Poll: Could You Pull the Trigger?

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Daedalus1942

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Jun 26, 2009
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Koeryn said:
Take a moment before you answer, and leave your anonymity induced Internet Hard-Assness at the door. Leave your gun control arguments at home. Leave your moral high-ground at the front desk. This thread isn't about what you think of anyone else here, it's for you to be a little introspective, and be honest with yourself, and us.

In this case, the word trigger is really metaphorical. I'm not talking about guns, so much as asking if you feel that when push comes to shove, when your life is on the line, could you take the life of the person trying to take yours?

I'll go ahead and start things off here. After all, how could I ask you to be honest with me, when I will not share my own feelings on the matter?

TL;DR version: I think I could take a life to defend my own.

"Who knows?" is the only response I can honestly give. My dislike of humanity, and general emotional detachment (a couple of people I've known for years think that I have Schizoid Personality Disorder) point to me not being overly beaten up over taking someone's life, especially if my own is on the line. If the media is to be believed, conditioning I've received from video games, especially combined with the combat training I've gained from martial arts, and airsofting with my brothers, make it more likely that I would competently pull the trigger against a fellow human, that I would be able to kill if it came to it.

I think it would be harder for me to do the deed unarmed, or at least, without a gun. The closeness of the act I think would leave a more lingering emotional/mental scarring.

The way I see it, the only way to know for sure, is to be in that situation, and walk out of it alive.

EDIT! Added a question! And if you're up to it, please give us a little background on your responses.

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?



Discuss! Or answer! Serious thread is serious.
I honeslty don't think I'd be able to pull the trigger, even if it was me or them.
I still haven't even watched Saddam Hussein's execution. I'm the only one I know of who hasn't.
Watching a man or woman die doesn't seem pleasant to me.
 

Koeryn

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Mar 2, 2009
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Connor Lonske said:
Koeryn said:
Connor Lonske said:
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.
Your taxes would, actually. And that's assuming that shooting them in the leg/knee wouldn't kill them. Unlike holywood (and video games), there are lots of very large blood vessels in your legs. Bullets are very good at rupturing blood vessels, especially hollow points and jacketed hollow points, the rounds most likely to be used in self defense.

Also, killing in self defense is perfectly legal in nearly every state in the U.S... Except maybe California... At any rate, you wouldn't be charged with manslaughter unless you say, emptied your magazine, reloaded, emptied the fresh magazine, and then jumped on his corpse some.

...Actually, at that point, I think it's in the 'Padded Room and Straightjacket' realm. I could be wrong though.
 

SimuLord

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Aug 20, 2008
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Under certain circumstances I could probably kill in cold blood, so killing in self-defense hardly qualifies as a question to ask.

I'd prefer it to be with a ranged weapon, less messy that way, but in melee that's where one's true sadistic streak can have reign.
 

Marble Dragon

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Mar 11, 2009
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Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own?
Yes. If it was absolutely necessary, yes. That isn't to say it wouldn't harm me, that I wouldn't be haunted by it forever. But I probably would.
Q: Would having a friend or family member's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
By this, do you mean that the person attacking me will also harm my family? Yeah, I'd kill the person quicker if they were threatening my sister, or any close family.
Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?
Depends on how mad I am. If this person is threatening to kill an innocent child, or a very close family member, I would probably be able to strangle that bastard. But if it's just me, that would be harder. Either way, I'd prefer a gun. (That sounded horrible, and I know it.)
Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
Yes. I would be more violent. Not as much as if they were threatening to kill my family or friends, but I would be angrier.
 

Tdc2182

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May 21, 2009
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Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own.
You are god damn right I would.
Q: Would having a friend or family member's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
If you are saying that a family member would be harmed if I did, then I would try to do
some quick thinking.
Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?
Close up. Not because I want to see him die, I just wanna make sure he is dead. Unless he someway harmed someone I love. Plus, I am no sniper. I wont take that chance
Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
Yet again, I am unsure if this is saying if a stranger is in danger if I pull the trigger, or if he is safe if I pull the trigger. But probably not as effective as if a family member was in danger.
 

Koeryn

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Mar 2, 2009
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Daedalus1942 said:
snip
I honeslty don't think I'd be able to pull the trigger, even if it was me or them.
I still haven't even watched Saddam Hussein's execution. I'm the only one I know of who hasn't.
Watching a man or woman die doesn't seem pleasant to me.
I haven't seen that video, nor have I seen the decapitations of American soldiers by Al Qaeada. I have seen lots of video of people dieing, but I haven't seen the Saddam one, so you're not the only one.
 

ShadowsofHope

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Nov 1, 2009
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Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own.

Yes, I am typically narcissist and value my own life and its survival above all else. If threatened, I will act accordingly.

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

Depends on how close the friend is, or family member. If I could save them without too much harm to myself, I will. If not, I don't know. If you mean towards defending my family with a split second decision to kill a threat, then yes, I still would without a doubt.

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

Not sure. Up close and personal is just that.. personal. Feeling the blade rip through another individuals flesh, blood getting on you.. probably not without a second thought.

