longbough

It seems, whenever I discuss the issue of gun-control in debate I spend most of my time addressing popular preconcieved notion about gun-owners.

Here's how I was trained - and what I believe. I don't presume to speak for all gun-owners, but this is the way I was trained and it's what I consider basic to understand for people who don't.

1.) If someone wants to steal my wallet, car, briefcase etc. I DON'T reach for a gun (if I had one) - I let him have it all. That's what insurance is for.
2.) If someone verbally threatens me, I DON'T reach for a gun (if I had one). I try to talk to him and find a resolution.
3.) If someone verbally threatens my family, I DON'T reach for a gun (if I had one). I stand between him and my family and try to talk to him to find a resolution.
4.) If someone verbally threatens my family AND he's holding a knife I DON'T reach for a gun (if I had one). I stand between him and my family and try to talk to him to find a resolution.
5.) But if someone is charging at my helpless family with knife (or other weapon) in hand, clearly intending to do physical harm, - I WILL draw my weapon to STOP him.

*Note: I said STOP, not KILL. It's not just a euphemistic distinction - it's an IMPORTANT one. My intent is to STOP an act of violence directed against myself or a loved one ... that's all. The mortality/morbidity of my target is not the main issue.

i.e. If I happen to shoot and miss but the agressor drops his knife and/or runs away - the aggressor is STOPPED.
If I shoot him and the bullet lacerates the thoracic aorta but he is able to plunge a knife into a loved one just before he dies from rapid internal bleeding - the aggressor is NOT STOPPED.

My only concern is the protection of my family - the aggressor's health is a secondary consideration. That's why we say that a gun in personal defense is for STOPPING a violent act.

6.) Anger, anxiety, sadness or nervousness are not emotions conducive to proper use of firearms. The reason why professional training is so important is to keep your emotions or neuroses from confounding your ability to think rationally. Breath-control, meditation, education and simulations all play a role in this regard. The implicit truth is that, if one were to "justifiably" shoot someone - it would be a calculated, deliberate conscious decision conducted efficiently - not one provoked by anger, hatred or revenge.

It doesn't mean you should be cold-blooded and emotionless ... that's not true at all. Anger, fear, sadness and other emotions are all important (they make us human) - but they are incompatable with certain critical situations - self-defense is one of those situations.

For example, another situation where volatile emotions are inappropriate is in a physician working in the ER (that's what I've done in the past). Someone comes in requiring intubation (mechanical ventilation) but they're fighting everyone because you're shoving a big tube town their throat without analgesia or sedation because it's an emergency ... My emotions and empathy would have me concerned about his level of comfort - but that delay would certainly cost the patient his life. Basically: Intubate him in a few seconds or he's going to die .. period.

I've had many times in the ER when I have had to be functional through more than one patient tragedy - otherwise I'd be useless to the other patients who needed me. But while driving home I'd pull over just so I could cry/scream alone.

If I ever find myself shooting someone for the purposes of self-defense - I'd like to think clearly during the encounter - but also deal with the emotional, psychological impact only when it is all over.

**Note: I also don't believe in brandishing a weapon until the moment I decide to use it.

Some people believe that a firearm brandished in a threatening manner without shooting can stop a situation. It would make sense since, statistically, over 90% of confrontations have ended after presentation of the weapon. But I'd still have to disagree with "brandishing" as a threat for several reasons.

The ability to shoot another individual under the right circumstance requires training as well as mental and physical discipline. The decision to shoot takes place over a split second. When you brandish a weapon you have placed yourself in a "mental" grey zone where you can't account for all the possibilities at once. What if the person looks you in the eye and faces you - he doesn't attack - but he also doesn't run away? You'll notice many criminals don't quite cooperate even when facing several officers pointing guns at them. What do you do then? I'm not saying this will happen - but it does happen.

At that moment he has the moment to read your body language - (fear? confusion? anger?) - until you actually face the situation you don't know in advance how you'll truly react. A common trick is to confuse your senses by begging for mercy and holding their hands up while obviously advancing on you - Your ability to empathize gets mixed signals because your mind doesn't see any clear reason to shoot - it's extremely difficult to shoot someone looking at you begging for mercey while he's crawling toward you - even if you KNOW he's faking.

Let's say this was a confrontation in the home and he runs away. Now you have a criminal on the loose who knows where you live and knows you have a gun in the house. Most likely he won't come back. But sometimes they do ... If I were in that situation it'd be hard for me to sleep for a weeks/months knowing that someone might return.

Also, if you draw your weapon without the immediate intention to shoot - you are depending on some instinctual "trigger" to allow you to shoot as the situation demands. If the "trigger" isn't CRYSTAL CLEAR the delay will cost lives.

e.g. You have your gun drawn on a burglar who approaches you slowly with his hands in the air saying "Let's talk about this, buddy." You tell him to stop and talk from where he's standing - but he keeps approaching slowly calmly saying, "I'm not armed. I just want to talk." In your mind you know he's probably just trying to close the distance between you two - You keep yelling at him to "stop." but he doesn't..... at what point do you shoot (if at all)? When he's got his arms raised in the air and 20ft away? 15ft? 10ft? 5ft? ....

I don't want to be in that situation - that's why I don't brandish.
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