So I had a conversation with someone about this a few years back, my next door neighbor back then was a local police officer. But the gist of it was basically this; imagine you carried a handgun with a mag of rubber bullets, you know they're rubber and are "less than lethal" as they say. That mentality allows you to be less hesitant to drawing your weapon because hey, at least you won't kill them. But the only time you should draw your weapon on someone is when you feel it is required to kill in order to protect your own life. Much to why "warning shots" went away in the Army and law enforcement. That could become a legal argument against you should the situation go to court.
So I only run lethal rounds. And I'll only use it if I absolutely have to.
As mimicked by grubworm, creating distance is your number one ally. Just run away.
A Former Navy SEAL Commander Says The Best Defense Is To Run – This Is Why - YouTube
great points and i also want to add that people have definitely changed over the years....
i remember getting into fights as a kid and it would be fists only and usually over at the first sight of blood. i even had a couple fights where we shook hands after and became friends. not so much anymore...kids have been bringing guns and knives to school for years and the mentality overall has gotten to the point where people are desensitized and dont care and are very quick to get offended and pull a gun. a lot of folk out there are willing to make it "lethal" over nothing and those kids are now adults...
years back, it was early morning and i was behind a school bus out on a twisty swamp road out in the middle of nowhere. i couldnt pass and this car got on my ass tailgating and flashing his lights and was upset about going so slow. he finally passed and then a minute later i got an opportunity to pass the bus. i got down the road a bit and saw that the guy who was behind me was now parked on the side of the road and was waiting for me with a gun drawn. i stopped and hes pointing a gun at me mad that i made him late for work by driving so slow. i was trapped behind a school bus having to go slow and this guy is now mad at
me and pointing a gun at
me. i pulled my pistol and drew a bead center mass hoping this was just a weird dream, but it wasnt. it was real. im now wondering if im going to get shot or have to shoot someone just because i was behind a school bus going slow and now a total stranger is pointing a gun at me and both of our lives are about to change. i was thinking about what would happen when i shot this fool...would i go to jail? what kind of court hearing would i be faced with? how much are legal fees going to cost? if i go to jail, what would happen to my house and belongings? (i was single and pre-kids). everything i had worked for up to this time was now hanging in the balance of what was going to happen in the next few seconds...
i kept my bead on him and he kept pointing his at me, still cussing and going on about me making him late for work. thats when i told him that he is not only late for work right now...but he will never go to work again. also, i pointed out that he will never see his loved ones again or eat another pizza again or watch his football team play another game...EVERYTHING he holds dear is about to be taken from him. i guess he didnt think about things from that perspective...he was quite OK with taking my life because he was a few minutes late for work, but never thought about what he will lose. there was silence for a second or so and i could see his expression change as he thought about what i said. he tells me to f-off as he got back into his car and sped away down the swamp road.
these are the fools i worry about. people who in an instant can appear in your life from out of nowhere and are threatening you with no real reason. you have done absolutely NOTHING wrong, but yet you are facing a situation where you might lose your life if you dont make the right decisions. running is fine if it can be done successfully. i had entered gun range before i saw the gun, so it was too late to run. no need running if you are going to get shot in the back.
didnt mean to go on a long rant here, but this actually is a very important thread and any one of us on here could be facing something like i did at any time. i dont have the answers because every situation will be different...but i can say from experience that from my take, the best "non-lethal" weapon is a large caliber pistol because it will more than likely make a person think twice and realize that they might lose their life as well, so THEY walk away. in my situation...if i ran, i might have gotten shot and if i went to him with a bat or baton...i would certainly get shot. i prefer having a LETHAL weapon that turns a situation non-lethal rather than to have a NON-LETHAL weapon and turning it lethal because i now have to engage someone with it. the only way i see a walking stick help me in a battle for my life is to stick it in their eye socket...which now made it a lethal weapon. i'd rather show a gun and have them leave
i know the OP didnt want a debate and i sure hope i didnt turn it into one, but like i said...this is a very serious topic and can absolutely be life changing for anyone in a situation like this. remember...a lot of people dont think like we do and they are willing to do things that most of us arent willing to do, so we are already at a disadvantage mentally. unless you have been trained in hand to hand and know what its like to be choked or hit so hard you're about to black out...then engaging with a non-lethal weapon is not a good idea because an untrained brain is going to want to run when things start going south and then its going to want to shut down and then it is definitely game over.
this is a great thread
@RJ Howell ...people are getting crazier and violence is getting more common and eventually one of us on here will be facing a bad situation and hopefully reading this will get people thinking and preparing and hopefully making the right decisions when the time comes.
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