Shooting at an oncoming car thats trying to hit you

Don't look to me for answers. As has been said, this isn't a question about what gun will stop a charging swarm of killer bees, this is entirely about how to handle the scenario of having a car, maliciously or not, bearing down on you. The only answer to save your life is dodge. The ONLY answer. If the driver makes a second go at it, well, what the heck. he's engaged in attempted vehicular manslaughter once. All bets are off. Draw your gun, and expend all the ammo you have trying to stop the car. You might get lucky.
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Well said. I would have to agree with you, try to dodge out of the way and if the driver tries again... it's their funeral.
 
i agree with the previous posters who say, shooting the driver wouldnt cause the car to stop coming at you.

get the heck out of the way. handguns are anti-personnel. if you happen to be CCW'ing a Barret or a PTRD, you might take a shot at the car...

the time it would take to draw would be better served sprinting perpendicular to the incoming vehicle.
 
couldnt tell you legal issues but our TTP for this at checkpoints was a 3 round burst about 3-5 inches above the bottom of the windshield on the drivers side
 
Nothing stops Chuck! :D

If I was the one driving the car and trying to run-over a bad guy that pulls out a handgun I would be ducking while my foot is still on the floor. After the thump I would back-up and drive over him again. No thump then I keep going and get clear of him and his gun.

Now, if the bad guy is trying to run me over I am moving out of the way and hopefully behind something that he can't drive-through. If that isn't possible then the only other choice is to start running towards the car and jumping, but if the timing is off then adios................ Shooting at the car isn't going to do much unless it is far enough away that the driver ducks and gives me enough time to move aside and hope the driver doesn't come back up to see that I have moved.

I still like Chucks method best!
 
I'm just wondering if you could claim self defense as the driver was seemingly wanting to cause harm or kill you.
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You can claim anything you want. I think it would cost you a lot in the debate with the local DA, but you can certainly claim whatever you wish.

If you have time to draw a gun, I would think you have time for other action, like getting out of the way. If you know that some guy is trying to kill you by running over you, what did you do to instigate this ? If anything I doubt you could introduce lethal force.
 
Do you always got to instigate something for something bad to happen to you? What does a woman do to instigate Rape? Or someone instigate murder or whatever. I believe I'n that scenario. You'd have every right to defend yourself. You say you should get out of the way? What if you can't make it, is it then your fault because you were too slow????
 
policy

Many LE agencies have policy that prohibits using a firearm against a moving motor vehicle. The immediate effect of small arms, notably a single pistol, against a vehicle is moot. And you get into the entire fleeing felon legal issue, now a no-no, not so 40-50 yrs ago.

NOw, if the occupants or driver is using deadly force (aka a firearm most likely) you are in another, SLIGHTLY better situation. You are no longer shooting to stop the car, you are shooting at the suspect who is trying to shoot you. Oh yeah, don't shoot the kid in the car,........ and conclude all this in split seconds, to be reviewed by others for months.
 
Well tonight I put this to the test. I shot and shot at the driver and just couldn't hit him. I decided to pull out my RPG and just blow up his car.

Oh I guess I should mention I was playing Battlefield 3. (Amazing game by the way.)
 
You'd probably be held responsible for any damage the car did after you shot at it... even if you missed.


IMO Bama Ranger nailed it.
 
would be more worried about moving out of the way, even if you HIT the driver he/she is still in a 2000lb+ moving car thats rolling at you. So moving out of the way is most important
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Exactly what I would do and maybe while moving at record speed I might say a little prayer ;)
 
I can think of two scenarios where shooting the driver of a vehicle would be justified and the issue is not one of the shooter moving to escape harm rather than shooting:
1) In defense of another, where the shooter is shooting to stop the driver from proceeding to harm others and the shooter does not need to move to avoid the vehicle. For example, where a driver has driven through a crowd killing/harming some and is proceeding on towards another crowd to do more damage.
2) If the shooter can not move without increasing the risk of great bodily harm or death, yet is still at risk of either/both from the driver and his vehicle/weapon. For example, a person "A" is pinned behind marginal cover/concealment (a vehicle) by multiple shooters and one of that group of bad guys gets in a car and accelerates at the object providing concealment.

There are likely more scenarios that I can't think of at the moment. But where a shooter of a driver of a vehicle is claiming self-defense, justification seems tenuous at best if the shooter actually moved to avoid the vehicle in the course of events.
 
If we shoot to stop the threat, it seems to be an extremely rare situation in which shooting at a car or truck could be reasonably expected to stop the threat. A handgun is the wrong tool for that job. I am in the "flapping feet" camp on this one.
 
A gun mag article probably posted by Massad Ayoob had a case where a farmer his neighbor and son came up his driveway to find a crook walking to a truck making off with farmer's guns. Guy drove at them while rummaging in the satchel next to him. Farmer only had single shot 410. Side stepped and fired. At that range the shot hit together and gave a mortal wound. Truck crashed into a post towards the entrance of the driveway and crook died there. Justification for the shot was farmer didn't know if his neighbor or son were in the clear and with all the guns the crook had he could have driven farther away and stopped and open fire. Farmer would have been severely under gunned with 410. That's if my
Memory is "on" today though :D I say move first too then figure it out.
 
Oh yeah and believe it or not the opposition in court tried to nit pick the angle at which the shot struck to define if he was shot in the back of head or not. I can't remember if wound was posterior a bit because crook flinched and turned head upon realization.
 
I am also in the get out the way camp. I am old and slow, but the chance of stopping the car before it gets to me are small. Now if I'm being chased around a parking lot, after the first pass I may have to reevaluate.

Do you shoot them or do you just produce a gun and hope they stop?
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You pull a gun, you better use it. If it's so serious you need to pull it, then deadly force is justified, IMO.
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I see and hear this expressed all the time. "You pull a gun, you better use it," is a law suit or jail time waiting to happen. If pulling the weapon causes the attack to stop, what is the justification for shooting?
 
But where a shooter of a driver of a vehicle is claiming self-defense, justification seems tenuous at best if the shooter actually moved to avoid the vehicle in the course of events.
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How about when the shooter deliberately steps in front of a moving vehicle and then shoots and claims self defense? Or shoots through the side window after stepping out of the way and still claiming self defense?

It sounds like premeditation to me, but obviously I'm wrong; look up the Reverend Jonathan Ayers shooting in Georgia a year or two ago. It was ruled justified.
 
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farmerboy wrote:

Do you always got to instigate something for something bad to happen to you? What does a woman do to instigate Rape? Or someone instigate murder or whatever. I believe I'n that scenario. You'd have every right to defend yourself. You say you should get out of the way? What if you can't make it, is it then your fault because you were too slow????
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Geez Louise ... Is every man moving in the direction of a woman intent on rape ? Is every vehicle moving toward me intent on running me over ? Is every group of young people hanging out along my path intent on mugging me ?

There must be some tangible fact that supports that the illusion is really out to get you. Yes in most jurisdictions you have the right to defend yourself. In my jurisdiction it depends upon the opinion of my peers whether, or not, my action was reasonable under the circumstances and a reasonable person would be in fear of their life, or serious injury.

Facts, not illusions. Why do you think that other person is trying to kill you, or injure you ? It sounds to me like such a scenario could result in really bad results in time, money and future living arrangements.
 
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