I had to shoot at a guy tonight

I would have taken out the shotgun and unloaded a couple rounds in one pull. The sound, especially at night woulda scared the bejeez outa someone. By the time, if and assumeing they had tried to run in on me between reloads, I could have reloaded and been ready to unload at close rainge. Hope it dosent happen, anymore. Getting further and further away from useing my guns, for much of anything other than shooting animals caught in my live traps, and thats with the 22. I havnt shot my 50 in years, and I guess the double 12 the same. Havnt shot my pisatols in over a decade. Dont even have balls for it that I can find,

This should be a thread unto itself for all of the quick to shoot people or quick to talk about shooting people. There's a whole lot to taking a life, justifiable or not.

Old Vet, things will settle down and in many ways you're better off having not hit him. I don't think I'd worry about the retaliation deal. Only thing that concerns me about shooting any more is then they have common knowledge that you have a gun or guns. this in some ways makes it a place they might come to steal guns which sell better then anything else for good quick cash.

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"Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self confidence"
Robert Frost

That's true, but usually if you tell them a gun is involved (or better yet shots fired) it will speed up the response time.

the fanciest pistol in the world aint worth a cent if you cant hit what your aiming at . If you know a 75 yard shot is a case of sheer luck then dont take the shot .
where did those three rounds go ?? what did they hit ??
this should be one of the first thoughts of any firing a weapon . be it a LEO, a hunter or someone defending themselves . a 9mm can carry a long distance depending on the angle ,heck a 22 can carry over a mile .
The point being one has the responsibility not only to know their target but to know what is beyond that target as well as the limitations of their weapon and their ability. .
Vet shows a side most prefer to ignore in that there is a major difference between shooting targets and shooting at another human .

Now lets be realistic here Its highly doubtful that someone more than likely looking to steal some fuel is going to be threatening ones life . Its also a fairly safe bet that a round fired into the ground would have sent invader into high gear in the opposite direction.
Now since none of us were there in Vets shoes we dont know what went on and what feelings or thoughts were running through either parties head .
we can all play second guess but it does no good . No one was hurt which is a good thing and Its a safe bet all involved learned something .
as for legalities If you shoot someone in our state they had better be inside your house or have a fired weapon in their hand if one looks closely at most castle laws they are pretty much the same . self defense only works if you are in fear for your life .

Amazing to me how these threads always turn into attacking the good guy as a criminal, and the bad guy as innocent.

Someone will suggest you should give him your tractor and a years worth of gas because his family is starving or some such nonsense. Like the only way to survive is by stealing.

As for the people stating that he could wind up in jail for shooting at the guy, depends on what state your in.

As for "Little Johnny going to look at the tractor", well I guess his parents should have learned him to about the consequences of trespass, and his daddy shouldnt be sneaking around someone elses property in the middle of the night without permission.

I applaude Old Vet for taking a stand and protecting both himself and his property. If someone is trespassing and trying to steal, I will always assume that they have the intent to kill me if encountered. If they have no regard for the laws against trespassing and theft, why would they care about killing the property owner.

I also commend you for not firing warning shots(intentionally that is) A weapon you only intend to use to try and scare someone off without backbone enough to use it will get you killed.

Dont beat yourself up about missing, thats a long shot in the dark, one handed with a flashlight in the oposite hand. Maybe if it had been daylight and you could have made a shot from a proper two handed stance you may have hit target. I am sufficient with several of my handguns out to 100 yards but not one handed and I practice. One handed, a 50 yard shot is a good shot.

As for those doubting on the flashlight lighting up that distance, you would be very suprised at what the better flashlights on the market can do. They are a bit pricey but are well worth it.

And, those saying that he couldnt have possibly known what a threatening gesture would look like at that distance, you have no idea until you are in the situation. Maybe you would have waited to see exactly what he was grabbing for, but then you better be quicker on the draw and a better shot than him when he end up pulling out a gun. Thats a good way to get yourself killed. A lot of those who have responded have no business owning a firearm. If you have no intention of ever using it or only plan to "return fire" once fired upon, you will more than likely get yourselves killed.

It just irritates me to no end the criticism that people post on here anytime someone protects themselves or their property.

Vet, you did what you had to do. No reason for anyone to be out there at 2 am without knocking on the front door first. And the scenario of somebody looking for a little boy at 2 am is utterly ridiculous. Knock on the d%*m door. The only thing I would have done differently is to holler him to the ground with a loud commanding voice. Hope you get some rest tonight.

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We have now officially entered the twilight zone.

