Have you had to draw or shoot your weapon to defend yourself?

And please, don't aggravate the situation again by giving the guy the finger.
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Any girl I have gone out with for any decent length of time has gotten the lecture.

I stress that if I am with them they are absolutely NOT to escalate or create a situation by doing something stupid like shouting or gesturing. I make it clear that they are not the ones who will have to back up their stupidity with actions--the bad guy will take it out on me.
 
I'm glad to see that from those who have posted their experiences in which they've had to draw (or nearly draw) their weapons, just judging from this thread, that the handgun seems to act as an excellent deterrant. Even though it's imperative to back the threat of force with the actual use of force if necessary, if the deterrant aspect works, then thank god for that.
 
I scew the averages having been an LEO for twelve years, but yeah I've drawn several times in defense of my person. Thankfully I've never had to fire.

What I've learned that sticks out the most? I hate vicious dogs in dark alleys... :mad:
 
I was out stacking and sorting firewood when I heard my dog yelp and snarl maybe ten or twenty yards away behind me. I dropped my firewood and drew my pistol, thinking "coyote" or some such, expecting to see blood. The sound of the snarl was very alarming, she NEVER does that.

When I ran up to Heidi, I found her nose was sporting about a dozen and a half small quills, courtesy of the resident porcupine. The only blood she shed, thankfully, was when I tackled her, held her down, and plucked the quills out of her nose.

I thought I'd have to draw and fire back in February, too, but the deer I hit only had the wind knocked out of him, and got up and scrambled away. My car wasn't so lucky - $2,000 worth of unlucky, at less than thirty miles per hour.
 
I've never had to draw yet. I have drawn on occasion, thinking I would have to defend myself, but all of those incidents involved one or more grouse. Grouse are mean and vicious birds, especially when they erupt out of the bushes just three feet from you...
 
This is a sensitive topic, so I hope I don't give offense.

To the LEOs:

I understand that it can be traumatic to take a life, but I wonder something. You see some of the absolute dregs of society -- people who really are inhuman in their treatment of other people. It is one thing to say that you don't want to go through shooting someone (paperwork, investigation, paid leave, vilification in the news and by "community leaders" :rolleyes: ), but given the people you sometimes arrest -- real scumbag crapwads -- do you really think that you'd regret so badly having to dispatch one due to his own criminal action? Wouldn't you feel that you had done humanity a favor? Saved a few lives by ending one really loathesome one?

I ask this with honest curiousity, not seeking to challenge anyone. But I guess that for those who are LEOs here, it might not be wise to publicly post, "Yeah, I'd love to off one of these sumbitches..."


-blackmind
 
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sad but true.

yes, what you said about them being the scum of socity and doing humanity a favor by dying is true....but it makes you sound like a NAZI.
 
Well, I didn't mean to sound like a Nazi.

I'm not talking about judging certain people to be worthy of extermination -- I'm talking about criminal attackers, dude. People who have transgressed, not people who simply were born with the wrong skin or sexual orientation or something...

I'm just having trouble understanding why people would feel so bothered by having to shoot a real criminal BG. Is it about emotions? Human life (no matter how degenerate, apparently)? Legal ramifications? What?



-blackmind
 
Blackmind I know what you are saying. I think what they are saying is NO they don't won't to have to shoot anyone. I think killing another human being does something to you even if it is justified. I think that is why some people come back from war all messed up...and how much more justified can you be for killing than war-time. Just my .02
 
blackmind said:
This is a sensitive topic, so I hope I don't give offense.

To the LEOs:

I understand that it can be traumatic to take a life, but I wonder something. You see some of the absolute dregs of society -- people who really are inhuman in their treatment of other people. It is one thing to say that you don't want to go through shooting someone (paperwork, investigation, paid leave, vilification in the news and by "community leaders" ), but given the people you sometimes arrest -- real scumbag crapwads -- do you really think that you'd regret so badly having to dispatch one due to his own criminal action? Wouldn't you feel that you had done humanity a favor? Saved a few lives by ending one really loathesome one?

I ask this with honest curiousity, not seeking to challenge anyone. But I guess that for those who are LEOs here, it might not be wise to publicly post, "Yeah, I'd love to off one of these sumbitches..."
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Are you insane? Why would you even ask a question like that?
The fact that you even posted it with qualifiers such as "paperwork", etc.. is mind boggling.
 
Getting back on topic, I was at an ATM by myself, and here a lot of loud voices from around the corner...not yelling, just multiple male voices talking loudly. I have typed in my info and am waiting for it to process, eyeying the corner as 5 "ghetto" looking males come around it. Baggy pants, shirt 4xtimes too large etc. They all stop the loud thing and talk quietly for like 5 seconds. Three start walking toward me. My ATM card is being ejected at this point. 15-18 feet to them straight ahead of me, 10-12 feet to my truck to the right. I can see all 5 of their hands except one inside a pocket. All three staring at me and walking toward me still. Left handjust pocketed ATM card and money and right pushed jacket back, place hand on grip and broke the thumbstrap with out drawing... All I said was "No" and shook my head. The three stopped and all five walked away without looking back.
 
blackmind said:
I'm just having trouble understanding why people would feel so bothered by having to shoot a real criminal BG. Is it about emotions? Human life (no matter how degenerate, apparently)? Legal ramifications? What?
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All of the above, I should think, and probably in that order. I've never been there, so I can't describe it, but ending another human life would not be an experience that I'd be able to shake off easily. Intellectually I understand that it may on some level benefit society to end the life of someone who is obviously a degenerate criminal. But just because we are pro-gun, or conservative, or whatever, doesn't make us Vulcans. We do have emotions and watching another person die at our hands is going to bother us. By "us" I mean humans. The legal ramifications would only serve to remind us of the event that we probably wish never had to happen.
 
