Poll: Could You Pull the Trigger?

[Mechamorph]

Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own.
Yes. Naturally any person whose life is threatened would have one of two responses, fight or flight. Having served in the military, I tend to choose "fight" unless faced with overwhelming odds since if you run now, best case scenario is that they chase you. Worst case scenario? They come back. With many, many friends. If the person is unskilled or unarmed then more options are available to me such as a non-lethal takedown. If the person means to take my life in earnest then it is foolish to have any qualms about using lethal force to protect yourself. My attacker has shown no regard for human life, if I do not stop him here and now, he might kill someone else later. Or many someones.

Q: Would having a friend or family member's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
I would not attempt to find a non-lethal zone upon which to fire or a non-lethal method of incapacitation. I will simply attempt a kill shot or a throat punch as soon as an opportunity presents itself. Also I would try riskier tactics since if it is impossible to overcome an enemy, it might still be possible for me to distract them long enough for my friends or family to escape.

Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?
Not at all since one often can't be choosy about how people will attempt to kill you.

Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
Similar reaction as that of having a family member or friend in danger. Defending my life is important, if there are other lives on the line then its that much more critical to neutralize the threat to our well-being as soon as possible. Being human however, I honestly cannot say if I'd place my life above that of a stranger the same way as I'd do for family but I would still attempt to protect both of us if at all possible.

The only mitigating circumstance being if the assailant is not in control of his actions due to illness or mental disorder. Getting intoxicated or high and then grabbing a knife does not absolve anyone of responsibility in my eyes since they are responsible for placing themselves in that scenario in the first place. If you know you're a violent drunk, don't drink in the presence of others and don't leave weaponry lying around when you do drink.

 

[Therumancer]

I've never killed anyone but I've hurt some people pretty badly.

In general I'd give an unqualified "yes" to being able to kill. Probably more of a "yes" than many other people since I have emotional problems, and admittedly some pretty sociopathic tendencies at times.

Acting for a friend or family member involved would remove any question from the equasion.

As far as a stranger being involved, it largely becomes a matter of calculated risk. I'd go much further for a friend or family member, or myself for that matter, than a complete stranger. However if I felt the odds of me being able to save a total stranger were greatly in my favor I'd intervene, where in other situations I'd go "against the odds" so to speak.

Understand I'm fairly pragmatic, and while nothing happened, anyone who has worked security and patrolled arcades and such have wondered things like "what would I do if some terrorist went in there and tried to shoot those kids?". Ridiculous, let's just say you wind up with a lot of time on your hands.

Even when dealing with a child whose family would be sad if they died, I realize I have a family who would be upset if I died as well. On top of that for all I know the kids could grow up to be crack whores and junkies or whatever. Thus, the odds of me playing hero even under those circumstances are minimal. However, if I'm not totally callous and WOULD do something (as mentioned above) if I was sure I could control the situation.

Hey, maybe I would surprise myself in such situations, I have no idea. However the above is what I think I'd do. Truthfully when I look at some of the selfless heroes in fantasy and fiction I can admire the ideal, but I'm honest enough to admit that I'm no hero. I generally don't think like one.

 

[Connor Lonske]

Why kill them when you can shoot them in the knee cap, much more pain full and keeps them from following you. If I had a gun and someone was coming at me with a stick yelling random religious terms, then "POW! RIGHT IN THE KNEE CAP!" Stops them dead in there tracks, with out them dead.

 

[DarkRyter]

Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own.
Of course. When it's me or them. I choose them.

Q: Would having a friend or family member's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
It would only spur me further to kill. If there was ever a good reason to kill, it was to protect what you care for.

Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?
Well, I'd prefer long range, more impersonal. But if it comes down it, you gotta do what you gotta do.

Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
Hell, at this point, it'd make me a fucking hero.

 

[awsome117]

Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own.
Q: Would having a friend or family member's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?
Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?

1. Yes, although if I could just disable him in any other way, I would take that option.

2. Yes, as I would to anything to save/help them.

3. Not really, although I am more experienced in close ranged combat/arms.

4. Yes, as again, I would still try to save the stranger's life even not knowing him.

 

[Marine Mike]

Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own.
A: Definitely, I've been willing to kill for less important things.
Q: Would having a friend or family member's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
A: Only in a way as to increase my effort to kill the one doing the threatening.
Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?
A: Mildly, I've always preferred guns because of their ruthless efficiency... but I have no objections to using knives/sticks/rocks/fists/feet/cars/dildos
Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
A: Not in the slightest.

 

[Koeryn]

Why kill them when you can shoot them in the knee cap, much more pain full and keeps them from following you. If I had a gun and someone was coming at me with a stick yelling random religious terms, then "POW! RIGHT IN THE KNEE CAP!" Stops them dead in there tracks, with out them dead.

