General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Already, another Trayvon Martin incident has just happened [View all]GreenStormCloud
(12,072 posts)You can only shoot in self-defense when you are in "the gravest extreme'. A deliberate shot to wound is an attempt at severe persuasion. People can stay in the fight with lesser injuries. So you are shooting while you still have time to evaluate the effect of your shot and fire another shot if the wounding shot fails to stop the person. Since you fired when you had time to evaluate, then you were not yet in the gravest extreme. You were not yet out of options.
Further, that so-called shot to wound can be fatal. A bullet in the leg can sever the femoral artery, in the arm the radial artery, and the person can bleed out in minutes. ANY use of a gun against a person is a use of deadly force.
If you were aiming for center-mass and miss and hit somewhere else, then that is just a miss. The difference is in the intent. One always shoots to STOP THE THREAT, NEVER TO KILL. If they do die as a result of being stopped, then that is their bad luck.
If you are not in the absolute gravest extreme, KEEP YOU HANDS OFF THE GUN. If you are not ready to see a person die by your hand, KEEP YOUR HAND OFF THE GUN.