Ranged weapon? Most likely my choice of weapon, in any case.

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

Not really. A stranger's life would mean little to me, as I have no personal or otherwise connection to them.
 

Heeman89

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Jul 20, 2009
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Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own.
A: Yes, but I would probably have some sort of remorseful feeling afterwards, and probably spend days, weeks, even months after the event analyzing the event to see if there was another option open.

Q: Would having a friend or family member's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
A: No, and there would be less remorseful feeling and analyzing afterwards. That's how I am, I put other people's safety before mine in everything I do.

Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?
A: A little, I've used firearms a lot in my life and I know the damage they can do but I've never seen that damage on a human being and I don't think what I've seen hunting would prepare me for seeing it on a human being.

Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
A: A lot of factors would be quickly analyzed in this situation, Main one would be: Gender of the stranger, if its a woman then no question I'm helping.
 

Shru1kan

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Dec 10, 2009
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Yes to all four. And I would prefer to stick the guy with a knife close range if he even went after ANYONE I cared about.
 

Yoshemo

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Jun 23, 2009
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If theres a chance he could kill me or seriously hurt me before I get away or the cops come, hes dead. Theres no excuse for killing another person, and my loved ones mean too much to me to just die when I could of survived
 

dehawaiiansupaman

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Jan 2, 2008
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1. Yeah I would take a life in self defense. It would be the last choice since there are better ways to eliminate a threat (such as breaking limbs, knocking out or disabling). I honestly think that taking a life would be hard though, since every martial art I've ever studied taught to avoid killing and instead look to disarm and disable.
2. If it was a family member attacking me then I would hesitate but would probably seek to disable before any thought of taking a life. If my family is being threatened then killing in self defense surpasses non lethal ways instantly.
3. I would prefer to face up close since it leaves room for a non lethal takedown but if it was already at the point where its kill or be killed I'd prefer at range (especially if the other guy had a gun).
4. Yeah. I'm a bit of a bleeding heart. If I saw someone's life being threatened then I'd probably jump in. If that led to me having to take another person's life then so be it.
 

KarumaK

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Sep 24, 2008
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Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own.
Easily.

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

Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?
Yes, up-close I could be sure about it. Ranged means I might miss giving him an attack of opportunity.

Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
Not likely, maybe if it's like an unloved orphan child. Who just offered me his lolly they only get candy at the orphanage once a month or some shit like that.
 
Dec 9, 2009
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Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own.
Yes, if somebody attempted to take my life I would have no qualms with taking there's before they got the chance. It's not that I find my life to be more valuable than anybody else's, it is simply the fact that if somebody is trying to kill me I wouldn't think about it. I would simply kill the other man before he could kill me.

Q: The BadGuy is threatening not just your life, but your family's. Does this alter your reaction?
If anything it would give me a greater sense of urgency. I would be much less likely to listen to anything they have to say and more likely to kill them before they got the chance to even harm anyone close to me.

Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?
Yes, I think that it would make a big difference to have the attacker's blood literally on me. As opposed to simply point click boom. It would be a different kind of mental stress on top of having taken the life of another.

Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
It would not change choice of taking their life before they took mine, though I may feel different about it afterwards if that happened to be the case.
 

Acies Argentum

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Mar 1, 2010
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Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own.
Definitely. In the heat of things I have no doubt that, if killing was the most apparent method of preserving my own life, I would kill. How I would feel about it after, however, is where the issue would probably come in.
Q: The BadGuy is threatening not just your life, but your family's. Does this alter your reaction?
I'd probably kill them all the quicker. It'd be a lot easier to rationalize afterward too.
Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?
I've always thought killing up-close was the better method. if you're going to end life, you should have a front-row seat to all the repercussions. Killing from range would probably be a lot easier though. Just aim and pull the trigger. No blood on your hands, and you don't even have to watch them die if you don't want to.
Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
Kind of a similar prospect to the family issue. Caring for them or not, somebody's relying on me and that makes it all the harder to fail. It'd make the kill a lot easier to justify to myself afterward as well.
 

Bellvedere

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Jul 31, 2008
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Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own.
I think it depends entirely on the exact situation. There's not really any justification for murder but knowing the reason they were threatening my life would make a huge difference to how I felt about it. It would also depend on exactly what they had planned such as just killing someone or plans to torture and rape. I have no idea what I'd do in a situation like that.
Q: Would having a friend or family member's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
I think I would be more hesitant to kill in front of someone I cared about. Though that being said if it was more than just my life on the line I would be more willing to kill.
Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?
Well besides the fact that if I tried to shoot someone from a distance I'd pretty much certainly miss, it would make a difference emotionally too.
Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
Yes. Same answer as with family. I don't know them, but if either way I would be responsible for death I'd rather be responsible for the death of the person that caused the situation.
 

Lancer723

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Dec 12, 2008
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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?
I would kill him better

Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?
Up close takes more effort, also a lower likelihood of success depending on the person's physical attributes, from a philosophical standpoint it changes nothing for me.

Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
I would do it while doing a barrel roll, so it would be more awesome for the other person.