Current Events > Does pointing a gun at someone demonstrate intent and willingness to kill?

(+) Yeah! (+)

There's absolutely nothing wrong with using a gun to keep a thief in place while you're waiting for the police to arrive.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with using a gun to keep a thief in place while you're waiting for the police to arrive.

Intent? no, willingness? yes, if the situation arises that may require you to use deadly force.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with using a gun to keep a thief in place while you're waiting for the police to arrive.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with using a gun to keep a thief in place while you're waiting for the police to arrive.

Okay, but it's still displaying that you're willing to kill the person.

Okay, but it's still displaying that you're willing to kill the person.

Yes. It's always taught never to point a gun at anything that you aren't prepared to destroy.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with using a gun to keep a thief in place while you're waiting for the police to arrive.

What if the thief tried to run, offering no direct threat to you, would you pull the trigger?

What if the thief tried to run, offering no direct threat to you, would you pull the trigger?

That's not the scenario that TC is using to justify this topic.

I was going off your scenario in your post though.

I was going off your scenario in your post though.

You said "using a gun to keep a thief in place until the police arrive"

The thing keeping the thief in place is the possibility of you pulling the trigger

What if the thief decides to call your bluff though? Do you shoot or let him run?

This topic doesn't exist in a vacuum. It was directly inspired by another topic. I don't see the point in pretending otherwise.

What topic is that? I didn't know it was a specific scenario, I was just going by your post

What topic is that? I didn't know it was a specific scenario, I was just going by your post

I'd let him run, his life is of no concern to me.

I just want my property back.

Preventing the crime isn't enough, they want to see the person (whose background circumstances they know nothing about) get punished with prison time, son.

If someone commits a crime and goes unpunished, they're most likely going to commit the crime again later. Prison at least prevents them from committing crimes for a while, even if they come back out and do more crime after their sentence is served.

Point being, yes. If someone commits a crime, I'd like to see them punished for it.

Do you also want to see the circumstances behind why they committed the crime addressed so they can be rehabilitated? Because prison time doesn't fix anything. They'll walk out of there with no job and possibly no home, putting them in a situation far more likely to encourage further crime.

they want to see the person (whose background circumstances they know nothing about) get punished with prison time, son.

Do you also want to see the circumstances behind why they committed the crime addressed

Oh the horror. Some people would want the person who stole their car punished with, gasp, prison! They don't even know if that person is a poor victim of society.

Does committing a crime allow you to shoot in self defense?

And yet, by law, in many gun loving states, pointing a gun at a thief would make it legal for the thief to then pull a gun on you, citing that they fear for their life.

And yet, by law, in many gun loving states, pointing a gun at a thief would make it legal for the thief to then pull a gun on you, citing that they fear for their life.

He wasn't in the process of stealing it. He was tracked down after the fact. It's an important distinction.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with using a gun to keep a thief in place while you're waiting for the police to arrive.