Curious about something

[afx]

Hi everybody.

Lets say i hear gunshots from next door and saw my neighbor shooting at his wife and about to shoot his kid's and so on, Is it legal to shoot him with my sniper rifle while he is on killing spree?

[proraptor]

Id also like to know about this......

[Kestryll]

I don't know about legal but I'll tell you my perspective.
He's going down with whatever I feel can make the shot, pistol, HUNTING rifle or carbine. I don't own a 'sniper rifle' but my hunting bolt action is pretty accurate.

I'll worry about legality after I finish doing what is right.

[shinigami]

I would definitely shoot if it means saving the kids. It would haunt me for the rest of my life if I didn't do anything and I know that I had the means to stop it.

[chiefcrash]

i believe the law says it is justifiable to use lethal force to prevent a forceable felony in progress against yourself or others...

murder is obviously a forceable felony...

while i'm sure the legal system will give you a bit of harassment, you should be fine. Now if it turns out he's shooting some unseen intruder, and you put him down, yer screwed...

[E. Fudd]

Just be absolutely sure what you are seeing is what is really happening, ie. they are not horseplaying with guns, or the 'husband' is not trying to stop the wife from killing the kids, man could be a LEO shooting it out with a BG (bad gal), etc. You will be in a world of legal hurt if you shoot the man and it turns out he is NOT the bad guy...

Other examples that may be more common are the scenarios where a man is seen 'attacking' or chasing a woman and it turns out later that the man was defending himself from the attacking woman or the woman is running away from a crime or, one my friend saw and was just about to step in, they were just horsing around grabasstically (as R. Lee would say), and ended up tumbling to the ground, laughing...

[Sander77]

Something kind of similar actually did happen to me once. I was sitting in my first floor apartment (about 10 feet off the ground) when I heard a commotion outside on the street.

I got up to look and I saw two cabs (one behind the other) stopped at the light. Then three young guys jumped out of the first cab in the front. They went to the second cab behind them and pulled out the passenger. They then proceeded to punch him and once he was on the ground, they started kicking him pretty mercilessly.

But it didn't last long. By the time I had grabbed my cell phone, it was already over. The guys had jumped back in the first cab and the cab left. Before I could dial 911 I heard sirens approaching.

This was a long time ago, before I started shooting or owned any firearms or knew anything about lethal force and the law. I remember discussing scenarios like this when I took my Defensive Pistol class. Given that it was three on one and they were kicking him when he was down, I think you could probably make a good case that he was in danger of "death or greater bodily injury".

I've often replayed that scene, and wondered what I would have done if I had owned firearms at the time, and had a pistol or shotgun loaded and ready.

[Soldier415]

[ARRRR-15]

I think it would be legal, but I sure wouldn't use the words, "I shot him with my sniper rifle" in court. It's makes it look like you want to shed blood any chance you get. In the eyes of the anti's that is.

If this situation ever comes up with anyone owning a .50 cal. I'd hope they used that, this could show how accuacy and high power can save lives. (probably not good to use it in an urban area though, unless there are multiple bad guys in a row)

[Shane916]

You are allowed to use "necessary" force to defend your life or the life of another when threatened with GBI or death. The force you use must be justified and at a level of necessity. It is also important that the threat be imminent.

[Bishop]

It is also important that the threat be imminent.

Yep. That'll hang you. Make sure there's no doubt in your mind.

Also, the term "sniper rifle" is kind of frowned upon unless you're actually sniper in some branch of the military. "Sniper rifle" is becoming similar to "assault rifle" as a politically slanderous term to scare unknowledgeable citizens into voting to ban guns. Like Kestryll said, hunting rifle, long rifle, or just rifle.

[triggerhappy]

Hi everybody.

Lets say i hear gunshots from next door and saw my neighbor shooting at his wife and about to shoot his kid's and so on, Is it legal to shoot him with my sniper rifle while he is on killing spree?

LOL! Don't you think that at that point, your legal stance is a tad, well, unimportant? Besides, if you're a good sniper, who would ever know you did it?

[slick_711]

LOL! Don't you think that at that point, your legal stance is a tad, well, unimportant? Besides, if you're a good sniper, who would ever know you did it?

So that means what? Good snipers go next door and replace the shattered window pane and remove the bullet from the BG in the 3 minutes before the cops arrive?

If I saw someone getting beat up outnumbered in the street I would (and have on many occasions -- college neighborhood) go out there with a bat and just start yelling to break it up. Shooting a few guys fighting in the street is sketchy, even if it came out with you in the right in the end. Now, if you see a guy shooting innocent civilians and you are 100% sure that is the situation, reach out and touch him, worry about consequences afterward.

[VeryCoolCat]

If I see someone gunning down people... even if I risk jail time or my own life... I'll stop him with whatever firearm I have available to me.

Though... use an AK or a SKS... that way it'll show up on the media.

"Bystander Stops Killer Using an Evil Assault Weapon"

[ibanezfoo]

I'd think you'd get in trouble for being a peeping top and looking into your neighbors house.

-Bryan