If you have to shoot somone to protect yourself.?

Question

Is it better to kill them, or wound them. One shot seems to be enough to stop a assailant. But one shot is often not fatal.
From a legal stand point. assuming that all things are right and I was in fear for my life and the assailant had present ability to kill or greatly harm me.

Seems like some did'nt think my question was clear. When somone attaks you and you have to shoot them. Do you shoot them once and hope they live? Of 15 times and hope they die. And don't worry the police can look at my computer all they want. In fact here; If somone is tring to kill me I PLAN on shooting them It's part of my PLAN and I'll be within my legal rights in the stae where I live. I just want to know if they should make sure they don't live through the event.

Answer 1

You shoot to stop the threat. Police don't shoot two in the chest and two in the head- asinine. Unlike television and the movies, being involved in a shooting is incredibly traumatic. If someone is attacking you and you are in fear for your life, and you have no avenue of escape, you may protect yourself with deadly force. Deadly force is defined as any action where death may or is likely to occur from your action. If the threat has stopped from you shooting them once- they are no longer chasing you or have stopped their attack, you may no longer shoot at them. However, just because a person is shot does not mean they are immobilized. It is actually very uncommon for someone to die from a gunshot. Most people live from gunshot wounds. I hope this helps you figure out your legal standing. In any case, I hope you are careful. Remember- every round that comes out of your gun is your responsibility. If it hits someone innocent- I sure hope you have really good insurance because you will get sued, justifiably so.

Answer 2

If you are sure your life is in imminent danger I would shoot for what they call center mass. Trying to get fancy with a hand gun is sure way to miss. Remember it's you or him. If some one is on drugs it will be hard to stop them so be prepared to have to shoot more than once. If you're sure he is down and no longer a danger stay away from him. In other words don't go over to see how you did. That is dangerous. Call the police immediately. The courts will have to decide whether this was a justified shooting.

Answer 3

Any gun shot can cause death. You do not shoot to "wound." The only time you should shoot is if you are in the fear of your or someone else's life and you have not alternative.

But when you shoot, you use the force necessary to stop the threat.

One shot may or may not stop the threat. 15 shots (typical mag size of an autoloader) may or may not be enough to stop the threat.

A shot person rarely drops dead on one shot like on TV or the movies.

Also do not keep shooting just because the criminal is still moving. If he/she is laying on concrete and you keep shooting him/her, the richochet will cause the body to jump.

Answer 4

You shoot to stop the aggression. NEVER, and I mean NEVER tell a police officer anything which might even hint that you are trigger happy. Thje family of the person you shot or killed will in all probability sue you in civil court for damages. Even if you are exonerated of criminal charges, you can lose everything you own in a civil suit. This has happened in the past, and it will happen again in the future.

Answer 5

The law allows you to use "deadly force" in certain situations. "Deadly force" is force that "could" cause death, whether or not it actually does. So your right to use deadly force is the same regardless. I suppose theoretically it would therefore be better if the person survived and was wounded.

Of course, a surviving victim might muddy the waters by saying you didn't need to use deadly force at all, but you asked for a legal answer and that's a more practical issue.

Answer 6

HHmmmmm, brings a lot of other questions to mind. What type of gun do you have? A .22 pistol, or a 12 Ga shotgun? In any event you should always "Shoot to disable" . In every police academy I know of that is center mass ( ie a heart shot ). Now if you are using a .22, you will more than likely wound him. If you are using a 12 Ga you will more than likely need to repaint your walls.

Answer 7

I'm not a lawyer but I have taken a few criminal jsutice classes taught by a lawyers. Most states self defense laws state you can use the amount of force appropriate and equel to the threat. If your life is truly in danger you may use lethal force and be justified. If during a scuffle (bar type fight) you use lethal force you will be doing time unless you can prove your life was in danger!

Answer 8

if you are going to shoot someone, ALWAYS be prepared to kill. you never know when a gunshot will be fatal.

ALWAYS stop shooting the second you are no longer in danger or you may be facing criminal charges yourself.

Texas Correctional officers are taught to shoot at center body mass to increase their chances of hitting something. also, they are taught that all shots should be kill shots but only after giving a verbal warning. (you must start the verbal warning before you start shooting.......ie: say "get off the fence or i will shoot you" but start shooting as soon as you say the word "off")

Answer 9

When applying to be a policeman they ask you a question similar to this:

If the criminal sticks his hand in his pocket, and you aren't sure what he is going to pull out, whether it will be a gun or not; do you do nothing, shoot to harm, or aim to kill?

And the right answer is aim to kill. It is very unlikely that you will make the shot if you are shooting for the arms/legs of a running criminal.

Answer 10

my personal belief is that killing should never be an option. So, short version would be to mame, damage, hurt or cripple a threat rather than kill it. Although I am a beliver in defending what we hold dear with no regard to sacrifice, I do not support the NRA or the right to aquire guns. In a perfect world we would fight for what we think is right with our hands and our brains, fighting with guns and explosives seems like such a wussy way to win. Example: If an assailant has a gun and is going to hurt my family, I would defend with my life including whats necessary to disarm the situation. This would not include death in any way however depending on the circumstances if blunt force is required to save my family than so be it. This will come from a servere butt whippin and not from a shell casing. Wound them, and if they want more when they heal, be ready to dish them another wound. Peace is a beautiful thing...just not a realistic thing.