If you were my students, i would correct every one of you except torch and festus. Never, ever, ever, point a weapon at someone if you do not intend to use it. Pointing a gun at someone is a crime. Period. Shooting someone is a crime. Period. All the law of justified self defense does is give you a possibility, a chance, that you will bew found not guilty of homicide, in one degree or another. Never draw, point, or even threaten with a weapon if you have not already made the desision to KILL. Did you see that last word? It is Spelled K-I-L-L. It is not pretty, it is not nice. If I draw my weapon, it will take an act of God to keep someone from dieing. I will do my very, very best to KILL them before they hit the ground. Shooting someone already on the ground is excessive use of force, and will get you prison time. Shooting someone in the back is excessive use of force, and will get you in prison. Shooting them three times through the head with a 44 magnum before they fall down is probably going to get you a shooting medal.
There is so much mis imformation, so much ignorance, so much mamby pamby nicety nice in this world that we are blinded to reality. It takes a brute beast to hurt a defenseless woman, child, or older person. It takes a subhuman piece of garbage to commit armed robbery. Those who live by the sword are supposed to die by the sword. Our moral obligation, if any, is not to give the perpetrater of violence the benefit of the doubt. It is to protect the "next " victim. I can assure you, if some pos will try to rob me, a three hundred pound stonemason, he will not hesatate to rape or rob some one weaker. I don't have the right to defend myself, as much as I have an obligation to defend those weaker than me. We used to understand this, that's why we went into wwII with a largely volunteer army.Look how far we have fallen!
I am a firm believer in the book, the blood and the blessed hope. i also believe that there are some lines that you don't cross.Do not ateempt to kill, or threaten to kill another human being when you have the means either on your person or in your hands to carry out that threat, or make good that attempt. Do not threaten or attempt to sexually assault a man, woman or child. Do not threaten or attempt to seriously injur another human being, with or withoiut weapons. If you cross one of those lines, you deserve to be shot, and killed. We are all God's children, made in his own image. But there are lines we just don't cross.
I tell my students that drawing a weapon is like launching a missle. There are checks, balances, safeguards, and descisions. Once the gun clears leather, there are no descisions left. I am often asked "what if he drops the weapon after you draw?" I tell them that he would be one fast S.O.B. I am not going to give them time. Drawing should be the absolute last option. There will not be enough time for him to put anyting down. That is the other guy's fault not mine. There will not be enough time for him to turn and run. Again, not my fault. Won't be enough time for him to say anything. Not my fault.
I hope you understand i am not blood thirsty at all, I am just dead serious that you shouldn't draw until all other options are exausted. And when you do draw, there had better be a funeral. Understand? Either his or yours. If you are going to live with taking another human being's life, you had better know you couldn't have waited any longer, and that you couldn't have turned and run, and that it was either them or you.