I've seen this response a couple of times while browsing answers. While it sounds like a good idea, in practical application, it really, really isn't for a couple of reasons.

Since you've got a gun in your ideal here, that's what I'll explain:

1: If you're shooting in self defense, your attacker is usually inside of 15-20 feet, often much, much closer. Proper training is teaching you to aim for center of mass, as in the body. It's a large target that's hard to miss, even in a high-stress, adrenaline rushed panic. Taking the time to take an accurate shot at a small, fast moving target is a good way to get stabbed, beaten, disarmed, and/or dead.

2: I don't know where you're from, but in America, if you cripple them (and shooting them in the knee-cap is a life-long disability), they CAN and probably WILL sue you. They even have a chance of WINNING. To be completely cold and mathematical about it, there are court costs (which are expensive) their hospital bills (probably paid for with tax dollars), and then more tax money going to keeping them in jail. It just makes more sense financially to end their life than wound/cripple them.

 

[TehCookie]

Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own.
Yes, I follow the golden rule, treat others the way they treat you. If someone was trying to kill me I'd kill them back.

Q: Would having a friend or family member's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
Yes, it would make me focus less on saving myself and more on saving them. I would still kill the person if necessary though.

Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?
A little, if I feel like I'm going to be killed I'm going to be scared, and when I get scared my first tendency is to claw and bite anything that comes near like a rabid animal. Also I'd probably be better with a knife because I don't like guns, so even if I had a gun I would move into point blank range to make sure I don't miss since I never fired one before.

Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
If it was me and a stranger in danger it wouldn't but if it was me trying to save a stranger it depends on the stranger. If it was someone important like a doctor I would pull the trigger but if it was some bum I wouldn't.

 

[Sirenskye]

Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own.
No. I don't want to die, but equally I don't think I could take anyone else's life away either if it were just myself in danger. I'm a strong believer that there's always another way around something, so I would be looking for a way to incapacitate rather than kill.

Q: Would having a friend or family member's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
Completely, I would kill to make sure my mum, boyfriend or my best friend could get out of a situation like that alive. I value their lives above anything else in the world and I'd do anything to protect them. I still would look for a way to knock out the person first, but I certainly wouldn't hesitate to kill if there was no opportunity to knock them out, or for whatever reason they won't go and stay down.

Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?
Probably yes. Being closer to the person when you kill them would have a huge impact, whereas being further away would hopefully have less of an effect. Would it stop me from killing them if I needed to? No.

Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
Yes, I don't think I could kill if they were a complete stranger, but it wouldn't stop me fighting like hell to try and help them. A person in danger is still a person in danger after all.

 

[Xeros]

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

Yes, without hesitation.

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

No, in fact it would give me more incentive to kill, in order to protect.

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

The only difference it would have on me is how I killed them, but personally I'm a knife person.

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

No, it would give me the same incentive as someone I cared about being with me.

 

[Koeryn]

Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own.
Yes, I follow the golden rule, treat others the way they treat you. If someone was trying to kill me I'd kill them back.

Q: Would having a friend or family member's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
Yes, it would make me focus less on saving myself and more on saving them. I would still kill the person if necessary though.

Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?
A little, if I feel like I'm going to be killed I'm going to be scared, and when I get scared my first tendency is to claw and bite anything that comes near like a rabid animal. Also I'd probably be better with a knife because I don't like guns, so even if I had a gun I would move into point blank range to make sure I don't miss since I never fired one before.

Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
If it was me and a stranger in danger it wouldn't but if it was me trying to save a stranger it depends on the stranger. If it was someone important like a doctor I would pull the trigger but if it was some bum I wouldn't.

This is entirely off topic, bit I was carrying my laptop to the back, and tried to flick your avatar off my screen. I think you bug-sniped me.

 

[mchoueiri]

I have no idea how I would act if I had to pull the trigger to save my family or myself. It is something I hope I never have to think about

 

[BakaSmurf]

Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own.
I'm a bit of a sociopath, so yes, I believe I could.

Q: Would having a friend or family member's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
So, what, if I don't kill the attacker the person that's close to me could die? Yeah, I'd still kill them.

Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?
Not at all, if the person is trying to kill me, I might actually enjoy seeing the light fade from their eyes after jamming a knife into their neck or whatever else I might end up using to defend myself.

Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
I don't see why it would, unless you're saying that my actions could get them killed, in which case I might hesitate a bit.

Yeah, I think that I could take a person's life in self defense.

 

[Quaidis]

Unless I absolutely lost it, perhaps in some odd far-fetched perscripted drug-induced rage, I would find a way to disable the person instead of kill them. For example, if some man is trying to hold me up in a store and I have no other choice in the matter, I would do my best to either take their weapon or go for the eyes/balls to render them into a momentary stupor, then either run or get help. If this was a woman, I would aim for the hair or stomach. Or choke until they are dazed, but not until they die.

