Now that I am home and able to sit and compose a proper post…
Why don’t you describe for me, the ideal circumstances you think a person would be justified in taking someone else’s life, and why?
1. Assault with the intent to kill
You can argue this one if you want, but if I am in fear of my life then I believe that the person is assaulting me with the intention of killing me. You can argue heat of the moment if you want (two drunks get in a fight outside of a bar, one clearly gets the upper hand and has his opponent down but he continues to wail on him in a drunken rage - the intention is there… to kill. Abusive spouse lays into his/her spouse. Instead of stopping after the usual few hits, they keep going to the point the spouse is desperate to protect their life - intention is to kill.) but the fact is after a certain point the other person has crossed that line and the rage is in control and the intention is to kill, not hurt.
2. Breaking and entering
You come into my personal abode without my express permission then I have the right to shoot (A - see below) you. You have become a threat to me, to my family, to my peace of mind.
3. Rape.
If I tell you no and you try to rape me, I am going to shoot to kill you. No ifs, no ands, no buts. (B - see below)
4. Physically/sexually harming one of my family members.
If I catch you in such a situation - be it my children or one of my other family members, I will kill you. (C - see below)
A. Again - any gun safety instructor will tell you that if you are going to pull a gun then you better be prepared to use it and you do not shoot to wound. If you pull the gun and you hesitate, you set yourself up for your assailant to take your weapon from you and use it on you. If you pull the gun and you shoot to wound then you set yourself up for a whole host of problems - first and foremost being that you did not wound your assailant enough to stop them from getting the gun out of your hands and, you guessed it, using it on you. Second, you are then liable to be sued in a court of law. This is why a gun is
NOT an instrument to put fear into your assailant. It is an instrument to stop the assailant from doing you or your family harm …and the best way to ensure that that assailant isn’t going to keep coming is to shoot to kill.
B. I’ve been raped. I know what it is like to be stripped of every bit of my self worth, my dignity and my pride. I, to this day, remember the taste of fear in my mouth because I was unarmed and they weren’t. I remember the helpless feeling. I am not a victim and I will never be in that position again.
Ever.C. See A.
Now then, the why of your question.
Because it is my right to protect my life and the life of my family. It is my right to protect my property. Because the moment someone crosses that line and becomes an assailant, they forfeit their right for me to consider their life. It is me or them - and every single time I am going to choose me (or my family). That is what self defense is.
And finally - as to why I said I would put a gun in my children’s hands and let them get their justice.
I do not want my children to be victims. In a scenario where one has been raped/sexually abused they have already been stripped of their sense of security, their self worth, their dignity and pride. They are, from that moment, damaged and fear will consume them. Fear that the person who did it to them will do it again. By placing the gun in their hands and letting them get their justice, they are ensured that the person who did such to them will never do it again. By letting them get their justice they are getting a measure of control back in their lives. By letting them get their justice they are learning that they are not a victim just waiting for the next assailant.
I was that victim for a long time. I cowered, I was terrified, I let it control my life to the point I married an abusive alcoholic that terrorized my life for over ten years. It took me a very long time to get to the point that I am not a victim and I’ll be damned if I ever let either of my children go through something like that.