Who here would give a warning shot?

[CandG]

Something to ponder in the home defense, bump in the night scenario.

Statistically, most burglaries occur during the day time - not all of them, as evidenced by some of the personal self-defense stories we've seen on this website and in this thread, but the majority of burglars want to get their [your] loot and leave. If someone is coming into your occupied residence in the night, who's to say theft is their motive? Perhaps for whatever reason they are there quite simply to kill you. This could be something related to a previous business venture gone wrong, your spouse's angry ex/baby daddy, or even a road rage incident that occurred three weeks ago. In this case, your verbal warnings and warning shots are only going to let the intruder(s) know where you are.

Excellent points. If they broke into your house and you have reason to believe that they know you were home, then there are only 2 reasons they could be there.... 1) To hurt and/or kill you and/or your family, or 2) to extract information from you about where to find valuables. Neither one of those scenarios is going to end well if you fire a "warning shot". You'll either give them a chance to return fire (not good), jam your weapon (more not good), or hit an unintended target (even more not good). I still fail to see ANY advantage to a "warning shot" for you, in ANY scenario. 97% of the replies to this thread seem to agree. OP doesn't. So why did he ask? That's the million dollar question.

[claylakers]

If I have drawn my weapon, then "avoiding the threat" is no longer an option. If I'm in my home, then the threat has come to me and avoiding it isn't even part of the equation.

If I'm out and about, avoiding threats is part of every day life and is something that just becomes part of how you approach every interaction or situation.

Again, if I'm to the point of drawing my weapon, then *avoiding* the threat is waaaaay long gone. I may still vocalize, but it's probably along the lines of "PUT IT DOWN MOTHER****ER" and "OH ****!"

AMEN

[DDM4556]

The exceptions are times when stupid people did stupid things and somehow luck managed to intervene and save the day. That isn't a good plan, and it doesn't change the fact that it was stupid people doing stupid things.

You guys are all getting trolled hard.

Lol. Calling a WWII vet a stupid person doing a stupid thing. Nice way to honor him...

I myself am not a warning shot kind of guy. Come into my home and you deserve whatever happens. But nonetheless, nothing in life is black and white. Train yourself to use your brain first. I don't mean that to be derogatory, it applies to myself as well.

[Cody]

Here's a good video showing how to properly give warning shots.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaJwgHYOaQk

[MrOrange]

Lol. Calling a WWII vet a stupid person doing a stupid thing. Nice way to honor him...

I myself am not a warning shot kind of guy. Come into my home and you deserve whatever happens. But nonetheless, nothing in life is black and white. Train yourself to use your brain first. I don't mean that to be derogatory, it applies to myself as well.

Being a vet bestows neither intelligence nor legal expertise.

As far as we know, the WWII vet in the link could've been a stone criminal who spent all his time stateside preying on women. And how do we even know he's actually a vet at all? He says so?

Nice tactical kit, I'll give him that.

[meno377]

I would tend to completely agree with you but there are exceptions:

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...202-story.html

This guy was lucky the bullet didn't go anywhere and hurt an innocent person. IMO he was stupid for giving the warning shot.

According to the story it appeared he was close enough to see the perpetrator and if he absolutely didn't want to shoot the BG, he could've chosen to point the gun in the guys face, and most likely the same outcome would've occurred.

OP. Here's a story that shows a verbal warning didn't work and as a result the perpetrator gets shot. http://www.guns.com/2016/02/17/intru...gh-doggy-door/

[DDM4556]

Being a vet bestows neither intelligence nor legal expertise.

As far as we know, the WWII vet in the link could've been a stone criminal who spent all his time stateside preying on women. And how do we even know he's actually a vet at all? He says so?

Nice tactical kit, I'll give him that.

Good point. Next time instead of thanking a vet for his/her service, I'll just remind myself they could be a stone cold criminal/rapist. That's a much better outlook to have...

As stated prior, I am anti-warning shot. Don't want to damage my home first off. But if I ever have to pull a trigger in self defense, it will be to stop the threat only.

My point was not to say you're wrong. Just that nothing is black and white.

Regarding the old man, its easy for us to sit back and say what he should've done. But we don't have 92 year old hands with 92 year old reflexes. Who's to say what the best move was. The fact is in this case, the warning shot worked. Again, not what I would do, but there are always exceptions.

[heidad01]

Where is the "Babe" ??
I wonder when babe will resurface after he was outed and placed on just about everyone's poop list? Easy to spot even if he picks a new screen name.

[BennyAdeline]

OP is using some common arguement traps that equate willingness to take a life with being morally corrupt. Pretty silly stuff.

I don't want to pay taxes, but I will and do.

I don't want to work as much as I have to, but I will and do.

I don't want to kill anyone, but I will if needed.

I'm not going to shoot someone in the back or chase them around the block...but if they are in my house the gun goes boom (unless they are lucky enough to start running or lay down with hands out before I shoot).

Warning shot? No. Guns come out when the only option is letal force.

[orangeusa]

Where is the "Babe" ??
I wonder when babe will resurface after he was outed and placed on just about everyone's poop list? Easy to spot even if he picks a new screen name.

Finishing his anti-gun Thesis.

.

[MrOrange]

Good point. Next time instead of thanking a vet for his/her service, I'll just remind myself they could be a stone cold criminal/rapist. That's a much better outlook to have...

Actually, yes, it is.

I wouldn't even call it being cynical, it's just understanding the way the world works.

[DDM4556]

Actually, yes, it is.

I wouldn't even call it being cynical, it's just understanding the way the world works.

Sorry you've had it like that. If you ever find yourself down here in Socal, let me know. I'll buy you a beer and you can see there are good people around too.

[DSB]

As the victim it is not my responsibility to do everything I can to avoid the threat. The criminal could have chosen to avoid harm but purposefully chose not to.

Well said.

[babe]

I can see where your mindset is and where it's going, but I just don't logically see the reasoning behind the warning shot when you're dealing with someone that has broken into your home.

What do you think the warning shot will do that a locked front door, multiple shouts and warnings haven't done? At that point the person has shown intent and threats haven't persuaded them to stop. Since they're determined, why would an obvious bluff like a warning shot make a difference?

At some point, you need to draw a line in the sand. A determined attacker is only going to get more confidence when they can tell that you're hesitating to act. It gives them an opening.

This is a lot different than an ambiguous threat or posturing in a street fight. Once a person has determined to attack you/your family, they've removed the option of a non-violent outcome from your hands. You don't have to feel bad about that, it's a reality that's out of your control.

If you can't fire the shot, then I would suggest you not bluff by holding a gun and firing warning shots. A gun is really only valuable as a tool if you're willing to use it. Otherwise it's a liability.

It's not that I can't fire the shot it's that I don't know if I could live with myself if I didn't feel like I did everything I could to try and avoid it. I know in most cases a warning shot wouldn't be practical. Front door kicked in, person charging up the stairs, etc. But my question is if the appropriate scenario presented itself, would a warning shot that might head off a confrontation be something you would consider.

[njineermike]

It's not that I can't fire the shot it's that I don't know if I could live with myself if I didn't feel like I did everything I could to try and avoid it. I know in most cases a warning shot wouldn't be practical. Front door kicked in, person charging up the stairs, etc. But my question is if the appropriate scenario presented itself, would a warning shot that might head off a confrontation be something you would consider.

How many ways does this have to be presented to prove that a warning shot is never a good idea under any circumstances? What part of "no" is unclear?