Poll: Could You Pull the Trigger?

[oppp7]

A: I could definately kill someone in self defense.
A: Not too much. I was going to kill them anyways.
A: The difference is that due to my crappy physique I probably couldn't kill in hand-to-hand combat. Given the chance though? Not much of a difference.
A: See above.

 

[Vilcus]

For me if anyone ever threatened my life, or the life of anyone I care about, I would kill them in a heartbeat. Hell even if I saw a stranger getting attacked I would rush to their defence (or at the very least call 911).

However killing someone would leave a deep mental scar, because I have always been one to follow rules, and the last person to resort to violence. I prefer to take any anger I have and vent it on single player stress relief games (Ref Faction Geurrilla and Prototype are good for that). All that aside however, if they were truly trying to take mine or anyone else's life I would stop them by any means necessary, even if it cost me my own life.

 

[CloggedDonkey]

1. probably not, I just don't think I could
2. in a heartbeat to save them, I don't think I could if I was shooting them
3. long range, simply because it makes it less personal
4. I don't know with this one, I guess it would depend on who it was

 

[Beastialman]

Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own.
Most likely, depends on who.

Q: Would having a friend or family member's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
Defiantly would defend me and that friend/family.

Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?
Nope, it's all the same, the worst part of being far away is seeing the person's eyes.

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

 

[Candidus]

Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own.
I find the prospect of ambushing an intruder in my home exciting. I tend to 'nest' at home and away, leaving noise-makers in the way of doors and weapons within easy reach of my bed. I believe that if somebody were to break in, I would stand a good chance of killing them. It is a fantasy of mine, but I hasten to add that while I acknowledge myself to be a violent young man, I would not accept the view that I am a danger or a "predator" for desiring to kill a burglar in my own home.

Q: Would having a friend or family member's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
It would not.

Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?
Hypothetically I'd use whichever was most efficient.

Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
It would not. In this case, I would still be killing the aggressor for my own safety and satisfaction.

 

[Unreliable Person]

Q: Do you think you could take a life to defend your own?
A: I'm pretty sure I could. In fact, I'm pretty sure almost everyone could and would, it's a pretty positive survival trait after all.

Q: Would having a friend or family member's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
A: It wouldn't change anything.

Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?
A: Maybe it would make a difference for the long-term psychological effects, but it wouldn't change anything during the act.

Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
A: I could sacrifice the stranger I guess, can't really think of anything else.

 

[demoman_chaos]

Yes, range doesn't matter. If death is on the menu I will be sure that I am not the taste-tester.
I would prefer bladed weapons over a gun, it would be a cleaner kill depending on the weapon. I have a naginata (basically a short sword on a long stick) that would be the best choice. If they come at me with a melee weapon I can counter their swing and quickly end it. If they have a gun, I'd have an extra few feet of reach which would really help if distance was an issue.

Would it matter who's life is danger? No, if I have a chance to knowingly save someone I would do it.

 

[Johnmw]

Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own.
Don't really want to find out but I'd like to think I would.
Q: Would having a friend or family member's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
Again I'd rather not be in the situation , but I would definitely move faster if it wasn't just me to think about.
Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?
Guns allow for a certain degree of detachment, as opposed to knives where you have to really WANT to kill your opponent. I would find it easier with a gun but I'd still be able to in CQ
Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction.
Depends how strange you meant. I'd probably still react to save myself, so no it wouldn't really change my actions.

My this is cheerful!

 

[Noremacv]

Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own?
A: Yes. There's already someone I know of that I'd love to kill, but I've promised not to so much as fight him unless I have a reason to. The kill would just be a much-loved bonus. As far as some random person in general, the answer is still yes.

Q: Would having a friend or family member's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
A: No. If I knew I could save someone I care about, even at risk of my own life, I'll do it.

Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?
A: Maybe. If it comes down to how fast I am, yeah I'll take a gun, but if it's about getting the jump on my enemy, I'd rather be close up, in case I miss my shot (my hand-eye coordination sucks ass, lol)

Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
A: I'm a tad confused as to what exactly this question is asking. If it's asking if I would risk my life for a stranger (which makes sense to me), then I don't know. I might take a stab at it, I might not. Depends if I see an honest chance of success or not.

 

[Goro]

I've been in a position where I pointed a firearm at someone in order to defend myself. Had they not dropped their weapon, I would've shot them.
If someone threatened my family, I would follow them home, wrap the body in chicken wire, seal it in an oil drum and dump them in the sea. No problem.
Considering I'm up for deployment in Afghanistan next year, I hope not to change any opinions!

