Poll: Could You Pull the Trigger?

[Kiefer13]

Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own?
As I've never been in a situation where my life has been threatened in such a way, I cannot give an absolutely certain answer as to how I would react. However I do think that yes, I could take a life in self-defense if it were necessary. I wouldn't like it, and if it were reasonably possible I would attempt to disable them rather than outright kill them (though I wouldn't feel guilty if I did kill them, and I wouldn't increase the risk to myself just to ensure a non-fatal elimination.

Q: The BadGuy is threatening not just your life, but your family's. Does this alter your reaction?
It does not.

Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?
Aside from the obvious increase in difficulty and physical effort a hand-to-hand fight would provide when compared to just pulling a trigger, no. There would be no difference for me morally or pyschologically.

Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?

It would not.

 

[MattRooney06]

Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own.
A: Yes i do, i have a very pre empetive strikie mentality, and tbh i value my life a lot

Q: The BadGuy is threatening not just your life, but your family's. Does this alter your reaction?
A:Not really, obviousley if he like had a knife to my mums throat i might not jump in quite so quickley

Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?
A:Yes and no, i like the idea of being able to look into my attackers eyes as he dies (we all sound like such sociopaths) but then again the advantage of range is fantastic

Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
A: No, a life is a life, if you watch somone killing another person and do nothing about it (im not saying jump in fists flying just not reacting at all) then you are just as guilty as the murderer

 

[drzoidbergmd]

Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own.
Of course. If I've learned anything, its that I fight to win. I don't like it, and I'd like to be honorable, but I also hate getting beaten up...
Q: The BadGuy is threatening not just your life, but your family's. Does this alter your reaction?
It makes the final attack worse since I don't care all that much about myself, but if my family get's dragged into it, then I'm coming after his ass.
Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?
Point and click range means you don't have to deal with the aftermath. Up close and personal though, you have to really intend to kill them to make sure the job gets done.
Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
Not sure.

 

[Superior Mind]

I'm a soldier in the New Zealand Army. That should really be all I need to say to answer those questions.

 

[Soluncreed]

Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own.
Yes because I place more value in my own life than the one attempting to take mine. It's natural to want to survive.
Q: The BadGuy is threatening not just your life, but your family's. Does this alter your reaction?
I honestly don't know if I would attempt to protect my family.
Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?
It would not matter to me. The thought that I could die would be what is occupying my mind.
Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
I am doing this to protect myself, not theirs. they may be saved because I am attempting to protect myself.

 

[Tddawg25]

If i didn't know the person probably yes, if i did know em... well it would depend on how PO'd i was at the time

 

[falcontwin]

I'm a soldier in the New Zealand Army. That should really be all I need to say to answer those questions.

Remind me of the last war New Zeland actually had ground combat troops in again?

Also To all those people in this thread Saying "Fuck yeah I'd murder the shit out of someone if they fucked with me" (Paraphrasing) How many of you have been in an actual fight (not life or death) just a someone is picking on you and you can punch them and probably get punched back or runaway type of fight?

The initial question in this thread was "Could you REALLY do it? Not do you have a delusion where you are stronger than anyone who may threaten you and you believe you could kill someone with you Leet skills gained from hours of gaming?

I personally don't know if I would be capable of killing someone, Simply because I can't really fight and am not all that agressive in nature. And if I had the kind of unfair advantage of having a weapon against someone who was unarmed I would prefer to use it to try and scare them away rather than Murdering them.

Would I rather someone else die rather than them killing me? Sure! could I do it? Who knows?.

Ive Done some hunting and seriously the thing that turned me off of it was slitting the neck of a deer that was still alive but going to bleed out from a bullet wound. the actual feeling of slicing through the flesh and the blood spraying while looking at the life drain from the eyes, I really don't know If I could do that to a Human being and hopefully I'll never have to find out.

Any way I'm not sure If I could kill someone or not.

 

[Alumit]

Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own.
Yes, indeed I could. I have many things to live for.

Q: The BadGuy is threatening not just your life, but your family's. Does this alter your reaction?
No, it just strengthens the answer to question 1.

Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?
No.

Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
I'd do what I can.

G'day ^^

 

[NewDeadSoul]

1. I want to live
2. no, I would not think I would just act
3. It depends how I feel about the situation
4. I have Nofear 220's idea about this one

 

[thejadefalcon]

Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own.

Yes, absolutely. I rarely throw the first punch since I don't like violence, but I can and will defend myself.

Q: The BadGuy is threatening not just your life, but your family's. Does this alter your reaction?

I would DESTROY them.

Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?

Probably a lot, but the only nearby weapon I have is a 32 inch carbon-steel sword, so I haven't got much choice.

Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?

Nope. I would defend a stranger just as vehemently as I would my own life.

 

[crudus]

Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own.

Yes. All I would really have to do is lose touch with reality and let my instincts take over.
Q: The BadGuy is threatening not just your life, but your family's. Does this alter your reaction?

Yes it does. It makes me want to kill him more and/or faster

Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?

Probably not. (assuming I could hit the bastard).

Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?

Honestly, I have always wanted to kill someone to see what it was like. I really am just searching for a reason every day.

