@LimitIsUp
I've reported this thread to ask HQ to check for sock puppetry. Perhaps there isn't any going on, but for the sake of my own peace of mind I would prefer to believe that there is only one avenging harpy with multiple user names, rather than there are actually lots of people, who walk among us, who think this is okay
And you absolutely should do that if you think that might be the case.
But please also consider opening your mind to other people’s opinions and try to see it from their side.
Imagine it is dark outside, late at night. I don’t actually know if that was the case in this situation, but we need to set the scene somehow so let’s go with that for now.
It is late. It is dark. You are home alone. Or perhaps home with your teenage daughter. Or your toddlers. There is a massive noise downstairs of the door being battered down. Or perhaps there is silence save for strange squeak from the bottom of the staircase that alerts you to an intruder.
You get out of bed, quietly, to check what is going on. It is probably all just in your mind, right? You don’t want to call the police and distract them from more important work when it could be nothing but your over active imagination.
But at the same time it could be something. You have a gun (as is your absolute legal right in the US) so you pick it up as you head towards the stairs. As you turn the corner you see four large and looming male figures that all turn towards you as your take that last step....
What are you going to do? There are four of them. Why are they in your home? Did they break in to steal from you? Can you reason with them? Are they high? Are they armed? Do they have guns? Will the noise wake your children? Are they going to hurt your kids? Will they rape your teenage daughter?
They have already committed an aggressive criminal act by breaking into your home.
It is four against one to protect your home and family.
What are you going to do?
One shot could save everyone. It will scare the others off. Then you can call the police.
A shot in the leg would be great but it is a hard target in the heat of the moment and with movement. This isn’t a Hollywood. Getting off one shot in their general direction would be good enough.
Oh, look. There is blood on the carpet. You actually hit one of them.
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A few questions:
Could you imagine feeling scared enough to pull a trigger in your own home?
Particularly if you were protecting your own body or that of your family?
If a law exists as others have described that punishes fellow criminals if one of them is injured or killed in the course of committing a crime, is it unreasonable to enforce it?
Should such a law exist?
If it does, what should be the maximum and minimum sentence?
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(To save everyone scrolling back and reading my own opinions posted earlier - I agree with everything except the sentencing which I think was outrageous. I could probably be persuaded with regards to whether such a joint enterprise law should exist).