pull on you at any moment? Maybe he just wants to fight you hand to hand? You can not know, but being unable or able to know in regards to this hostile individual, does it change the way you react?
Scenario #2.
Similar to scenario #1, but instead the individual comes up to you and slugs you in the face (or misses if you evade the blow). What do you do?
A.) Try to return blows/engage in a fist fight?
B.) Pull your weapon?
C.) Back up while warning him to stop, then pull your weapon if he fails to comply.
D.) Try to run away/escape. (D. part 2: say you are with family/significant other, and you can’t just abandon them, what do you do?)
E.) Some other alternative?
Finally, Scenario #3.
A group of individuals approaches you, maybe trying to surround/corner you (would that change your answer or not), while talking nastiness about you. Do you….
A.) Pull your weapon
B.) Tell them to back up and disperse, the pull your weapon if they ask why, or persist in approach?
C.) Try to run (If you are not being cornered/surrounded).
D.) Stand your ground and see what happens.
E.) Some other answer?
I am looking forward to seeing what my fellow TFL’ers would do in such situations/scenarios. Knowing what you should do in given situations before hand will make you more likely to react the correct and proper way without having to act on impulse at the time of the event, and to avoid feeling regret for anything that may happen afterward.