[Brian@ITC]

IF you are able to make the shot and take the attacker immediately out of the fight, I don’t think that the knife will have enough pressure to cut someone’s throat unless it is razor sharp. What if the attacker were to move and lose their balance, would they cut the hostages throat then? So, moving around the HT and hostage could be a bad thing—agreed?

If they have a gun cocked to the hostages head and you shoot them, are you 100% SURE that you are going to kill them IMMEDIATELY? I am not convinced that most pistol rounds will IMMEDIATELY end the fight even with a head shot most of the time. I don’t know of any statistics that show this one way or the other.

Can you REALLY make the shot if the hostage is a loved one? That is a lot of pressure to deal with and making a head shot under that kind of stress may take a drastic toll on your shooting ability! And, let’s not forget that if the HT moves when you pull the trigger who knows WHO you are going to hit?

This is a very serious matter and no one can tell you what to do. It is based upon the circumstances and your ability to remain calm in the situation. Whatever decision you make, YOU are going to have to live with that decision for the rest of your life!

If you train your spouse on how to deal with someone who has a knife around her throat, there are things that she could do to help reduce the likelihood of the knife cutting her regardless. That would help you to eliminate one factor in the decision making process.