Would you feel good about killing in self defense?

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Well I look at loke this: If I have to shoot someone that means they were probably going to kill me. If not me, then someone else. So I don't think I would feel bad, but I wouldn't feel good.

It is too bad that people resort to selecting victims for attacks and force the hands of innocent, yet prepared people to act in the first place!
 
Do you feel good about eating a steak dinner? I suspect you're not happy about the dead cow but you understand that the way life on earth works...and you enjoy your dinner. Same with having to kill a bad guy. I wouldn't feel good about it but I would have no problem whatsoever doing it. We have to take life on this planet to survive. I'm not going to feel bad about Nature's realities.
 
I actually had to pull a gun on someone two nights ago, and the LAST thing I wanted to do was to pull the trigger. I would fell very bad if I had to kill someone, but I'd rather feel bad then be dead.
 
There are a lot of internet posers who beat their chests in juvenile frenzy. That's the problem with internet forums, even here. It is doubtful that 1% of the sociopath posers actually are that maladjusted, but they're just not mature enough to get out of their first person shooter fantasies.
 
Who Knows?

I think Geek nailed this one early on. It's really impossible for me to say "how" I would feel about the act itself. Honestly, the thought of shooting someone makes me somewhat nauseated.

I *like* to think that if my life, or the life of my wife and/or children were at stake, I would take whatever action was necessary to end that threat. Saying as much online doesn't mean that I would be proud of my actions, or brag about what I had done. On the other hand, if I did do what was necessary, and I did end the threat, and the person causing that threat died as a direct result of my actions, I can't say with any degree of certainty that I would feel bad either.

Also, it is quite possible that I would feel entirely divided; i.e. sickened by the act, yet satisfied or even happy with the results. If I admitted to one but not the other, that wouldn't necessarily mean I'm some sort of sociopath.
 
Even if I had all the right in the world to defend myself, (eg. Two guys charging at me in my home with a gun and a knife), I would still think of legal repercussions I may face, That in itself is sad.
 
I hope I never have to find out. I couldn't imagine how I'd ever feel good about it. I might feel relief that some evil dirtball is no longer a threat to me. I might feel happy that I'll get to kiss my wife and hug my kids again. I'll most likely feel terrible for a long time that I failed miserably at the "Thou Shalt not Kill" stage of the game. But in the end, I'll be alive and I think I'll feel good about that.
 
I would be angry. I would be angry at the aggressors forcing me to kill them. Happy I survived yes. Happy I lived in a country that allowed me to survive yes. But mostly angry. Guilty NO.
 
M2 Carbine said;
It depends on who I killed.

If it was some child killer, dope dealer, serial rapist, serial killer, gang banger, etc, really bad guy?
Yes I would feel good about ridding humanity of such filth.

If I killed like a non violent burglar, that was in reality just a stupid punk, it wouldn't worry me but I wouldn't feel good about it.
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+1

Bobo
 
Let me state my position on this so that no one thinks I am setting them up with my question. Two have already said they would not answer since they believe it is poorly phrased, or a "stupid" question.

I served with honor in Vietnam. I am medically retired from the service due to injuries received in Vietnam. I am very capable of defending myself. I carried daily in a major crime ridden city for 10 years. I moved out of the city to a small cabin in the country so that I would not continue to feel threatened on a daily basis. It had gotten to where someone was going to get hurt or killed. I no longer carry since there is very little threat where I live now.

Could I kill someone? Yes. Do I want to? No, never again! Would I feel good about it? No! I never want to feel as bad as I did, doing what I did, even though all my actions were sanctioned by the military. Would I feel bad (sinful), if it were necessary? No, but I guarantee you I would have a lot of trouble sleeping.
 
If forced to take the life of someone who was threatening my life I wouldn't care at all.

It's not a situation that I look forward to by any means, but if left with no other choice, I'm not going to regret it or care one bit honestly.
 
I make every attempt to not "feel" anything regarding my safety, self defense, or anything involving those I love and hold dear.

I prefer to "think".

I never "felt" my way to the mindset I need to do what I have to do. I thought it through.

I do not "think" about after action situations beyond "I will make a statement after I speak with my attorney".

If you want to feel, see Oprah or Dr. Phil.

Anygun
 
Don't know how anybody can feel good about killing another person. Sure, we celebrated after firefights in Iraq. We weren't celebrating the death of out enemies. We were celebrating the fact that we were still breathing.