 

[MelasZepheos_v1legacy]

Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own.
Although I could never know for certain, I think I could, if I was in a position to (not being beaten bloody against a curb, but actually fighting)

Q: Would having a friend or family member's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
If my family or friend's life were on the line, I think I would actually be more likely to act. If my past has taught me anything it's that when I have a true friend or family member in danger I'm willing to do some very brave but very stupid things, so I guess it would only make my reaction faster. If I was alone I would be much more likely to hesitate.

Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?
No. This much I can tell for pretty much certain. I'm not particularly desensitised to death, although I have experienced quite a bit of it, and I know that even the point and click of the ranged weapon would disturb me just as much as having to do it up close. The only potential difference would be that one way, the nightmares would be upclose relivings of the moment of death, and the other would be nightmares about the general sense of what I had done.

Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
I don't know. I would like to think that I would save a stranger, but I also know that my willingness to help people I don't know if they, for example, fall in the street or need help packing their car would probably not extend to life or death situations. That said I would like to think I would try and save them, but I know I would be more concerned with saving myself first, then the other person.

 

[Tryforlive]

cipiling works

 

[RyanBishop]

Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own?
A: If no further complications are involved (meaning it's just either him or me) - then yeah, definately.

Q: Would having a friend or family member's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
A: Depends on how much I care about the person in question. I am not known to be self-sacrificing, but I think I would put my own life at risk for someone I love.

Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?
A: Kinda. The ranged weapon is an easy way out, frankly. Stabbing someone to death is way harder then shooting some bastard. And it requires a lot more strength/agility. I'm no street fighter, so I guess I'll go with the ranged kill.

Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
A: Again, depends on the situation. Generally - no, since there's no point risking my life for someone I don't really know. Yet again, sometimes I'm known to make dumb decisions in life... that in mind, I might as well try... who knows.

Posting about life-death matters in a forum is one thing... thinking on the spot, reacting and making the choice in a real life situation - a whole different story.

 

[Jark212]

Until something like this actually happens I will never really know but this is what I believe:

Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own.

Yes, I believe I can...

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

No, I would be even more motivated to do anything to save them...

Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged
weapon have a difference on you?
I doubt it would be relevant in the heat of the moment, but afterwords I would think that it could have heavy psychological impact...

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

It would depend on the situation, but if an innocent person is in danger I would try to do everything in my power to save them...

 

[blarg363]

Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own.
I could.
Q: Would having a friend or family member's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
With me: I'd probably think about it less and go on the offensive in a preemptive strike, Against me: I can't think of a senario that i'd be able to take the life of any of my direct family(mom dad brother).
Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?
This will sound wierd but i don't think i could shoot an unarmed opponent, However i'f we were both armed i'd unload the whole damn thing in there ass, otherwise i'd rather use my hands or the knife i keep on my person at all times(because of advice given to me by my grandfather that "a man should always have a knife 'cus you just never know when you might need one") if possible i'd prefer to use a rear naked choke( for those who don't know it's pretty much a headlock from behind with your legs wraped around the abdomen).
Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
No, but the question is a little to vague to really make a differance.

My answers make more sense if you know my fear of the law, See here in the state's the laws are such that if you ues "Excessive force" you just might find yourself behind bars.

 

[ChaoticLegion]

Q: Do You think you could take a life to defend your own.
Yes, if my own life was at stake I would have no moral or personal problem removing the issue causing the problem.

Q: Would having a friend or family member's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
Only in as much as making me react quicker to the threat.

Q: Would the difference between the up-close kill, and the point and click of a ranged weapon have a difference on you?
I guess the up-close kill could take somewhat longer to achieve than a ranged kill... I guess if the threat to my life was neutralised before death was achieved I'd stop attacking, however if the only way to save my life (plus in the other scenario that of a loved one) was to keep going until the kill, I seriously and honestly doubt it would stop me.

Q: Would having a stranger's life on the line with yours make you change your reaction?
Probably not as much of a large reaction difference as that of a loved one, but may still make me react somewhat less hesitantly if at all hesitantly. Hard to say with this one without experiencing it... may be more likely to try and use this stranger as a tool to increase my own chance of survival.


Many people would probably think I'm somewhat psychotic, to those who would say that I would beg to differ, as I fully understand, acknowledge and feel the different emotions and morals one would feel under such circumstances, I guess some of us meerly have less of a problem going against these socialy and instinctly placed morals than others.

 

[Daedalus1942]

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.

Spoiler: Thorough version:

"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]

*snip*

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.

 

[Javelk]

I've had to defend my self hand to hand, I'm pretty sure I could do it with a weapon.

 

[SimuLord]

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.