Quote:
Originally Posted by JoelJohnson
Years ago an Massachusetts officer killed a black man while the black man was holding another man at bay in a car. Upon going to that black man it turned out to be a fellow officer that the officer worked with and knew very well.
How could this happen? In the heat of the moment the officer, who was veteran officer, lost focus. And this is not the first time that kind of thing has happened.
I'm not saying that people shouldn't have guns, as far as I'm concerned you can have as many as you want.
What I am concerned with is that at the moment of engagement, a good man with a gun may make a fatal mistake and shoot the wrong person.
When Gabby Gifford was shot, one of the "good guys with a gun" came upon the scene and, according to his own account, "came within seconds of shooting an innocent person".
A few weeks ago in Texas, a man with his wife and child saw another man arguing with a girl, then the guy took out a gun and shot the women. The guy left and got into his car. The father went out with his, legal gun, and stood in front of the guys car and ordered him to get out. The guy got out and shot the father dead.
If a well trained officer can make a mistake, what's makes anyone think that they, even with some training, can do better.
If there is no choice, in other words there is no place to retreat to or your own family is in direct danger, then if you can, take the chance. But remember, your family would rather have a live chicken then a dead duck.
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So what you're saying is that if I'm in a mall and some nut starts shooting people, I shouldn't try to shoot him because I might miss and hit an innocent bystander? Did you consider that the innocent bystander is probably going to be shot by this guy? It's a chance that has to be taken. If I were to miss with a shot and hit an innocent bystander but also hit the perpetrator several other people might be saved.
I believe that if one fifth of the people in the Pulse night club had been armed, fewer people would have been shot and fewer people would have died. Would there have been some friendly fire casualties? Maybe, but there also might have been 70 or 80 people who did not get shot.
The guy in Texas made a mistake. When you see someone shoot someone else, you are within the law to shoot that person. The fact that he had just shot two people and is still holding the gun represents a threat to you. You never use a gun to hold someone prisoner. If you take out your gun in that situation, you shoot it.