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From: robertp@weitek.UUCP (Robert Plamondon)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: Blow 'em away
Message-ID: <199@weitek.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 29-May-85 17:03:02 EDT
Article-I.D.: weitek.199
Posted: Wed May 29 17:03:02 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 1-Jun-85 01:24:00 EDT
References: <557@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP>
Organization: Weitek Corp. Sunnyvale Ca.
Lines: 45
Summary: You're not going to hit him...

I've heard the idea that handguns can be used for self-defense by plinking
away at the attackers hands, feet, etc. several times now -- always from
people who have no skill with firearms.

There are several problems with this:

1. YOU'RE GOING TO MISS.  Pistol shooting is difficult; people often miss
their targets even at very close range.  Under stress, they're even more
likely to miss.  People who know what they're doing aim at the torso,
because it's the biggest target.

The point, by the way, is not that you're trying to kill him.  Shooting him
in the torso still gives him an excellent chance of survival.  But doing
fancy shooting that GUARANTEES his survival places YOUR survival in jeopardy.

2. HE'S GOING TO KILL YOU. (Note: using the male pronoun for the general
case is not necessarily favorable to men!) You start emptying your pistol in
the general direction of your attacker's arms and legs, and he's going to
cross the ten feet between you in NO TIME AT ALL and kill you.  These
encounters always occur at extremely short range, since victims find it
difficult to muster deadly force when their attacker is far away.
Any pause, any time spent trying to convince him that you're serious will
give him time to close with you. And then you're dead.

3. YOU HAVE TO BE READY TO KILL.  A typical way for a mugger or rapist to
win against someone with a gun is to keep saying variations of, "You've got
me all wrong; it's all a mistake" while he gets closer and closer... If
you're not DETERMINED to shoot if necessary, if you're not willing to blow
him away as he moves up with his length of pipe and his line of patter,
you've had it.  Even silent attackers do pretty well, since people tend to
hesitate until its too late.  If you're not ready to kill, you're dogmeat.

4. KEEP PULLING THE TRIGGER.  A furious, slightly wounded attacker is not
what you want.  After you pull the trigger, keep pumping rounds into your
attacker until he's no longer moving in your direction.

TV tends to show guns as magic talismans that save people.  In real life,
they're tools for KILLING PEOPLE.  They aren't effective unless you're
willing to turn a living, breathing human being into a pile of carrion.

And if you're not willing to face this, don't go around armed.

-- 
		-- Robert Plamondon
		   {ucbvax!dual!turtlevax,ihnp4!resonex}!weitek!robertp