In teaching new students about defensive firearms use, it is extremely common for a barrage of "can I shoot if THIS happens" to start taking over the discussion. As an instructor, you must stop it to keep control of your class schedule and stay focused. I believe that people who have recently made a decision to take responsibility for their own protection, have done so because of fear of criminals. Fear induces hatred, and a desire to strike back against anyone that threatens personal safety. Its a natural reaction until they began to take into consideration of all the consequences for the action they feel so willing to take. After giving students a good dose of the legal, moral, psychological, and financial downside of being involved in shooting someone, along with the accountability for every round fired, I boil it down to this.
If the consequences of not taking lethal action are worse than those I have just described, and there is no other way out, then you have no choice.
I agree with the the original premise that "can I Shoot" is a stupid question, but it is a natural one until people get a grip on the gravity of what they are contemplating. I think this is also why many people take an "anti gun" stance, because they project their own mindset, that if they had a gun, they would shoot everyone that made them angry. They never think it through far enough to understand what we as "gun people" and those that take concealed carry seriously, consider, and study, and understand.
