I don't know if it will help anyone's perceptions if I say that his actions justified the shooting...

Basically, it was a messed-up situation all the way around - Nate is a dark-skinned black guy, he was wearing black shirt & pants in a dark room, rummaging around in my stuff, and when I appeared in the doorway, he brought his hands up in the unmistakable manner of someone trying to sight a weapon...

I could hear the rummaging as I was walking toward the doorway, & until I actually laid eyes upon him, I thought that there could be two, or perhaps even three people in the room. No one was authorized to be there, & I certainly didn't expect to hear the voice (or voices) as I was walking down the hall approaching the room.

Holding the gun before me, I "sliced the pie" as I'd been taught, & it was only at the very end as I actually entered the room that I saw him - and I only had a FRACTION OF A SECOND to make a shoot/don't-shoot decision as I saw his hands coming up in the familiar isosceles shooting stance... I pulled the trigger once, & saw him drop right away.

FORTUNATELY, this was a training exercise. Nate is an instructor with the team that I was training with today, & the gun that I used was a "RAM pistol" which uses CO2 cartridges to fire .43 caliber hard-rubber balls, you can think of them as "BB guns on steroids". (I've been on the receiving end of these projectiles, & while they *definitely* sting, they're 99.999% non-lethal. (The marks that they left on me looked like someone put a cigarette out on my skin.)

After it was all done, I freaked a bit - I *KNEW* what I'd seen, but I *also* knew that what I'd seen was incomplete. I'd seen his hands come up in the classic "acquiring sight alignment" manner, but I *hadn't* actually seen a weapon. Had I been bluffed?? Had I shot an "unarmed" man???

My "coach" for the exercise (initially) wasn't much help - he asked me "Couldn't you have verbally challenged him?" My response was "I saw his hands coming up like this" (and I mimicked someone bringing a gun up) & I didn't have time to do anything but decide to shoot or not!!" I then followed up with the question that was foremost in my mind - "Did he really have a weapon, or not??!?" My coach looked me straight in the eyes & grinned - "Yeah, he had a weapon, you did good!"

HOLY CRAP. It's no exaggeration to say that I'd *SERIOUSLY* second-guessed the decision that I'd made - but at the same time, I don't know how I could do anything differently in the same situation. I found that I'm *REALLY* glad that I'm not a cop, and I *PRAY* that I'm NEVER in a situation where I have to make a judgment call like this - because your *ENTIRE LIFE* can balance on a decision made based on the basis of information gathered in a fraction of a second...

For the record, this was a training course that I attended. The intent was to show that MANY times, things aren't "cut and dried". Real life is MESSY. Decisions have to be made in a split-second that can have MASSIVE implications.

I don't know that you can say that there was always a "right answer" - I think that the intent was to show how "muddy" and "F'd up" real life situations can be, so that we can be (at least fractionally) prepared for them...

And HONESTLY??!? If I DO make the decision to carry a concealed weapon (a decision which is still VERY MUCH "up in the air"!), I think it's honestly made me LESS likely to intervene in any situation that isn't "cut and dried" "innocent vs. bad guy" (and I know that's MOST of them!)

I'm d@mn sure NOT G*d. And I'm not going to *pretend* that I can make decisions like that...

But at the same time... It's D@MN SURE helpful/useful to be thrown into a situation like that, just to stimulate the thought processes that would otherwise NEVER be activated...

Since you drew your "weapon", did you at least score a kill shot?

APPARENTLY - He dropped right away. When I spoke with others who'd gone through the scenario, they talked about having to fire three times or more. I fired once, he went to the floor.

Like I said, the room was dark - but his behavior would SEEM to indicate a good hit... <shrug>

Idk your states laws....or the particulars of this exercise......but in my state, if "Nate" was in my house, going through my stuff, it IS pretty cut and dried. Nate played a stupid azz game and won a stupid azz prize....allegedly.
Congrats on the training though.... hope ypu never have to use it.

Yeah, thank you Reb. Colorado's (apparently) pretty much the same - our "Castle law" shields residents from both criminal AND civil prosecution if you can articulate a reasonable fear that the intruder was going to commit another crime within the residence (which is REALLY nice compared to a number of other states).

It's not a blanket "get out of jail free" card, but it DOES shift the burden of proof away from the resident.

Anyways....

Glad you got my lame azz attempt at humor.....especially after your more serious post....they kinda both posted at the same time lol
Seriously, train train train...have fun doing it...and hope you never need it

If my family were in the house, I would have shot Nat, not to kill but to disable him form getting anywhere near my family.

Nat rolled those dice when he broke in

Oh yeah, it wasn't that subtle...


AMEN brotha. (And thank you!) I ALSO hope I never do - but these days, I'd rather HAVE the training & not NEED it, than to NEED the training & not have it...

Yeah, I understand that, & I think that we MAY be "sort of" on the same page - but the advice that I received was that "You're not trying to kill the intruder, and you're not trying to wound the intruder - you're just trying to STOP THE THREAT."

Perhaps a miniscule distinction, but possibly one worth making.


I'm sure that SOME people would argue with that - I'm typically not one of those people...

yeah, they would argue that Nat was just looking to borrow a cup of sugar.. and I was being a bad neighbor by shooting him.. what a cheap bastard I am..Lol.

People needs to be united but conflicts always existing that's confused isn't it? like the old tales showing people use to be, who will defending the whole tree avoid the dragon consuming minds again? it's quite complicated right? to do what you deserve to think what you can, no one can be god. Unless there will be infinite flame of life. but where? the season change as it's will. The time always silently flew. if no one can take up the truths it self then who will.

Explain!

Canadian law makes dealing with an armed intruder, very simple.
If he has a knife, I can't use a bigger knife.
If he has a sock full of quarters, I can't use a sock of loonies.
If he has a gun...I will go to jail.
Unless of course, I just let him shoot me.
Then I won't go to jail.
Yup..very simple.

Unless,of course,you are a Politician!
Then you can Coldcock,Stab and Shoot him,and the PM will most likely pin the "Crimefighter-Of-The-Year-Medal" on you!

I would also get a cabinet appointment.

War