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Shoot to kill – follow up

In this post, I wrote:

First, warning shots are always illegal. Second, shooting to wound is usually illegal.

Pawpaw has taken me to task and notes:

… train yourself that you will only shoot someone to compel him to stop doing a certain action. In short, you want to Shoot to Stop. We don’t shoot to kill, nor shoot to wound, but shoot to stop.

I concur. I should have clarified that I meant intentionally shooting to wound to the extent that it is not shooting to stop or kill. Meaning that if you intentionally shoot some one in the leg, your story to the cops shouldn’t be that you didn’t want to kill that person so you shot him in the leg. It should be you shot to stop.

9 Responses to “Shoot to kill – follow up”

  1. Steve Ramsey Says:

    If you are not shooting center of mass, then you have no business shooting in the first place. Attempting to use lethal force in a non-lethal manner is unwise from both a legal and practical standpoint.

  2. SayUncle Says:

    I agree on aiming center mass.

  3. Blounttruth Says:

    It is my understanding that shoot to stop is correct. Actually I think it is shoot until the threat is elinminated. In otherwords shoot once and if the threat is still there shoot again until it is gone, but not in excess. Eliminate the threat and you are well within your bounds.

    BT

  4. Phelps Says:

    I like the “I don’t shoot to kill; I shoot to live” version myself.

  5. Brutal Hugger Says:

    My understanding is a bit foggy, as I haven’t looked at this in a long time. But from what I recall, legally, shooting is lethal force. It doesn’t matter what you’re aiming at or what your actual intention is. If you fire your weapon, you are using lethal force.

  6. Guy Montag Says:

    Either way should keep the contractors out of your yard . . .

  7. SayUncle Says:

    Heh. Yeah but i can’t shoot them for stealing water.

  8. PawPaw Says:

    Brutal Hugger. You’re right. Taking a pistol out is a threat of lethal force and firing the weapon is a use of lethal force. You are right again that it doesn’t matter what you hit or miss. You have used lethal force.

    Which, in itself, is one of the reasons for the prohibition on firing a warning shot. If you fire a warning shot, and God Forbid, it comes down three blocks away on Granny’s skull, you have used lethal force on Granny. You are responsible for the flight of your bullet.

  9. Bobster Says:

    Say there is a general melee going on and you need to stop it. Maybe several people are fighting in your back yard and you want them to stop. Would it be all right to shoot a round into the ground in front of you? Just to get the attention of those you want to stop? (A whistle may be just as effective if you have one.) Does shooting into the ground in this case constitute a warning shot? I think the shot into the ground is what will stop the action you want stopped. (This actually happened to a friend of mine. At a family gathering no less!)

Remember, I do this to entertain me, not you.

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