[Dennis845]

That's some food for thought? In my mind I'm going to assume I only have seconds or less to make a determination on my response. Even in my "castle" I think the best recourse for me would be to get me and the wife in the master bedroom, gun pointed at the entrance, call 911, and tell the intruder to leave. I'm sure no one would want to shoot a mentally disturbed intruder, then again, how many home invaders are in their right mind? Good scenario

[orangello]

First, in another thread the other day, a open carrier in drew down on a hostile-looking individual using the explanation that the guy was coming toward him and that the OC'er felt threatened. That seemed to meet with mixed responses regarding appropriatness of drawing the firearm.

Second, what if the boxer-clad individual had been younger and the occupants had been a college-aged single mom and her infant child?

Personally, anybody breaching my home is subject to being, at least, whacked with a bat & pushed outside. I don't leave doors unlocked or unwatched windows open. If the intruder turns out to be suffering dementia, i will apologize and explain that i felt very, very threatened for my life.

Originally Posted by Vincine

Something requiring proof that one can handle a pistol safely and not shoot themselves or anyone else by accident, probably similar to hunter’s safety. Something that shows you can perceive a real threat from an imagined threat. Don’t police have to train to distinguish between good guys, bad guys & innocent bystanders? You guys think that’s too much to ask?

Who would set these standards and design these tests? It's not binary, it is analog, and opinions would vary as to where the lines should be drawn.

I think that is too much to ask in a free society with the 2nd ammendment.

[Vincine]

Originally Posted by Dennis845

I think the best recourse for me would be to get me and the wife in the master bedroom, gun pointed at the entrance, call 911, and tell the intruder to leave.

I was once advised by a friend's father, who was a member of the NYPD, that you DON'T want to say, "Blah, blah, I have a gun, blah, blah, blah." His point was you don't want to warn them about that. Let them discover that for themselves.

[Kain]

I really just wanted to point out that sometimes people aren't truly responsible for their actions. I've learned to deal with medically incompetent people and they're out there. They might not mean any harm, but it dosen't mean they won't harm you. Me and my partner were attacked by an elderly gentleman suffering from a subdural bleed. We knew what was going on and his family said he had never acted like that. He kicked, spit at and tried to bite the medics tending to him. We couldn't get angry with him because he was literally out of his mind. Ultimately we restrained him with soft restraints and carefully transported him. Interestingly, police on scene would not touch the patient.

In the scenario I originally posted, the intruder was obviously unarmed, but what if he had been fully dressed? What I took away from the scenario was you can draw on a threat and still not have passed the point of no return, but when you pull the trigger, you can no longer go back.

[rdc2co]

Originally Posted by ScottA

Excellent case study. It would be helpful to have more such scenarios to compare notes on how we would react.

+1!
BTW: Nice bird!

[Twoglocks]

Why leave the hause, get the wepon ready call police and observe the guy from a distance