What should/could this balcony lady have done? (Kidnapping)

[SODTAOE]

My buddy witnessed a kidnapping and there was a lady shouting that she had a gun from her balcony.

Assuming that this lady wasn't bluffing about having a gun, what could she have done without getting arrested for it?

What would be the minimum amount of firepower for it to be worth shooting at the engine block?

I imagine if this woman had a gun and knew how to use it, it would likely be something concealable and manageable for her to shoot, like a .25 ACP - which might not be accurate to hit someone from a balcony or powerful enough to stop a car.

If you had 38s in a 357 and had one 357 chambered just in case, would a 357 through the engine block be enough to stop a car?

[P5Ret]

Really stop a car by shooting the engine with a handgun isn't going to happen. Causing fluid leaks (radiator) will eventually disable it. To stop one shooting into the engine requires a lot more gun than you'll get from any handgun.

[WOODY2]

It would seem that a round or two in the driver's head could alter the outcome.

[homelessdude]

Way, way more information needed before deciding how she should have reacted. One thing I can add. If she had a CCW she probably didn't have a .25 cal. Most agencies will not approve anything smaller than a .380. I've seen some women that are far better shots than most men with a 9mm or even 38 snub Noses. They are not all frail little helpless creatures.

[Tim padilla]

A 357 magnum round could not stop a engine dead in its tracks .
That was a old myth that was supported by Hollywood in the the 80’s as something real ..one movie scene comes to mind in the 80’s was a Police Academy movie where Tagger is forced to have a female bike partner . She has a Colt Python and in conversation about each other’s sidearms she claims a 357 could stop a engine block .Forward to the 90’s my buddy’s father was a prison guard and got ahold of a almost 4 hour VHS that went over the effectiveness of bullets of different types from 22lr to 50BMG .There was a point in the video where they brought up the ability of bullets on stopping a engine block . He had some full house loads that didn’t put a dimple on it .Then a rep. from a bullet proof vest company at the time called second chance come into frame and revealed he had genuine soft armor piercing bullets from a company I believe called KTW .They were a hardened steel projectile with a blue Teflon coating to protect the rifling of the gun firing it . He loaded a 357 of that into a revolver shot it at the block from a couple feet away and barely put a divot on the casting .

A real life firearm that was actually deployed by the Texas State Troopers to stop a engine block of a perp during car chases was the Ithaca 10 gauge semi automatic shotgun known by many as the “road blocker” .I owned one for a short time and being hard up for cash sold it at a gun show, one of those that got away kind of situations. If I remember correctly the 3.5 inch 10 gauge rifle slugs I had with it weighed 2 ounces.

[DrewN]

Most engines these days are cast aluminum. A cylinder of 158s down through the hood from above might have some effect. A couple holes in the intake manifold and it's not gonna pull any vacuum.

[benjamin101677]

This is actually why more people need education before getting a firearm. As you would learn in any CCW Class, etc. that is nothing that you could legally really done. Your / she is not a police officer, in 99.9% of cases not involving you directly going just need to be a good witness.

In your scenario; the woman would have just made the situation worse if she would have fired her gun off. First time I learned was things aren't always what they appear. May have not been a kidnapping could have been a husband and wife that go into an argument she got out. He pulled her back into the vehicle. Could lots of things.

There are going to be very few situations where a civilian not involved (meaning like someone not kidnapping your family) is probably going be justified to fire this is and into a car. If you had fired weapons towards the car your liability; both civilly and criminally been through the roof. What if the rounds hit other people going to the screaming lady sounds? Now all the sudden you have a victim of a shooting that first responding officers have to deal with. Well the kidnapped vehicle is disregarded. Also; once the deadly force was shown the person firing the gun at the car the priority would have changed for the responding officers from the possible kidnapped girl to securing whom ever fired the gun at the car. Most agencies would wait and get a few units and go deal with the shooter first wasting so much valuable time and resources. Because of a civilian playing "supercop" an easy 20-40 minutes could be wasted before even trying to locate the other vehicle.

You never want to be part of the problem you want to be part of the solution. That be just standing by and being a good witness.

[tsmithson]

[benjamin101677]

It would seem that a round or two in the driver's head could alter the outcome.

You just add to the problem; any ccw class, etc. laws, etc. will teach that you just can't go firing away. Nothing stated called for deadly force.

You take a irresponsible shot and kill the driver only to find out later that the deal was his angry teenage daughter (that looked older) running away and you kill him. Your going to prison.

Be a good witness were not cops.

[benjamin101677]

You don't have enough information; etc. to open fire.

[G-forceJunkie]

Just stop. Your not the police, you do not know the whole story, getting a gun involved is just going to land you in jail.

How do you know it is not a domestic situation and the woman would turn on you if you interviene?

How do you know if the female is not mentally retarded, a ward of the man, and simply having a fit about not wanting to go home?

Be a good witness...but MYOB.

[benjamin101677]

I am so totally surprised at how many of this "RESPONSIBLE" calguns members who most have gun knowledge and I hoped more common sense than the average person. Are just opening firing at a vehicle or shooting at the driver without knowing more information.

Also a lot of you people claim to have or be in the progress of getting your CCW Permit?

No wonder the left thinks were crazy we hear a woman scream, get put into a car and everybody is ready to shoot like it is Saturday night in Dodge City

[Wordupmybrotha]

Shoot the gas tank and then shoot out a tire. The car will lose control and flip over from the blown tire and from skidding on the leaked fuel. While the bad guys are incapacitated, rescue the kidnapped woman. Then drop a lit cigarette on the leaked fuel as you're carrying the limp female. Don't look back as the car explodes in the background.

[benjamin101677]

Just stop. Your not the police, you do not know the whole story, getting a gun involved is just going to land you in jail.

How do you know it is not a domestic situation and the woman would turn on you if you interviene?

How do you know if the female is not mentally retarded, a ward of the man, and simply having a fit about not wanting to go home?

Be a good witness...but MYOB.

Thanks for having common sense like me; took 8 calgunners responding prior to you to see what I saw in the first 15 seconds of reading this.

[CessnaDriver]

If enough boxes were checked I suppose you could shoot the tire. What those boxes are.. read above comments and think hard about it.