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Old December 11, 2005, 12:44 AM   #1
USP45usp
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After thinking about it

The answer is yes.

Make of it what you will.

Think about it .

Wayne

*and yes it's gun related, and responsible, because I've made it my responsibility and I will live up to it no matter what. In case Staff was wondering .
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Old December 11, 2005, 01:29 AM   #2
stratus
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WOOHOO!!!! I have Wayne's blessing to get the Mark 23!
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Old December 11, 2005, 01:08 PM   #3
USP45usp
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In case you're wondering. The answer is Yes to the great old question of would you pull the trigger is needed.

I know that it seems like a stupid thing to keep on running through ones' mind but I've read that part of carrying is 1) Do you want the responsibility and 2) Could you pull the trigger on another human being if warranted.

Quite honestly this has been something that I've been thinking about for years. Thank God that I've never had to make the split second decision while I've been unsure whether I could or not. Now I've got my mindset right about the matter if the need ever arises.

I have been a member of numerous boards and have spoken that I would do this or that but secretly, I was unsure of myself.

With the Washington (state) mall shooting and some of the other things that I've read, I thought to myself, what could or more importantly, what would I do?

Now, I'm not going to go off with some type of bravado and proclaim that I would do this or that, all I will say is that I've come to peace with the idea that if the need should arise because of immediate danger to myself or to my family, then I would pull the trigger.

The anti's try to make us out to be cold-blooded killers who are "itching" to take another persons life. What they fail to understand, or what they wish to overlook, is the fact that we, carrying as we do, are the ones that pray to whatever god or gods, or not pray depending, that we never have to use deadly force. But, if the need is warranted have decided to take the responsibility to do just that.

They wish to have no guns or the need for guns. I too share their desire that no guns would be needed for protection, only for "sporting" use. Unfortunately, we live in a world where not everyone has respect for one another, where everyone can trust each other and where the term criminal is slang for one who didn't use a coaster on the coffee table.

I too wish for a world such as they want, one that is peaceful and without crime. Yet, unlike them, I refused to close my eyes and bury my head into the sand. I look around me and around the world and see the evil that man can produce and what man are capable of doing to each other. Even though I am sickened by what I see, I realize that these things happen, will continue to happen, and no matter what laws are made, in America or in the world, it will never cease.

So therefore I have set the yoke upon my shoulders to try to ensure that my family and myself are protected to the best of my ability. And to also help out my fellow man (includes women) if needed.

I pray that I never have to act upon it. Yet if it ever happens I know that it is my responsibility as a human, as a son, and as a member of society.

I know that this sounds stupid, to be carrying on with something as trivial as this. That this is a matter that I should have thought out long before now. But I think that it's important to actually bring up the issue for others that have secretly been thinking the same as I. Do I have the right mindset, can or could I react the way I should if something should happen, can I take the responsibility.

So the answer is Yes. I do not wish to ever have to use lethal force, but if the need is warranted, even though I know that it will have lasting implications not only on my person but also by the courts, I have decided that if needed, I will choose to act if warranted.

Oh, and I did give the okay for that Mark 23 also .

Wayne

*Sorry for the stupid post/thread. Just something that I would share. Please delete if not appropriate subject.
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Old December 11, 2005, 01:23 PM   #4
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It will never be a proud day if I have to, but I keep telling myself that I did not put this person into that position, they put me there. If it is a choice between me or them, or worse my family or them then they are going to be in a world of hurt. I feel sorry for them and their family, but I cannot change the fact that they brought this about and that they made me make a difficult choice.
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Old December 11, 2005, 01:39 PM   #5
USP45usp
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Well said Mark54g.

Wayne
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Old December 11, 2005, 02:24 PM   #6
ISP2605
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"In case you're wondering. The answer is Yes to the great old question of would you pull the trigger is needed."

You really won't know the answer to the question until the question has really been asked of you. You can set around and think you will but until you actually have to answer the question you'll never know. Just hope you never really have to answer the question.
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Old December 11, 2005, 03:14 PM   #7
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ISP,

True but not true.

You have to decide before hand if you will pull the trigger. You have to take out that hesitation factor.

What got me to really sit down and start thinking was the Tacoma mall shooting. When interviewed it came to light that the CCW holder hesitated and thank God didn't die but is alive to talk about his experience.

