Could you kill someone?

[psychokillerornotkiller]

I was at a social event where a we were talking about gun crime in America. One woman said she had lived in America and was talking to an American women who had a gun which she said was for self defence. The woman at the social do said she said to her, ' But could you really kill someone with it?' To which the American woman apparently went silent, and the British woman at the social do declared, ' It was like she have never really thought about that!'.

The clear implication of the British woman's argument was that, of course no right minded person could shoot anyone, so there is not point in having a gun.

But I thought, ' I could kill someone. If someone was coming to kill me, and they were fair minded enough to give me time to reach into my bag and retrieve my gun, I would shoot them. And if they were coming for my child I would definitely shoot them. |I might be traumatised afterwards, but I would shoot them.'

I'd always assumed everyone was like me. But the British woman obviously assumes everyone is like her.

So, in genuine curiosity as to find out whether I am an outlying psycho, I thought I would put it to the vote.

YABU - I could never kill anyone
YANBU - I could kill someone.

I have no idea until I am in the exact situation to know

So if someone was coming after you children you would just stand their?

Yes I would kill to protect my family. With a gun or any weapon or with my hands.

I think the US is very different. They have a terrible gun problem and it doesn’t really have a solution. There are so many millions of guns that they just couldn’t be collected up, even if guns were banned overnight.

Absolutely. I'd do it to save DD without hesitation. And if I could have done it without being imprisoned for years, I'd have done it for my mum rather than watch her die in pain with terminal cancer.

If I was in America with easy access to a gun, I would have happily shot myself years ago.

I'm glad I'm not and I didn't. But... Circumstances allowing I would have had to shut my mind up.

I could kill. Without a doubt. Self-defence, to protect my family. I would also kill myself in certain scenarios (not talking about self-harm).

Given the right circumstances, yeah. I expect most people could pull a trigger, use necessary force, accelerate, opt not to use brakes etc. It's much easier to perform the act in the moment than it would be to contemplate specifically beforehand or process and accept what you've done after the fact. There's a huge gulf between killing in reaction in a life threatening moment and premeditation. Laws tend to make a point of this.

In reality:

I wouldn't kill anyone intentionally, but I would defend myself and someone I loved, and if that meant I accidentally killed someone, then so be it.

I would ensure that my response was proportionate to the threat though.

In fantasy:

I'd slowly kill anyone who abused children or animals if I knew I wouldn't be prosecuted for it.

I don't think anyone knows how they would react in a dangerous situation. It is entirely reasonable to think protecting your child is OK. But in real life you have to take account of the freeze factor or a hesitation. I cannot answer the question.

I think most people works in self defence

This does not make guns a good idea, obvs

WOULD

The latter part of this is v weird.

Why on earth do you fantasise about this? Get some therapy or something.

I think I could shoot someone if I was scared enough, but I dont think I could stab someone. With a gun you are disconnected from the action.

@Luredbyapomegranate take a chill pill ffs.

I despise people who abuse and torture vulnerable and innocent beings. I highly doubt I'm alone in having such thoughts.

Yes

I have no idea, but I think so if it was to defend myself or someone else and I was scared enough.

I do live in America and I would never have a gun in the house, they terrify me.

If I was protecting my child or one of my students (I’m a teacher) from, say, a school shooter or a crazed knife man running about I can honestly say I could and would kill then in a heartbeat if I had a weapon. 100% certain.

If there was no other option to protect and defend my family, then yes I would use a gun. Even then I'd use it first to incapacitate the threat, only killing if absolutely necessary.

Reading with

I've just asked my dad this, as he has been in this situation.

It was just me and my dad and I was a toddler. He put me in the car and went back in the house as he'd forgot his wallet. You could see the car from the house / kitchen where he'd left it. He obviously had a moment where I wasn't in sight (this was in the 90s) a man came from nowhere, smashed the (locked) car window and got me out. My dad at the time had a gun, he kept it in the kitchen high above the top cupboards. He got his gun went outside as at this point the guy had me in his arms.

My dad would've shot him in an instant if he still tried to runaway with me / put me in the abductors car. There was sort of a standoff between my dad and the abductor. My dad stood there with a gun pointing at him whilst on the phone to the police. The driver in the abductors car fled but was later found.

Police came, he went to prison. He'd only been released from prison that week for serious offences. He was quite an old guy.

My dad had the relevant licenses for the gun etc and this was decades ago and doesn't own one anymore.

But yes, he would've shot him instantly if the guy didn't put me down / stay put.
I would've been taken for child trafficking if my dad didn't have that gun.
I obviously don't remember anything but one question I always ask myself is WHY did the bloody guy decide to pull me through a smashed glass window and not unlock the door and get me out.

Would've saved me a hospital trip

In the right circumstances I think yes. Or at least try. You can't guarantee you'd come out on top. 🤷

If I was being attacked and fighting for my life for example.

I like the line in a recent tv show ‘everyone is a murderer, you just haven’t met the right person yet’.

self restraint is over rated, I suspect the world would be a better place if we just culled a few!!

I do agree and the older I get, the more I know I could do it.

Blimey. Remind me never to get on your bad side.

Interesting that most posters immediately imagine a fight-or-flight self-defence scenario. I'm not actually sure I could kill on the spur of the moment, certainly wouldn't predict one way or the other.

Premeditated and if I had a sense of justice or revenge? Absolutely. I could execute Bolsonaro or Putin in any manner I needed to and feel righteous about it afterwards.

That scene in The Handmaid's Tale where they beat Fred to death? I'd be right there with them.