Posted on 02/13/2012 7:41:48 PM PST by djf
This is a good discussion but the writer created a framework of mush then attempted to generate an article from a flawed premise. First off, if it is truly SHTF, society has moved well beyond discussion or consideration of Castle Doctrine or other self-defense laws. Law really no longer exists to be considered, IMO.
Next, your stuff = your life in a true societal breakdown. Somebody taking your critical stuff means you/your family have to do without. Think of the hanging of horse thieves in the Old West - capital punishment for stealing stuff but the loss of a horse could be a death sentence. Failing to frame the argument properly means you become an easy mark if you’re not willing to defend your stuff. Again, remember the context of a true societal breakdown.
Giving proper consideration to the requisite moral dilemmas that are unique to each individual and conducting a discussion on how each will approach a defensive situation is a good exercise to conduct before the rubber meets the road. Just be sure to understand the criteria and framework in order to have an honest discussion.
Preppers’ PING!
Not at all.
According to Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, a military psychiatrist, in his recent book "On Killing," only about fifteen percent of troops on active battlefields will actually shoot AT the enemy. And these are troops that have gone through the military indoctrination designed to break down the very natural aversion most people have for taking another human's life.
I recommend the book to any and all Interested in the subject.
I will!
I will, too.
You certainly are a conflicted person. You write “I am not at all sure I could shoot someone. As a matter of fact, I am pretty sure I could not.” Then you note that you have shopped for a firearm and consider firearms in another part as an option.
Please, Lady, what is it? Why shop for a firearm, why consider firearms if that’s your attitude?
No problem. I would have a problem shooting an animal though. Is it me?
My dad was a career prison guard and they make enemies.
He went to work one night and shortly after he left, some nut was trying to kick in the heavy living room door.
I could see his eyes through the 60’s style staggered horizontal glass panes and that’s exactly where I pointed the .22 Ruger and cocked the hammer and closed my left eye, preparing to fire.
His eyes got *really* big and he took off.
I was 9.
My mom, in the mean time, was behind me screaming and crying.
Whenever dad left to go hunting he’d always tell me “You take care of Mom, now, ya hear?”
He knew the score.
If you answered no to your question than you automatically have become victim and prey for the predators. If you have no family to defend I have no problem with you becoming the victim and prey. If you do have family to defend to become prey and leaving your family defenseless would be a very base act and betrayal of those you love and are supposed to protect. I would have nothing but contempt for a man or woman that chooses this path.
I know.
My eyes started to roll back into my head after about ten sentences.
If TSHTF, it’s Mad Max time, baby.
Yes and I have a list in my head. Others can make the list through their actions.
I’ve gone almost 70 years without shooting at anyone or without anyone shooting at me. I’ve been close enough to the enemy to be rattled by outgoing artillery, but still never been mano a mano with a baddie. I’m fairly well armed and hope that I have the moxie to use a weapon against someone who is threatening me and mine.
Yes and I have a list in my head. Others can make the list through their actions.
But I prefer blade weapons.
Without a doubt and without hesitation and it won’t be to wound.
The ONLY thing I can think of that would prevent me from shooting is if I fail to recognize the threat before its too late. I have been attacked by a stranger without warning, reason, or provocation before. Right up until the instant he swung the pipe at me I was thinking: “he’s not a threat, I’m just being jumpy”. After that day, I decided I would buy a handgun(up to that point I only owned rifles and shotguns) and not second guess my instincts anymore. But...I am not in the habit of acting on instincts. I am in the habit of analyzing the facts, thinking it over, and then making a decision.
I don’t care if TS has HTF or not, if someone threatens myself or a member of my family, they have declared ‘war’ on us, and will be treated accordingly. I would have no joy in taking a life, but I also have no joy in stopping for red lights or paying taxes.
In 1970 I woke up in the middle of the night to unfamiliar noises, saw an enemy combatant (we called them VC back then) in the doorway and put a 3 round bursts in him before getting out of my bunk to go to GQ.
I think I could do that again if needed.
You can’t hesitate, if you do you’re dead.
Nope.
It broke my heart to shoot the 3 rabid coons in my yard last fall but if they’d been 3 people attacking my dogs, I’d had ventilated the hell out of them.
I agree she sets the wrong or at least incorrectly stated premise.
But when you think about it, is there any difference between a run-of-the-mill break-in/robbery or a true disaster/SHTF/societal breakdown kind of thing?
If I woke up and there was someone uninvited in my house I would probably shoot.
But if SHTF and a ten year old knocks on my door and asks for a bowl of soup, I wouldn’t even think about shooting.
Trouble is in many situations, you do not have the luxury of time (or even the light of day) to make a rational decision.
Well hi to a fellow bug saver. I don't kill them either unless I feel I have to. Mostly, all they want to do is mind their own little bug business and live.
I once found a grasshopper hanging unto a twig in a pool. He was transparent. Apparently he had hung on so long in the water as to wash away his color. I thought, if a bug desires to live that much, who am I to kill it. I took him out of the pool and he was quite happy to be saved.
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