warning shots

[Kommander]

One other thing I thought I should bring up here is that the second you saw this person and knew they were trouble you should arm yourself. That way if he does something stupid you don't have to run all over your house looking for a gun. I used to live in a house with several other college kids and I was always armed, even when we had the girls wrestle in the pool full of shaving creme.

[Greg]

And I repeat my earlier comments, in summary: If you are not legally/morally justified in shooting the person, then you are not justified in pulling the trigger, period.

Randy pretty much nails it right here.

[mekender]

One other thing I thought I should bring up here is that the second you saw this person and knew they were trouble you should arm yourself. That way if he does something stupid you don't have to run all over your house looking for a gun. I used to live in a house with several other college kids and I was always armed, even when we had the girls wrestle in the pool full of shaving creme.

they only real grey area would be if you were drinking too. then you could get into trouble for being armed...

[Glenn Bartley]

First, I'd move away from any location where you are "required by law" to keep a home defense weapon inaccessible.

To begin with, telling anyone to move, who lives in their home whether by choice or not, is pretty much pointless to this discussion. Nice thought, but most folks cannot just up and move at your whim.

As to warning shots, you as the person holding the firearm, has to decide whether or not you think it will be useless. it is a judgment call. I have fired a warning shot, once in many years of firearms ownership. It worked, The guy who had been attacking me, then was in the process of calling others to help while he was actually taking a break from the attack of me ran away. So too did the approximately 15 - 20 others whom he was trying to get to attack me. He was unarmed. Except for a small red spot, and coughing up some blood the next day, I was without apparent injury, and without apparent (note I said APPARENT) evidence that he had been attacking me. As it was I had been attacked by at least 5 bad guys who took a prisoner away from me. No witnesses except them and the prisoner as far as I am aware, and of course me. I broke away from them, they got my prisoner, and I started to back off. One bad guy, the big mouth, told the others to come and get me. He came up to me. He was edging them on. I pulled my Colt Border Patrol, aimed at him, and then aimed a tiny bit higher. The shot parted his hair, I swear it did. They all took off. The Mexicans arrested my prisoner, and sent him to jail longer than we would have here in the USA. I got my handcuffs back. I stopped any further attack. I did not have to testify in a manslaughter or murder trial. I did not have to hire an attorney. I was alive and well because of what I did even though an outright violation of Border Patrol policy at the time. Was it the right thing to do? I took a calculated risk, and it paid off. I was told by many I did the right thing, and by just as many I did the wrong thing. I know what I did saved my life, just as well as shooting him would have done. I have also shot someone else who was trying to rob me. No hesitation there to shoo the bum. As the one holding the gun, I had to decide. As the one holding the gun, you will have to decide. When your room mate is holding the gun, let your room mate decide.

[mekender]

First, I'd move away from any location where you are "required by law" to keep a home defense weapon inaccessible.

To begin with, telling anyone to move, who lives in their home whether by choice or not, is pretty much pointless to this discussion. Nice thought, but most folks cannot just up and move at your whim.

The statement was what "I'd" do... I like many others would NEVER live in a place that was that restricive.

As to warning shots, you as the person holding the firearm, has to decide whether or not you think it will be useless. it is a judgment call. I have fired a warning shot, once in many years of firearms ownership. It worked, The guy who had been attacking me, then was in the process of calling others to help while he was actually taking a break from the attack of me ran away. So too did the approximately 15 - 20 others whom he was trying to get to attack me. He was unarmed. Except for a small red spot, and coughing up some blood the next day, I was without apparent injury, and without apparent (note I said APPARENT) evidence that he had been attacking me. As it was I had been attacked by at least 5 bad guys who took a prisoner away from me. No witnesses except them and the prisoner as far as I am aware, and of course me. I broke away from them, they got my prisoner, and I started to back off. One bad guy, the big mouth, told the others to come and get me. He came up to me. He was edging them on. I pulled my Colt Border Patrol, aimed at him, and then aimed a tiny bit higher. The shot parted his hair, I swear it did. They all took off. The Mexicans arrested my prisoner, and sent him to jail longer than we would have here in the USA. I got my handcuffs back. I stopped any further attack. I did not have to testify in a manslaughter or murder trial. I did not have to hire an attorney. I was alive and well because of what I did even though an outright violation of Border Patrol policy at the time. Was it the right thing to do? I took a calculated risk, and it paid off. I was told by many I did the right thing, and by just as many I did the wrong thing. I know what I did saved my life, just as well as shooting him would have done. I have also shot someone else who was trying to rob me. No hesitation there to shoo the bum. As the one holding the gun, I had to decide. As the one holding the gun, you will have to decide. When your room mate is holding the gun, let your room mate decide.

