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Old July 23, 2008, 06:37 PM   #90
pax
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Join Date: May 16, 2000
Location: In a state of flux
Posts: 7,520
Quote:
Some people have reached an age where they can not safely use a firearm, especially in a close quarters self-defense situation.
<sarcasm>

Yeah... and those people should just give up and die if they are confronted with a lethal force situation, because it is better for the strong young attacker to live instead...

</sarcasm>



Seriously, gyrfalcon, the error in thinking here is the same tempting one that too many fall for: the idea that the danger to witnesses from the actions of a deliberate murderer is always minimal, while the danger to witnesses and bystanders from the defensive actions of an intended victim is really astronomical.

The danger to the witnesses is actually much greater from the cold-blooded and deliberate actions of the attacker than it is from the defender, no matter how feeble or how poor a shot the defender might be.

If the defender succeeds, the attacker stops immediately. If the defender makes a mistake, one or two unaimed shots might escape the area. If the defender fails, the attacker commits that murder and then turns on the witnesses -- leaving the witnesses in no worse shape than they were to begin with, and perhaps a bit better off if the actions of the unsuccessful defender bought them enough time to escape.

And if there are no witnesses to be deliberately slain by the attacker after the successful murder ... then who could possibly be harmed by the lone old geezer trying to defend himself?

pax
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