Don't shoot home invaders when there are witnesses

[Gnostic]

[spacemonkey]

[OGPhilly]

[Gnostic]

[Precocity]

Or the lunatic standing in front of the door about to give someone the chance to ice him.

[Gnostic]

Some situations and conditions of life may push some people to do some very stupid things. In my mind, that doesn't make them lunatics, just someone with a serious problem that needs help. I'm not sure what kind of society it is that would prefer to simply kill people who do stupid things than to try and find another way, even in the heat of the moment. I don't personally have a bloodthirsty, kill em all ask questions later mentality, so it's hard for me to fathom. Life to me is sacred and I'd rather seriously lose possessions than have to take one. Not worth it. But to some, material concern is more valuable than life, and that's what leads to a very violently-oriented society that produces psychopaths that shoot up school buildings or vigilantes who fantasize of playing hero or tough guy with guns like the guy in Florida who shot the teenage boy walking down the street (he looked "threatening").

If someone is fleeing from you, or surrendering, or simply hasn't shown an immediate danger to life with a weapon, I simply can't imagine wanting to kill someone. Maybe it's my inability to understand that mindset.

[PoS]

[Gnostic]

[Precocity]

We should question the shoot first mentality. Based on this situation, the man was clearly wrong in what he did in my opinion. I would not have handled it that way. Only when I feel my life is threatened, in any way, would I fire my gun at someone.

[Medius]

First, the guy was clearly in the wrong for shooting someone fleeing from him. If it was just adrenaline, I would hope we would give this guy the same level of rationalization we've given the criminals here (he's just high, looking for some easy cash... yeah those are great reasons to overlook crime).

If it was malice, then that should be prosecuted accordingly.

I'll never understand why some people are willing to put themselves in the shoes of the guy breaking in, but not in the shoes of the guy who's house is being broken into, probably not for the first time.

When you have very little and have to work your ass off for that very little, and deal with a society trying to get their hands on everything you have, watching a criminal come in and violate your only personal sanctum and steal what little you have, just so they don't have to work like you, is going to be enraging.