How do you hold someone at gunpoint?

[shooter521]

Also, if you shoot them in the house, make sure they go down in the house

What do you mean "make sure he goes down in the house"? If I shoot a BG in my house and he leaves, that's fine by me; my mission (protecting myself and my family) has been accomplished. Following him into the yard or whatever would be counterproductive at that point. Stay inside, secure the house and call 911.

 

[Yamaha]

What do you mean "make sure he goes down in the house"? If I shoot a BG in my house and he leaves, that's fine by me; my mission (protecting myself and my family) has been accomplished. Following him into the yard or whatever would be counterproductive at that point. Stay inside, secure the house and call 911.

one word, liability....


also, if you follow them into the yard still firing, they may leave in a body bag, but you'll be leaving in the back of a squad car....

Andrew

 

[sjstill]

one word, liability....


also, if you follow them into the yard still firing, they may leave in a body bag, but you'll be leaving in the back of a squad car....

Andrew

You're basing this statement on your many years of criminal legal practice??

 

[40calPUNISHER]

if hes going after my family or me hes as good as dead, period.
if hes going after my waffle maker he will prolly catch one in his knee cap.

if hes just trying to steal stuff and i catch him and he get down on the ground like ive ordered him to and doesnt give me any reason more to shoot him he will be fine until the police show up.

i personally wouldnt want the bad guy to get away cuz i'd want them to pay for being a dumb a$$.

 

[Nathan]

i hope this never happens, but the chances are getting greater in today's lazy society. if the BG was unarmed and only wanted my stereo, i'd attemp to keep him there until LEO arrives. if i felt the least bit threatened by weapons, probably use deadly force with or without warning, who knows.......

 

[Yamaha]

You're basing this statement on your many years of criminal legal practice??

no, just repeating what I've been told by 3 separate officers, nothing more.

 

[crmguns]

I was never told to pull a gun unless you are going to use it. So i dont think i will ever have anybody at gun point.[/quote]


yes if i am pulling out my ccw i plain to pull the trigger.

 

[BSUrugger]

This is what is going on in my head right now about this topic:

I would have my gun drawn, sights locked on. I would say, "Put your hands on your head. You have intruded on my property and you should leave right now".

Then he would reply: "This is crazy, this is madness!"

Then I would retort by saying: "NO...THIS...IS...MY....HOUSE...." and I would give him the King Leonidas Spartan kick to the chest as he flies out my front door and into a well I've conveniently placed 3 feet from my front door.

 

[Bigum1969]

Another thread back from the dead...

 

[lovemywoods]

Another thread back from the dead...

Makes sense...after all, it is Ressurection Sunday!

 

[IndianaSlim]

Then I would retort by saying: "NO...THIS...IS...MY....HOUSE...." and I would give him the King Leonidas Spartan kick to the chest as he flies out my front door and into a well I've conveniently placed 3 feet from my front door.

I almost cried I laughed so hard

 

[indyjoe]

I always see this: "I only pull a gun if I plan to use it."

I agree with that most of the time, outside of my "castles". First, inside my castle, If I think I need a gun, it will be in my hand along with a flashlight, if appropriate. There won't be any of this don't draw unless I need it. A gun in hand is always better than a gun in leather.

The other side (out in public) is that "don't draw unless I am going to start shooting" often gets backed up with "when I draw I am going to shoot". I wouldn't draw unless I felt that the current situation met the requirements for protecting myself with deadly force. However, if a man with a knife is 20 feet away and decides as I'm drawing that he should drop the knife an raise his hands, the justification to shoot stops. The justification for the draw was present. If he showed the intent to harm you, along with the obvious ability and opportunity, then you would have been justified in shooting him at that point. When the ability is gone (dropped knife) that goes away. A gun isn't a sword that must taste blood every time out of the holster.

Despite what we think, if you have ever had anyone at gunpoint in a standoff type situation (i.e. not immediately aggressive), you will be less likely to shoot when you probably should have. Many studies have shown this with newer officers or civilians without extensive training.

Now the question I am still wrestling with while reading through this thread is the legal rights I would have at that point. He had shown intent to do me grave or lethal damage. I would believe that holding him at gunpoint would be fine, with threats of killing him if he moved. However, actually killing him if he started moving away would not be justified, unless he was going for a weapon. That is my feeling on it anyway.

 

[zip]

Hand on head, drop to your knees ,lay down, face down, arm out to the side, palms up, legs crossed at the ankles....

Lay down and do the afor mentioned and try to get up with any kind of speed.

 

[Bull13]

1. Guy is in my home and moves to go out an open door, likely let him go as the threat is going from bad to better. This assumes he is at least 21 feet from me.
2. Guy is on his face and begins to get up. Likely shoot him. Threat is going from low to high. Getting up means likely attack or reach for weapon. Seriously, I will not allow him to get up.
3. Where is my trigger finger? That depends on him and the threat level. And he is completely in control of the threat level.