Eight years into a 27 year LE career, fired a weapon at a person. Had to use a SMG for fire suppression, to allow team movement, for an entry to a govt building where hostages were being held. Suspect already shot up the bldg, one officer wounded, 22+ hostages, including one disarmed officer. The entry failed due to recent construction not showing up on bldg schematics. Fire suppression to cover our exit as well. Suspect had fired on us about 15-20 rounds, armed with 30-06 and 45. He was taken down thru a window, by our LE marksman about 30 min later. We had to make "that" decision, he left us no other choice. He came from a nice family, no history of trouble.

Drew my sidearm or pointed shotgun several times, mostly on high risk warrant service, incl. meth labs. On patrol, seldom.

This is a question often sincerely asked, but difficult to describe. It is not anything like one can imagine, and you function by your training. It's over in seconds. Mindset - survive, cover your fellow officers, get it done and do it right, otherwise you may not go home that day.
 
Late one night in Dallas a couple of years ago I stupidly ran low of gas and didn't realize it until I was in the WRONG place to stop at night, but had no choice. I was in a very expensive sports car at the time (ahh the single days).

I stopped at the only gas station I could find, dark and deserted....great.

Sure enough, about halfway through filling up a guy comes around the corner headed straight at me. He's not just wandering around, he is staring at me and headed for me. Dark, hooded sweatshirt, and I'm way too alone.

I draw my Sig239 and point it at the ground in front of me, yelling "STOP THERE. I HAVE A GUN" The guy immediately turns around and walks back the other way, not a word said. He doesn't act scared, just changes his mind. I stop the pump and get in the car, get the hell out of there. I called 911 and reported it, since I didnt want this guy calling in first about some crazy guy at the gas station with a gun.

They didn't even ask much, took my name and said they would call if they needed anything.

Personally I think he intended harm since he didn't freak out when he saw the gun. I think someone just asking for change or whatever would have freaked out more. This guy had obviously thought it out and weighed the risks.
 
Blackmind.... when a good person takes a life, it will change theirs forever, justified or not. Right or wrong, the blood doesn't wash off your hands, and you see the faces every time you close your eyes.

No disrespect intended, and I know you meant none, but that is a taboo question that most Veterans and LEO find disrespectful, and it brings up bad memories.
 
I have a lot of friends/family in law enforcement and the military and out of them only 3, one cop and two in the military took a life in the line of duty. I can tell you now from talking with them regardless if they are a scumbag criminal or an enemy combantant if you are truly human...I WILL BOTHER YOU. It is a tramatic event, and like other tramatic events in your life, every once in a while it will pop in your head. My dad is a Vietnam Vet and it took him years before he would openly talked about the guys he killed, I wouldn't say he is haunted, he loved his time in the Marines and said he would love to visit Vietnam again as a tourist. My dad simply says it is like the day after you lose your virginity, you never forget the first time and you are changed or matured after it. My neighbor's son who is just back from Iraq gets real quiet when someone asks him if he every killed anyone. My Neighbor says he took a shot along with his buddy at an insurgent with an RPG at something like 300 yards so he is not sure if it was him or his friend who got him. Finally my close friend is a police officer who shot a known drug addict who was waiving around a gun. He was a basket case the first few weeks, but now he seems fine.
 
Never killed anyone, so pure speculation on how it would "actually" affect me, should it happen. But I think circumstances would play into it for me personally. Think it might bother me for example, if it was defending a 3rd party that was a stranger. But if somebody was threatening a member of my family, I kill 'em, retell the story at every Thanksgiving dinner & on every anniversary of the killing, I'd piss on their grave. When it comes to family, no sympathy & no regrets!

Tuckerdog1
 
Clinot said:
Are you insane? Why would you even ask a question like that?
The fact that you even posted it with qualifiers such as "paperwork", etc.. is mind boggling.
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I wish you would be a bit more explicit in your questions, especially if you are going to be implying that you think I'm insane.


I asked a genuine question -- I don't give a damn if you don't want to answer it. So DON'T. See how much I cry, "I didn't get an answer from Clinot!" :( :rolleyes:

I asked the question because an alleged LEO said that he would be all bothered by having to shoot a criminal -- and we're talking about violent criminals who have taken shots at them or otherwise posed threats to their lives! I think that "insane" is thinking that there is some big F'in tragedy in seeing the life of such a ..."person" come to an untimely end.

I offered some conjectured possibilities for why an LEO would do the opposite of relishing the chance to be the one who takes such a delinquent out of the population.

Tough luck if you can't handle a legitimate question, I guess.

-blackmind
 
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