If I was being held up or forced into defense and I had a clubbing or stabbing weapon, I would do my best to aim for limbs or the side of the head. Something to disable the person, but not to mortally wound them.

Should guns be involved, I would aim for non-lethal marks. Shoulders, legs, at worst the stomach area. It would be easier to shoot the person than it would to stab or club them with a 5-iron.

This would be even so if a family member is involved. However I am not responsible for what that family member may do.



Now if I was in the position where I had to kill the attacker - say some rabid dog was trying to kill me and I had to put olde yeller down, I would do it without a thought. If this person was human, I would do it but would need therapy afterward. A child? I have no idea what I would do if a child was trying to shoot me down with their parent's gun. That would probably take me by so much surprise that I would be dead before I could make an action.

 

[Jzolr0708]

Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own.
Yes.
Q: Would having a friend or family member's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
It would only make me do the deed faster.
Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?
A ranged weapon would make it easier for me to do it, but I would strangle someone to death if I needed to (Not taking Strength into the equation, just the moral ability to do so)
Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
No. I would still kill someone to save a person. As much as I generally dislike people because so many of us are just annoying, I feel that everyone deserves a life, even if you do live it sitting at red lights and never using your turn signal.


My long answer is this: If they were just an innocent bystander, and I had to kill them to save myself, I would do it, but it would haunt me for a long time. However, if this was, say, a mugger, or a murderer, it would be no problem. When I get really angry, I just lose control and want to bring harm to the people who are the source of my frustration. It's one of my bigger faults.

 

[Captain Schpack]

1]yes
2]no (I belive i could still kill)
3]blood on clothes not cool but i dont't it'd matter yo me.
4]I'd try to get niether of us kille or hurt.

 

[WolfThomas]

Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own.
A: Yeah I think I could, I hunt, so I think if I'd probably kill first instinctively, then have the emotional effects much later
Q: Would having a friend or family member's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
A: No, except for trying harder
Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?
A: The only difference would be what degree of legal trouble I'd be in (we have weird self defense laws in Australia). For example I could kill a man breaking into my house with a double barreled shotgun and get off scot free, but if I used a hockey stick it would be a problem.
Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
A: No once again.

 

[Rolling Thunder]

1. Probably. I get pretty violent when threatened.
2. More violence, less thought.
3. Close up, pray. I want to be sure, and I can't exactly use a precision weapon. Unless I'm using something indiscriminate...in which case, it's murder.
4. Don't know. Depends on who it is.

 

[Connor Lonske]

*snip*

I've seen this response a couple of times while browsing answers. While it sounds like a good idea, in practical application, it really, really isn't for a couple of reasons.

Since you've got a gun in your ideal here, that's what I'll explain:

1: If you're shooting in self defense, your attacker is usually inside of 15-20 feet, often much, much closer. Proper training is teaching you to aim for center of mass, as in the body. It's a large target that's hard to miss, even in a high-stress, adrenaline rushed panic. Taking the time to take an accurate shot at a small, fast moving target is a good way to get stabbed, beaten, disarmed, and/or dead.

2: I don't know where you're from, but in America, if you cripple them (and shooting them in the knee-cap is a life-long disability), they CAN and probably WILL sue you. They even have a chance of WINNING. To be completely cold and mathematical about it, there are court costs (which are expensive) their hospital bills (probably paid for with tax dollars), and then more tax money going to keeping them in jail. It just makes more sense financially to end their life than wound/cripple them.

I was not completely serious when I wrote that. You made some good points, but I think I would rather have assault in self defense than a felony like manslaughter, and as if I care how much care he needs in jail, I don't have to pay for it.

 

[thePyro_13]

I voted I have no idea, as its hard to gauge how you would react to such a situation until you've been in one. These answers reflect how I would like to act in these situations. But I'm not a fighter, and it's likely I would either bail out of fear or be unable to react at all.

Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own.
I would hope so, either way one person dies, I'd rather not be that person.

Q: Would having a friend or family member's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
Probably not, I'd be more willing to take a single life to save multiple lives. Especially if those are the lives of people I care about.

Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?
Yes, its no doubt far easier(psychologically) to kill someone from a distance than to be up close. Being removed from having their blood on you or them being able to struggle against you makes would make it a much less traumatising experience.

Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
Probably not. I still rather the attempted murderer get killed than me or any unfortunate passer-by.

These are all assuming the attacker it out to kill me. If they just wanted to rob me or whatever than then can take what they want and leave. Ideally I never want to be responsible for the death of another. But I would be willing to take that responsibility to avoid death(assuming their is no way of running away or otherwise escaping).