Sure, you catch a guy heading out the door with your toaster it is not a great idea to put 00 Buckshot through his back nor would I. But that is about the only scenario where he does not either surrender immediately or get removed as a threat.

Also, keep in mind - hesitation kills. That and bad guys are more than able to shoot you as they go, it has happened to people before (both CCW and LEO). One guy over at Arfcom had a bad guy staring down the barrel of his .45 and turned to run. The Arfcommer hesitated just long enough for the running bad guy to take his gun and shoot at the good guy while running away (and in the process the BG went from an easy target to a hard one). Fill your mind with litigational fears and you may not pull the trigger when the time comes.

Here's something to think about. If you are a responsible gun owner, you should be able to place a kill shot at will. Also a wounding shot or warning. I personally do not believe in warnings. I will try and be as polite as possible> dead men tell no lies.

 

[citizenvain]

As someone who will probably never be as accurate with my choice of protection as many others I’ve met recently, no matter how much I practice. I worry that should there ever be an intruder in my house, someone I know that shouldn’t be there, I fear I would lose any tactical advantage if I were to announce my presence or if I was armed. I would lose any kind of initiative or advantage I had over the intruder, or at least that gap would significantly close. Now if there are more than one intruder, and I can’t from my vantage point determine if they are armed or not what then?

My first thought is if I should ever be in such a situation, I would be better to protect my family by firing first. I would have to think there are many like me who will put in the necessary training to be able to hit various targets in various lighting but not the sharp shooter type that can place a “kill shot” at will or risk the intruder drawing down on me and testing my reflexes.

Of course all the legal stuff just fills your head and it makes it very difficult to understand how you can effectively protect yourself. How can the average citizen determine what is an “appropriate threat” to justify deadly force in your home? Those precious seconds could mean everything. And as far as letting someone run out the door, they need to change the laws. Many here seem to agree you can NOT shoot someone who is making an escape from your home, but what if they escape, and come back the next night for “revenge” and bring friends? This isn’t unheard of I’m sure, especially if it is something gang related? Or even more dramatic, what if they run out to their vehicle to get (superior) fire power, and decide to start shooting through your house?

So in responding to IndyJoe, that is the debate isn’t it? How can you judge if someone is making a move to escape or going for a weapon? Why should I have to take that chance as a law abiding citizen with an unknown intruder in my home?

And if you shoot someone while they’re “escaping” your home, how do the police/law determine that? In your house or on your property, if the person fires, and turns, and you return fire striking them in the back fatally, was it justified in the eyes of the law?

Clearly I need more unserstanding of how to proprerly and legally defend myself and the family. More research is definitly needed.

 

[HICKMAN]

Interesting thoughts!

50+ views and only 6 posts, I know some of you are not saying much. . .

I don't think I'd want some future attorney have my post printed and in his hands....

 

[tv1217]

Throw them a towel and some superglue and demand they glue it to their face.

 

[Pull Trigger Goes Bang]

Having read elsewhere on this board how LEOs treat people when they come upon a situation like this (assume everybody is a threat, point guns at everybody, cuff everybody, figure out if there's a good guy later), why would I ever try to hold a criminal at gunpoint?

If the threat to me is so grave that I need to draw my gun, I will probably have to use it. I will stop using it when they are no longer a threat (they're down, they're no longer able to harm me, they've run away, etc.) and then put it away. If the sight of my gun makes the assailant change their mind before I have to use it, my intention is to just let them go. Under no circumstances do I intend to be holding a gun when the police arrive, even if that means I let the bad guy(s) run away.

Why should I take an action at any time that increase my liklihood of having a gun pointed at me or being put in handcuffs? Criminals and cops both get paid* to put up with that stuff. I don't. I'm just trying to get home every day without being the victim of violence.



* = Criminals get paid in the sense that they (immorally) consider proceeds of crime to be the pay for their efforts.

 

[furbymac]

Or even more dramatic, what if they run out to their vehicle to get (superior) fire power, and decide to start shooting through your house?

most bg's will have brought the weapon in with them not left it in the car, or at least if i was a bg i would have takin it with me so if i run into one of the crazy ppl on here i could save myself.

 

[wfc8706]

Some thoughts in response to #2 of the original question:

Decide now what you would say if such an event should arise and mentally rehearse it. From what I've read, "Freeze or I shoot!" is a good phrase. It is short and simple. It also instructs the BG to freeze. Saying anything that involves some sort of movement like "Hands up!" or "Let me see your hands!" or "Reach for the sky!" is a bad idea. The BG could already have a weapon in his hands or on his person that you can't see. If you tell him to put his hands up, you will expect to see his hands move, so you will not have a mental trigger set to shoot when he decides to shoot you while putting his hands up. In this case, his action will beat your reaction every time. Instead tell him to freeze. In this case, you will set a mental trigger to shoot if he starts to move. Also, if he decides to obey you, once he is frozen you will have time to think about the next series of commands you might want to give in order to bring him to a more submissive posture.