That said, I don't know that I ever really felt bad about anything I did. Sure, there were nights that I lay awake thinking about the days events, but it boiled down to them or us. I was glad it was them. It's funny, I heard guys brag about shots they made on the range, shots they made on stray dogs and that kind of stuff, but I don't think I ever heard an honest man brag about a shot he made in combat, never, not one. It's a whole different animal. If anything, I would say we felt a sense of reverance.

Don't know how it would feel to have to shoot someone in my home or somewhere in my hometown. Small town like mine means I would probably know the person, or someone who knows him. I'm quite sure there would be a deep seated anger towards him for attacking me in my home. Probably be some remorse too if I ran into his sister at Wal Mart. One thing is for sure, I would never forget it, and I would never discuss it in casual conversation. I don't talk about Iraq now unless it's just me and the boys. Even then, it's more about the good times than the bad ones.

Just my take on things...
 
"It's a hell of a thing, killin' a man. You take away everything he has and everything he's ever gonna have."

*William Munny* from "Unforgiven"

Ain't as easy as it looks on the silver screen. Something to think about.


Biker
 
Dear Grandpa, I hope the "leading" question remark didn't bother you, I would never insinuate that a fellow member, would ask a 'stupid" question. There are no Stupid questions, only answers that could come back to kick a fellow in the butt. But I would fight to the death to support your right to ask it.
 
Some guys I know puked their guts out and spent a lot of time waking up screaming. Others shrugged and got on with their gratefully extended lives. Most seem to fall somewhere in the middle, more often than not excaberated [sic] by the uncertain possibility of prosecution hanging over their heads for months.
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This is what I think most people here don't realize. Even if it was to protect your family, a sort of Crime & Punishment-esque scenario is very likely to unfold, even if what you did was legal. There is something innately disturbing about killing someone, regardless of the situation. The guilt of having broken the law cannot and will not get you, but the guilt of having broken a human spirit may.
 
You shouldn't feel "bad" about ending the life of someone who threatened you. More along the lines of regretful. You didn't do anything wrong, so you shouldn't feel guilty about it, they forced your hand. Though if you feel really happy, something might not be working right in your head.

On the instances were I've witnessed violence or the aftermath when its all over I personally get sort of a hollow feeling. Not 'bad' and not 'nothing' just sort empty. Like you know what happened is wrong but your body won't go in either direction.
 
If I ever had to kill anybody in defense of my own life or the lives of others, I would have a lot of mixed feelings, but I don't think that my feelings, on the whole, could be described as "good."

My goal in a self defense situation is to stop the threat, not necessarily to kill it. Sadly, "stopping power" and "lethality" often go hand in hand. We here on THR don't spend hours researching ballistic gel tests and cartridge performance because we're bloodthirsty. We do it because the compromises necessary to make weapons "less than lethal" are often unsatisfactory, since they make it either impractical or prohibitively expensive to effectively stop a deadly threat. If I had to defend myself and the attacker died, I would feel sorrow that any killing was necessary at all. The only relief I would feel would be that the life lost was the life of an individual whose intent was to injure "normal" people who were content to "live and let live."
 
i would say (i have actually thought about this a lot) that at first i would be really really ticked off for having been put in that situation. i don't think i would be all that rationally afterwards. but then i am easily effected by violence.
would i like it? no, never. would that stop me from doing what i need to do? no, never.
the way i see a shooting done in self defence is that the guy who attacked had a choice. and when he attacked me he took away my choice. if i have to shoot to survive, i will shoot.
as for what happens to me afterwards, well, hopefully i'll never find out.

also, grandpa, i think your question is a good one. hopefully it will make people think about that aspect of self defence, which while i hope everyone on here has already done it, but maybe someone hasn't.
 
Training and good counseling would be a good factor to such a controversial issue of "feeling good" after the devastation of killing.

In training, such as self-defense training, will keep you alert and focused on handling a threat. This will keep you from making the wrong decision.

In counseling, you get to express yourself and take others' input on moral issues.

One thing to consider, is everyone must take FULL responsibility of their actions. You've made the concious decision of ending one's life. Live with it. At least through training and good counseling, you're able to weed out those personal feelings. Preparedness is good medicine.

Through my training (Basic to Advanced) and professional counseling with speaking to LEO professionals, religious leaders and family/friends...I've come to the conclusion to NEVER kill, therefore the guilt feeling is nullified.
 
I would personally feel bad and may even be haunted by the persons face for a long time.
I would however feel very thankful that I was able to protect my family.
I do not look forward to the time when I might have to use deadly force, but I will also not hesitate when it is my last option to keep my loved ones safe.
 
I certainly wouldn't feel good about having to kill someone, regardless of the reason, but I would feel good to be alive.
 
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