JayG brings up, in my opinion, the biggest question you have to ask yourself if you own firearms for personal protection.
Are you willing to take the life of another human being in defense of your family, yourself, and your property?
Squeezing that trigger will result in someone losing all of their tomorrows. Now, that someone may very well be coming through the window with duct tape and a butcher's knife in hand with the sole purpose of killing you and your entire family - but the inescapable fact is that with the gun in your hands, as you line up his sternum against your front sight, you will have to make the final, ultimate decision. Your act will result in someone ceasing to be. You will play G-d.
This is the dark side of firearm ownership, the part where we gunnies don't tread too often in public discussions, but it's one chat you need to have with yourself well ahead of the time you might be required to use it.
Jay is reading "On Killing" by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman which delves into the psychology of taking another human life, mostly from the point of view of protective violence (police, soldiers, and self defense). It is hardwired into us humans to not kill one another. A species that wantonly kills its own is one that finds itself extinct rather quickly. Lt. Col. Grossman discusses how even in combat, 90% soldiers in WWII would routinely either not shoot the enemy or simply fire in the air, even as their own lives were at stake, because it is so difficult for humans to kill one another.
The anti-gun forces require the general populace to believe that murder is something we are all capable at the drop of a hat. Hollywood and TV no longer just have an auditory bang from a pistol and the bad guy go down clutching his chest. No, today we're treated to a CGI representation of the bullet shattering bone and tearing through vital organs while 3D blood is spun around in gallons.Even G rated Disney movies do not shy away from showing homicide.
But that's Hollywood. It's not real. Deep inside, the common man isn't a bloodthirsty savage just waiting for the flimsiest excuse to kill his fellow travelers. There are monsters out there, but they are thankfully rare. This is the reason we have to train our soldiers and police to overcome that taboo so that at the moment when it's required, they can do their jobs.
It's an unpleasant thing to think about, but think about it you must. For if the time comes (and hopefully it never will), the last thing you need to do is hesitate. Make the decision now and ensure that you are ok with it. There's no do-overs once that bullet leaves the barrel. Training yourself to be able to kill when necessary does not, like the VPC and Brady Campaign suggest, mean you're able to kill without provocation. There is a difference between predatory violence and protective violence.
I, for one, hope I never am faced with the situation again where I need to draw my firearm. There were no shots were fired, but the very act of preparing to act in self defense shook me to my core. Knowing I was a hair's breadth away from possibly taking another life was something that took a while to deal with and I can only imagine how much worse it would be to have to follow through. But that act saved my life, and I'd prefer to be alive and troubled with that knowledge than in the ground, blissfully unaware.
It's also a question that, if answered quickly, needs to be considered some more.
There is nothing I own, or that anyone else owns, that is worth enough for me to take someone's life over it.
Many countries don't allow citizen own gun. I think this is a good way
Now, convince me you are allowed to blow away a guy who gets ahold of your credit card numbers and starts ordering big screen plasma TVs in our name, and I'll acknowledge that "property (in and of itself) is as valuable as life."
The Tennessee statute is unconstitutional insofar as it authorizes the use of deadly force against, as in this case, an apparently unarmed, nondangerous fleeing suspect; such force may not be used unless necessary to prevent the escape and the officer has probable cause to believe that the suspect poses a significant threat of death or serious physical injury to the officer or others. Pp. 7-22. [471 U.S. 1, 2]
(c) While burglary is a serious crime, the officer in this case could not reasonably have believed that the suspect - young, slight, and unarmed - posed any threat. Nor does the fact that an unarmed suspect has broken into a dwelling at night automatically mean he is dangerous. Pp. 20-22.