• @shalafi
    link
    English
    -211 months ago

    Hell of a lot to unpack here, but I’ll throw something out that many might not have seen.

    A footnote in the decision says the investigation later revealed that Laramore had two rounds in his .45 pistol and he fired them both.

    A self-defense gun is not a magic kill machine. Nor is it a, “Get off me!” talisman. And it goes without saying a gun is certainly not a, “Look at my gun and go away!” option. Pulling a gun on another human being says, “I intend to kill you to stop what you’re doing.” Pulling a gun is the end of ALL options. Full stop.

    All that to say, Laramore was not prepared to kill anyone with 2 rounds in his gun. He should never have picked it up if he wasn’t trained and prepared for self-defense. Guns are not fucking toys, and I have a solid feeling Laramore thought, well… whatever he thought was clearly wrong.

    No, this is not victim blaming, just an observation that hopefully reaches anyone with a gun on their nightstand or thinking about getting one.

    Yes, he would likely be facing life in a concrete and steel box had he prevailed. Which is exactly the result my conceal carry instructor taught. “If you shoot another person, you better have made the decision that life in prison was the better alternative. Because it may well work out that way.”

    • Doug HollandOP
      link
      English
      011 months ago

      A self-defense gun is not a magic kill machine. Nor is it a, “Get off me!” talisman. And it goes without saying a gun is certainly not a, “Look at my gun and go away!” option. Pulling a gun on another human being says, “I intend to kill you to stop what you’re doing.” Pulling a gun is the end of ALL options. Full stop.

      Are you an episode of The Rifleman? Pulling and pointing a gun is not an announcement that “I intend to kill you to stop what you’re doing.” It’s announcement that you’re willing, which is not the same. Unless you’re immediately squeezing the trigger, pointing a gun is: “Look at my gun and go away!”

      • @shalafi
        link
        English
        311 months ago

        My god no. If you go as far as to draw, your intent is to kill, or you don’t draw, or show. (In fact, just waving a gun about is considered “brandishing” and may be illegal where you live.)

        Violence happens in fractions of a second. You don’t get to announce your intentions and see what happens next.

        If you don’t get that, all good! But please don’t carry a gun.

        I am a peaceful man because I choose peace. If you don’t have the choice, you are merely harmless.

        • Doug HollandOP
          link
          English
          -111 months ago

          Still trying, but still not seeing what you’re saying.

          I’ve had guns pointed at me but not been shot. The intent wasn’t to shoot me or kill me. The intent was to get my attention. It worked. I’m still alive, and that’s a valid purpose for drawing a gun.

          To be clear, I’m not talking about this incident, only talking about pulling and pointing a gun.

      • @Ikenshini
        link
        English
        311 months ago

        The difference between the two is simply a squeeze of the finger, which happens under a second. If the person on the other side of the gun does not respond as if the gun pointed at them will immediately be fired, they could die if they presume it’s just a “warning”, and have a natural right to self defense.

        Real life isn’t television.

        • Doug HollandOP
          link
          English
          111 months ago

          Your point remains invisible to me. What are you saying with lines like,

          Pulling a gun is the end of ALL options. Full stop.

          ?

          After pulling a gun, numerous options remain.

          • @Ikenshini
            link
            English
            -111 months ago

            lmao you just replied to your own comment not understanding what you wrote. We’re done here.