WHAT HE SAID!!!!

old vet, please call out before you shoot
\you never know
edited to add
rocksalt in the shotgun usually works

the law does not allow use of deadly force to protect property-
nor is it legal to use lethal force on a trespasser .

a killing outside what the law allows
is the very definition of murder.

arguments about what is right or wrong
will go nowhere in a court of law-
right or wrong, the law still prevails.

i'm not criticizing anyone acting in self defense,
but if i had taken a shot at every car that has
pulled down my driveway uninvited
i'd be stacking up dead trespassers like cordwood.

unless thay shoot back!!!

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWvD6qAaF_A

I knew that was going to happen. There are idiots everywhere that have the best way to deal with the problem but they are not their when you need to make a decision. I did what I did with the clear conscience. There are people that have all sorts of ideas that are useful to them but not to me. I always let them talk and then ignore them. Most people will say call the police and wait inside until they get their.Yes that is a good idea if you live in a city that has several policemen lazing around with nothing to do but harass the persons that come into contact with which is more than likely to be a victim. I live in a county that has 3 Deputies to patrol the whole county. When I called it in they sent you guest it 3 Deputies.They came from the office that is at least 30 minuets away and they were exceeding the speed limit all the way and it took 30 minuets. Now if I hadn't shot at them I would be waiting today to get a deputy out here. I didn't do it to get the deputies out here but to scare him away and If I hit him all the better. Now I don't worry about finding a body with no police report.I know that people say that are going to sue you if they live but what can they get not much and what will it do to me nothing because they will not win in Arkansas. unless they go to Federal Court and there it will be a toss up.
I hear a lot of people have a shotgun or a rifle they are caring around anytime they go outside but it is to heavy for me to carry it around so I carry a pistol. I would carry a policeman but he is to heavy also and needs to be fed. I really love it when they come out and say I would use a shotgun or rifle. Where are you going to get it? Say wait until I get back so that I will have a shotgun? Not likely.

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God must have loved stupid people because he made so many of them.

What the thread shows me is some of ya'll aught to stick to pitchforks instead of firearms. Shooting into the night over gas or a tractor? You're gonna meet your Maker and claim 'but Lord, he was tryin to steal my gas'? When ya'll go huntin do you just start spraying the bush cause you heard something? Did I miss something on the news? Is some part of arkansas a free fire combat zone. I don't hear so much monday morning qb's as I'm hearing beer gut recliner Rambo wannabes. OP I'm glad you didn't get hurt, glad none of your stuff got stolen. Some of the rest of ya'll I'm really hoping I never need to count on you folks in a pinch. Research the phrase 'fire control'. This is the kind of story the anti II Amendment folks drool over. I prefer not to have my iron pulled because some
Eh, forget it. The folks that get it already got it, the ones that never will never will.

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"Only the rocks [and really embarassing moments] live forever"

"When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands..." tick-tick-tick

There has been a lot of foolish conversation and advice to Old Vet about what he should, or should not have done ,from folks that were not there, or have never had to make a similar choice. Silly ridicule shouldn't be heaped on a good man, alone protecting his home and compelled to react at 2:00 AM under felt threat. After all, he is one of us and a good neighbor...Glen

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The more a man travels, acquires wisdom and learns about life, the more likely he is to marry a Country Girl.

Pretty funny. Although I'm guessing the tank was filled with diesel.

Good post.
Im curious why the story changed to "he went for his pocket" after people pointed out that being hunched over was not exactly threatening.

I dont see the need to fire a weapon at someone that was not in your house, coming towards you, etc. Fire in the air, maybe. I doubt if you hit and killed him, that you would have been found justified in doing so.

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Recognize the beauty in things, in creation, even when thats difficult to do.
Be loving, show compassion. Create while we're here.
Enjoy this life, be in this life but not be of it.

I hear the 7-11 sells day old donuts real cheap!

You were justified in your actions Old Vet. Don't let the pacifists get to you. As they spout off about you shoulda done this or I'd have done that, you can say you should have been here. You weren't so you don't get to tell me how to handle the situation. You've obviously had training...more than most here can say they've had. In situations like this you tend to lean towards the training that you have received and you act accordingly.

75 yards is a tough shot. I qualified expert with my 9mm in the army...but that last target, the 50 meter...man! he was one tough nut. I shot low the first shot and high right the second.

Nephew went to jail after showing a gun to a trespasser who was causing a problem on his property..

In Michigan?

He was shooting at a human being. Suppose he killed him? Would that be justified to shoot and kill someone that was crouching in the glare of a flashlight? Suppose it WAS a kid?

Its not being a pacifist, its being rational. You just dont go shooting at anyone that happens to be on your property without a darned good reason.

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Recognize the beauty in things, in creation, even when thats difficult to do.
Be loving, show compassion. Create while we're here.
Enjoy this life, be in this life but not be of it.