Thank god you didnt hit anyone with that shot too... imagine if that shot had killed a 6 month old baby in its crib a mile away... why we would all hear about yet another case where a LEO killed an innocent negligently and didnt get punished...

True, it might have saved your life, but making sure that your shot hit its target and stopped the threat might have done the same damn thing... and it would have had the bonus of making sure that the taxpayers didnt have to pay for some scumbag to sit in jail.

as stated above, if you need to draw your gun, you have already passed WAY beyond the point where warnings are needed.

[Bob K]

My orientation is that once I point a firearm, said subject has 1 second to surrender; if he doesn't, I shoot to incapacitate.

[randy]

First, I'd move away from any location where you are "required by law" to keep a home defense weapon inaccessible.

To begin with, telling anyone to move, who lives in their home whether by choice or not, is pretty much pointless to this discussion. Nice thought, but most folks cannot just up and move at your whim.

The problem with posting in a forum like this is that it is hard to communicate the full tone. Hence the " " in my original post trying to indicate that I was not entirely serious (alright, I was being a smartass), and the real point as I stated later in the same section was:

just to point out that not every place has such idiotic laws.

Too many folks, especially those that live in areas with excessively restrictive firearms laws, tend to think those laws are in place everywhere (which is just an example of the normal human tendency to extrapolated everything from their own limited experience). I wanted to ensure we were working from a common set of base assumptions.

As for your personal experience, First I'm glad it worked out for you. It shows that no rule or guideline covers 100% of all situations. As Murphy's Rules of Combat say: "It it's stupid and it works, then it's not stupid". In your specific situation it worked with a positive outcome.

--As the one holding the gun, you will have to decide. When your room mate is holding the gun, let your room mate decide.

Agreed. EVERYONE has to decide for themselves when it comes down to it. I was hoping to help ensure that mulligan (and the room mate) have enough information to make a better decision, than the one they would come to based on the room mate's (as I perceive it from available information) ignorance on the subject.

[Kommander]

One other thing I thought I should bring up here is that the second you saw this person and knew they were trouble you should arm yourself. That way if he does something stupid you don't have to run all over your house looking for a gun. I used to live in a house with several other college kids and I was always armed, even when we had the girls wrestle in the pool full of shaving creme.

they only real grey area would be if you were drinking too. then you could get into trouble for being armed...

I don't drink so it was not really a problem but you are correct.

[workinwifdakids]

There's stuff under carpets. Hard stuff, like wood, nails, and concrete.

Bullets do funny things - ask John Connally.

Warning shots? That's about up there with shooting the gun out of someone's hand, in terms of being dumb and dangerous.

[tcourtplayer]

One other thing I thought I should bring up here is that the second you saw this person and knew they were trouble you should arm yourself. That way if he does something stupid you don't have to run all over your house looking for a gun. I used to live in a house with several other college kids and I was always armed, even when we had the girls wrestle in the pool full of shaving creme.

they only real grey area would be if you were drinking too. then you could get into trouble for being armed...

Just in case anyone is wondering, in FL the entire section of laws dealing with it being illegal to use a firearm while intoxicated is null and void if it is a self defense scenario. I would highly suggest looking into your own state laws because I'm sure there are at least a few other sane states out there that make similar accommodations. While I'm not advocating using firearms while intoxicated (in fact it is very dangerous to you and others and thus very stupid) I am noting that it is good that some states realize that you can't always pick when someone will bust into your house and start attacking you and yours and its nice that you wont have to consider how many beers you've had at the BBQ before defending yourself.