 

[jultub]

Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?

Honestly, I have always wanted to kill someone to see what it was like. I really am just searching for a reason every day.

Congratulations, you just won this thread.

OT: I wholeheartedly agree with the one I quoted.

 

[neoontime]

Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own.
Yes
Q: The BadGuy is threatening not just your life, but your family's. Does this alter your reaction?
Yes i'd show no mercy
Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?
probaly not
Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
yes, i mean i wouldn't want to hurt anyone else

 

[Koeryn]

Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own.

Yes. I can only guess how I'd feel about it in retrospect, having to kill someone isn't the kind of thing you take lightly or forget, but I would do it if I had to.

Q: Would having a friend or family member's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?

No.

Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?

No.

Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?

No.

To those who say they would make an effort to only injure/incapacitate their attacker, not kill them, I have something to say:

If, as the OP's question suggests, the situation has degenerated to the point where your life is in danger and your only option is force, you're asking to be killed if you "go easy" on the attacker and use anything less than lethal force to stop them. If you shoot someone in a "non-vital" area, there's no guarantee that it will incapacitate them right away, just as there's no guarantee it won't kill them a few minutes later, after they've shot back and killed you. There are good reasons police don't "shoot people in the leg just to stop them".

1: There is no safe place to shoot someone. Shoot someone in the shoulder in real life and it's unlikely that it'll just incapacitate them for a while, and they'll be up and about the next day with their arm in a sling like in the movies. Depending on where it hits, the bullet could destroy the ball-and-socket joint in the shoulder, leaving the subject's arm useless, or it could ricochet off of the scapula and end up in the chest cavity, or it could nick a major blood vessel. In any case you could still kill the person.

2: It's easy to miss. A bullet is a small thing and it's very easy to miss your target, especially in an adrenaline-charged, "kill or be killed" kind of scenario. Soldiers and law enforcement officers are trained to aim for center of mass (i.e. the torso) for a reason, it gives the highest chance of hitting and incapacitating the target.

You might try to shoot an attacker in the leg, hoping to just incapacitate them. Assuming you don't miss, the bullet may sever the femoral artery. That gives your attacker a few minutes to live, in which time they may retaliate and fire back. Result: You're both dead.

Added to the OP. Good information for people.

 

[Koeryn]

NSIP
Pro-tip:- I had a crossbow. You dont carry a crossbow doesnt mean others dont.
On that tip note :- I also have a sword. An actual 4 foot Type XII.


If this is meant to be a guage of reaction there would need to be siginificant more detail about the threat.

This is less to gauge someone's reaction, as it is to see what responses someone is going to give when attempting to logic out the issue. What a lot of people (who've answered every which way) seem to not remember is something called 'survival instinct', that when your life is threatened, you go into a fight/flight mode to preserve your life. When flight is not an option, there is only fight.

I also have a pistol crossbow, a compound bow, several swords, and a crowbar. However, attempting to carry these as self-defense weapons is the height of stupidity. It's impossible to conceal a pistol crossbow in every day clothing, much less a full sized one, just as it's impossible (and highly illegal) to conceal a four foot blade on your person for self defense purposes.

Compounding the issue is that very, VERY few people understand proper technique with a long blade, much less are able to perform it. Even fewer still would be able to perform proper effective technique in a high-risk combat situation.

 

[Tarrou]

Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own.

Yeah. Most people who answer this really are making a guess, but in this case I'm pretty sure. 11-B says yes.

Q: The BadGuy is threatening not just your life, but your family's. Does this alter your reaction?

Not really, still going to salt him down.

Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?

firearm is easier to do and easier to deal with later, but if necessary I could make do hand-to-hand

Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?

Only if the stranger is standing in the line of fire.


Fun note: untrained, fewer than 20% of post-adolescent males (the most violent demographic) are generally capable of lethal violence. Even when in life threatening situations. See firing rate studies on WW1 soldiers. With intensive training (generally military), this can be raised to over 80%. The funny thing is that people have a deeply ingrained horror of violence, and thats a good thing. It's easy to talk hard, especially on the internet. It's a whole lot harder to hold someone down and cut their throat while they struggle and scream. The average human is a peaceful animal, and less than 2% of males have an actual predisposition for violence.

 

[Lucifron]

What an interesting topic. Kudos.

Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own.
A: Absolutely. It is my firm belief that every living being is more than quite capable of this. It is completely natural.

Q: The BadGuy is threatening not just your life, but your family's. Does this alter your reaction?
A: I would be a lot more swift and violent in my going about of the whole business. This is also quite natural.

Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?
A: I don't know, I've never killed someone, and I haven't been in a fight for about 7-8 years when I was still a little shit. I suppose that killing someone with a gun is potentially much "cleaner" than sawing off someones aorta with a knife, but it wouldn't make me hesitate or anything.

Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
A: As in a stranger's life is threatened along with mine? No, nothing much. I would still happily kill the aggressor to make certain my own safety, and I wouldn't risk my own neck for the other guy.

 

[Eliam_Dar]

I won't answer your questions directly since I already was in a situation like that. But most people is able to kill to defend himself life or his family's.