Firing into the air.

[Enron Exec]

Would you have done what he did under those circumstances? I think i would have. He got the desired effect and the incident came to nonlethal ending.

Oh yea, God Bless Texas!

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=local&id=5738787

A suspected purse snatcher didn't know what he was in for when he picked a woman in a Home Depot parking lot for a victim. As soon as he grabbed her purse, the woman's husband grabbed a shotgun and opened fire.

 

[Chris B]

Wrong sub-forum.

Simply racking the shotgun would probobly have sufficed and not have sent lead in to the air which will come down at some point. Hopefull the shot landed somewhere safe but this is definately a violation of rule 4. I don't really believe in warning shots. If you're going to shoot it should be at something. Presenting the gun and issuing a verbal command would be my route.

 

[.cheese.]

no

a purse is not worth sending projeciles flying with the potential for one of them to injure somebody on the way down.

 

[Robert Hairless]

I don't see where that report says the husband fired into the air, but he did fire and "it scares the suspect," said a deputy on the scene. "The suspect runs up the police car and saying, 'Let me in. They are shooting at me'."

See, this is the kind of behavior that gives purse snatchers a bad name.

Purse snatching is an honorable profession. Purse snatchers today, however, have a hard enough time making a living without their victims shooting at them.

If this purse snatching were to have taken place in New York City, Chicago, or a civilized country like England, the snatcher would not have had to flee for his life in fear of the snatchee.

I join with other highminded people in wishing that the snatchee had simply behaved properly and allowed the snatcher to run off with the snatch.

It is quite true that the sound of a pump shotgun being racked has the power to render villains completely harmless. That is why the military does not carry ammunition for their shotguns. There is no more fearsome a sound than that of Marines charging the enemy while racking their shotguns.

For most people there is not even the need to have the shotgun itself much less any ammunition for it. All that's needed is the sound of the shotgun being racked. Anyone in this forum who wants to be absolutely safe, therefore, need not carry the shotgun.

Simply get an MP3 player and download this sound of the shotgun being racked (and fired too, in case you like more noise). Then, if you are attacked, just play this MP3 sound effect: Robert Hairless Infallible Self Defense Tool

It is 100% effective. Not one person who has ever used it to defend against an attacker has ever complained that it didn't work. No firearm manufacturer could make that statement.

 

[Enron Exec]

Ooops, sorry about the wrong sub forum post. I missed the "not" part in my haste.

 

[jeepmor]

With bird shot raining down there is little danger of injury unless you're looking up and the shot rains into your eyes. Buckshot, might bruise you, but probably would do much damage. A slug....lookout.

Guy had a shotgun, that's prepared.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Firing into the air.

Yeah, where did it say he fired into the air?

 

[Odd Job]

An interesting aside:

In the late 80s in downtown Johannesburg, a certain fellow was minding his own business just walking along when he observed a thief roughly snatch a bag from a middle-aged woman and set off at pace.
Well, the man who had seen this chased after the thief and caught him within two blocks. During the reacquisition of the woman's handbag, the thief was pushed around a bit and also caught some meaty slaps around the face too.
Anyway, the woman soon caught up to the two men. The fellow had the thief by the shirt in one hand, and was holding the woman's handbag in the other. He offered the woman the handbag back and berated the thief loudly.
Well...the woman complained about the rough handling of the thief!!!! She accused the rescuer of her handbag of being heavy-handed and was very upset with him that he had shoved the thief around and hit him like that.

The fellow listened intently, considered the situation, and then nodded and smiled.
"You're right," he said to the woman.
And he handed the handbag back to the thief and told him "Run, boy!"

True story, one of my favourites.