Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!seismo!rochester!ritcv!ccieng5!ccieng2!kfk
From: kfk@ccieng2.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: I never said I would...
Message-ID: <155@ccieng5.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 28-Sep-83 12:17:58 EDT
Article-I.D.: ccieng5.155
Posted: Wed Sep 28 12:17:58 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 29-Sep-83 21:56:47 EDT
Lines: 42

>From qubix!steven:
	But now that you have had a chance to cool off, do you think
	he deserves death?

ABSOLUTELY NOT.  I do not (repeat: *NOT*) advocate making the first
shot a deadly one.  This is a point which approximately 30% of the
people writing mail to me attacking my position missed.  I have
responded to each such person privately in the mail, but now that
it's a public complaint:

As I described in the original article, I said I would point my firearm
at him point-blank and warn him to stay well back.  Now, how many peo-
ple are going to persist in an attack when they find themselves in this
position?  You can probably count them on half a hand.  Yes, a firearm
is a STRONG threat.  But then strong measures were needed; the woman was
being attacked in a vicious/dangerous/DEADLY manner.

If he were one of those half-handful who would not stop when so threat-
ened, THEN and only then I would take one shot, hitting him in the
shoulder.  I got a lot of complaints about this aspect, too.  One person
suggested that he might lunge at me, wrestle the firearm away from me,
and then use it against me AND his victim.  WRONG.  Point-blank means
only that I would be close enough not to miss.  I don't miss ANYTHING
that large at, say, 20 feet, which is also too far for the attacker to
lunge/wrestle/attack me.  Yes, I would shoot for the shoulder.  It is
not a fatal shot, and it would prevent him from further attack.

Now consider the scenario thus far (which I consider unlikely in the
first place): the attacker is, firstly, drunk.  He has been presented
with a serious threat.  He ignores this threat, and in return I exercise
the threat.  He has just been hit in the shoulder.  The reason I said I
would use my .357 magnum is that it's the most powerful handgun I own.
A shot from it hitting him ANYWHERE would send him reeling away.  Now
he has to recover from the shot, and then resume the attack.  COME ON.
Do you think I'm going to stand around, waiting for him to come after me
again?  As soon as I've shot him (which wouldn't have been needed any-
way), the victim, her children, and I would have all scurried away VERY
QUICKLY into the apartment, locking the door and all windows.  The pro-
bability of needing to shoot once was small enough; the probability of
having to shoot a second time is nil.

Karl Kleinpaste