Killing the Hypothetical

[abaris]

As you've likely already noticed, the question for the poll is:
Could you kill someone with a firearm?  

My answer, which is not included in your poll: How would I know? So I didn't vote, since your poll doesn't make any sense for anyone not having been in that kind of situation.

[Longhorn]

My answer, which is not included in your poll: How would I know? So I didn't vote, since your poll doesn't make any sense for anyone not having been in that kind of situation.

This.

I obviously can't know what I'd do, but I doubt I'd hesitate to use violence in defense of my loved ones or myself or kill them if necessary.

Location confidential, never even touched a gun.

[The Grand Nudger]

@OP -Depends on the range and wind...doesn't it?  
(I did give minor thought to complications like body armor before I answered...but even if you can;t get pen for whatever reason..you can just hammer their chest with brass until their lungs collapse)
USA, 48sabot down to 17wsm and plenty in between.

[Aroura]

I wish you'd put "I don't know" as an option.

I know how to use a gun, I grew up rurally and my mother taught me at a young age. I've handled them my whole life until I was about 30 (10 years or so ago), when I sold my last gun.

I would hope I would be capable of defending my child if I had a gun in hand and I truly felt she was in serious danger. However, I don't think I'd be able to kill over anyone else aside from my kid, including to save myself. I've noticed I have a fairly week survival instinct compared to others.
But the truth is I don't know. The truth is most people don't KNOW what they are capable of in an emergency until the situation arises. I am pretty sure I'm capable of being a monster if the situation warrented, but I might instead become a whimp.

[The Grand Nudger]

I'm not sure that your inability to shoot someone would actually say anything disparaging about your survival instinct - even when it comes to kids.  However bad a situation was...once somebody pulls the trigger - it gets worse for everyone involved..even the trigger puller.

[Aroura]

I'm not sure that your inability to shoot someone would actually say anything disparaging about your survival instinct - even when it comes to kids.  However bad a situation was...once somebody pulls the trigger - it gets worse for everyone involved..even the trigger puller.

Good point.  I am a thoughtful pacifist, but I am still aware that a situation could bring out a side of me I'm not usually aware of, ala The Road or something.

In any case, I don't know should still be an option!

[abaris]

Good point.  I am a thoughtful pacifist, but I am still aware that a situation could bring out a side of me I'm not usually aware of, ala The Road or something.

In any case, I don't know should still be an option!

Yeah, but these are all mind games. I tend to believe that I would kill anyone with my bare hands if they were to hurt one of my loved ones. But I couldn't say for sure, since I've never been in that situation and hopefully never will.

And I agree, the don't know option is the only honest one for everyone not having been in that situation. Noone being honest with themselves can say for sure unless they already pulled the trigger.

[Joods]

---

This poll idea came out of the most current gun thread.
Perhaps my curiosity is morbid - it's most certainly useless, but I'm going to indulge anyway.
(And do try to remember that these conversations mean and change nothing.)

As you've likely already noticed, the question for the poll is:
Could you kill someone with a firearm?  

Do you have it in you?  Or do you think that your distaste for violent behavior would get the best of you?
You can qualify your answer however you please but for the sake of argument lets assume that the person who you 
would be killing was about to do harm to either you, your children, and/or someone you care for ... maybe even a neighbor you're fond of.  

It would be really cool if you would include your nationality and whether or not you currently own 
a working firearm with your explanation - just to form some sort of unofficial statistical data.


My polled answer:  Yes, I do own a gun and I am US born.

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If it was legal, I knew it would end suffering, I would suffer no repercussions or retaliation and it was justified - probably.
I do not personally own a gun, but I know people that do.
I'm US born but I'm also Italian.

Know this much - I do not generally condone killing another person. BUT - given the circumstances if I had no other choice, I guess I would have to. Taking someone else's life in general isn't right but if doing so serves justice or ends suffering, then by all means it becomes a necessity and sometimes people do what they have to do.

---

Perhaps he added it because it's one of the more impersonal ways to kill someone and he thought that would affect people's choice?

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Given my first response... I could make killing someone with a gun very personal. Especially if it was justified.

[The Grand Nudger]

As an interesting aside - most people (in my experience) wouldn't shoot anyone...even if they were trained to do so, even if they were in a situation in which people were shooting at them.  This isn't to say that anyone who thinks they would is wrong about what they feel mentally capable of - it's just that there are many..many non "acceptence" related reasons that people don't end up pulling the trigger when presented with the opportunity.
Best way to get them over that is to shout really loud in their ear or smack em nice and hard on the top of the head...when they startle, the trigger is likely to get pulled by reflex...and the spell is broken - all of a sudden it's rambo at the 240b.

[*Deidre*]

This poll idea came out of the most current gun thread.
Perhaps my curiosity is morbid - it's most certainly useless, but I'm going to indulge anyway.
(And do try to remember that these conversations mean and change nothing.)

As you've likely already noticed, the question for the poll is:
Could you kill someone with a firearm?  

Do you have it in you?  Or do you think that your distaste for violent behavior would get the best of you?
You can qualify your answer however you please but for the sake of argument lets assume that the person who you 
would be killing was about to do harm to either you, your children, and/or someone you care for ... maybe even a neighbor you're fond of.  

It would be really cool if you would include your nationality and whether or not you currently own 
a working firearm with your explanation - just to form some sort of unofficial statistical data.


My polled answer:  Yes, I do own a gun and I am US born.

I don't own a gun, but I imagine I'd shoot to mame, and then run to get help for myself. It isn't that I have a distaste for violence, as much as I know myself, and the guilt would overrun me, even if my intentions were right. Even if my life were in danger. 

But, I wonder how much is honestly instinctive, in such scenarios. And you just do what you have to do, in a split second. Hard to say.