But the fact still remains that he is in the hospital, that he was shot, that he didn't pull the trigger.

He hesitated and it put him in the hospital. Thankfully alive but he was very lucky.

Now I'm your average, normal, everyday "Joe citizen". I am not a Navy Seal or an Army Commando or even an Air Force Search and Rescue type guy. I don't hold and I won't lie about being some Special Forces type person who has been trained to kill without question and will do so upon command. I am just like most that has an instinct to hesitate for that one moment which could be the difference between life and death, for myself or for others.

So it's only human, non-trained (I have had some training to pull the trigger, via the Air Force, but I wasn't trained to do so without hesitation) to pull the trigger without a second thought about doing so, especially upon a person that is not a clearly marked enemy. This is something that each and every person has to deal with by himself or herself but may be able to read another and then make that decision, or another, easier.

That is the purpose of the board, to make it easier for others in whatever gun related issue they may be going through .

I will tell you this (all members). I dread the day that I may have to pull the trigger. I hope that I grow old without having to pull the trigger. I pray that my life is as boring and without crime as you see in the movies of old. But I will not hesitate on pulling the trigger if it is warranted.

With my decision I will not be "gung ho", go into places that I would normally avoid, or try to find trouble or to insert myself into hostile situations. That would be plum stupid to do so. I will continue to grow, to learn, and to be a productive member of society.

But I know that if warranted I am capable of taking another person's life.

I know that this is a taboo subject but I felt that it's something that every CCW person goes through in some way. It was easy being a soldier, taking commands and shooting the enemy upon demand. It was expected of us and we knew our responsibility of doing so. Being a Joe citizen is different and therefore your mindset is different.

Sorry for the ramblings of today, just in a talkative mood I guess. Not just this thread but others. I hope that I've providing help and not just creating static and noise .

Wayne
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Old December 11, 2005, 03:38 PM   #8
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I've seen and trained with guys who said there were ready, and some who I thought were ready, but when they time came they couldn't do it. Who knows why. They just couldn't. A couple of them surprised me. I really thought they would. They probably really thought they would to. But when the time came, they couldn't.
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Old December 11, 2005, 04:26 PM   #9
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Quote:
I've seen and trained with guys who said there were ready, and some who I thought were ready, but when they time came they couldn't do it. Who knows why.
I think we've all been conditioned since birth that killing is the Great Taboo, the biggest no-no of all. Everything from the 10 Commandents to today's laws says it. Don't sell that conditioning short; it has a powerful influence on a person's sub-conscious, whether they're aware of it or not. Some people can override it, some can't, but I really believe that, while most thinkthey know if they can, the truth won't be known until they're faced with it.
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Old December 11, 2005, 09:02 PM   #10
USP45usp
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Capt,

If I may.

Quote:
while most think they know if they can,
Was the whole purpose behind the post/Thread.

Wayne
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Old December 11, 2005, 09:28 PM   #11
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Quote:
You can set around and think you will but until you actually have to answer the question you'll never know. Just hope you never really have to answer the question.
The fact that many of us actually sit and ponder this says alot about who we are.

We carry instruments "designed soley for killing" as part of our lifestyle and wonder if we could ever actually use it.

And those of us that actually believe in our hearts that we could have done an incredible amount of soul searching, usually after we actually started carrying, to come to that conclusion.
And have a very definite set of conditions under which we would shoot

So much for being a bunch of ignorant, bloodlusting, rednecks trying to make up for little tallywhackers.
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Old December 11, 2005, 09:43 PM   #12
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"And those of us that actually believe in our hearts that we could have done an incredible amount of soul searching, usually after we actually started carrying, to come to that conclusion."

I've seen guys in the military and during my 34+ yrs as a cop who thought the same thing. We trained together and we all trained alike. But when it came time to do it some just weren't able. Capt Charlie explained it very well. We can train and make ourselves believe but it's not until you look the actual flesh and blood in the eye that you'll really know. It's not until you can smell it, taste it, and feel it that you will really know.
No one knows what they'll do. They only know what they did before but no one knows what they'll do the next time.


"So much for being a bunch of ignorant, bloodlusting, rednecks trying to make up for little tallywhackers."

Ain't nuttin wrong with that.
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