Would you feel good about killing in self defense?

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i would rue the day that i was forced to do so... that said, i would rather loose sleep over a self defense shooting like that, than to loose sleep over loosing my wife or kids when i could have protected them
 
Feel good about the act of killing? Not in the slightest.

Ecstatic about surviving - absolutely.
 
Would you feel good about killing in self defense?
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Maybe. Maybe not. Don't know. Haven't had that experience to date, hope I never do. Post action emotions/feelings probably best based on situational response.

Raised to have way too much respect for life to gloat gleefully... every day above ground is better than the alternative.
 
One of the things I am positive would happen in the aftermath of a SD shooting, would be a very thorough investigation of my affairs and the circumstances surrounding the shooting, I certainly wouldn't want anything in my history ( say for instance a post on THR outlining how I would or wouldn't react to such a situation) to comeback and bite me. With that in mind I respectfully decline to answer this question.
 
Sociopaths don't struggle with the concept

Just about every other, normal, person would have major mental health issues regarding taking a human life. If you ever do get involved in that situation you need the help of a trained psychiatrist to help you through things. If not you have years of agony ahead of you.
 
Colt46 said:
Just about every other, normal, person would have major mental health issues regarding taking a human life. If you ever do get involved in that situation you need the help of a trained psychiatrist to help you through things. If not you have years of agony ahead of you.
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Major mental health issues? Nope - that's not true; it might be true for some, but I'd say most people who have given the possibility of having to kill someone a lot of thought and preparation handle it pretty well, as opposed to those who had to do it absolutely cold with no prep.
 
Colt46 said:
Just about every other, normal, person would have major mental health issues regarding taking a human life. If you ever do get involved in that situation you need the help of a trained psychiatrist to help you through things. If not you have years of agony ahead of you.
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I really don't know if that's a fair generalization. My father killed both with his rifle and his knife in Vietnam, and while it wasn't "easy" or "happy" for him, he adjusted well upon his return to the states. No flashbacks or PTSD in his case.
 
It depends on who I shot. Some people really need to die, though sadly they usually don't get what they deserve. More likely it would be some teenaged idiot who was trying to rob the wrong person. That would make me feel pretty awful, but what are you going to do? People make their choices and when they've crossed the last line it's either you or them.

or the ones who are eagerly collecting "cool" rifles for "when the SHTF!" -- I simply assume that they are young and under the influence of Hollywood.
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I'm not sure I understand this. I've got a cool rifle for use when the SHTF, and for other times as well. While I hope it doesn't come to this, if we're without power in January after another nine pointer and people are hungry (as they certainly would be) I'll use that rifle to arrange for the tragic suicide of a local ungulate, get out the big pot and keep a couple dozen people alive for a few more days.
 
I don't know how I would react to a justified killing. I do hope that I could convince any reporters, cops or investigators that I was an emotional wreck.
 
The literature from police and military are pretty clear that significant numbers of people do not feel good about killing and may have real problems later. Some may reach the level of a disorder and disrupt normal functioning.

You find it happening even among well trained and 'tough' folks. One cannot say, apriori, that it won't happen to you.

Some good sources for those who like to read:

Deadly Force Encounters
Practical Police Psychology
In the Kill Zone
CopShock

- aimed at cops - they point to the difficulties than can occur even after a good shoot.
 
I can't imagine anyone with a sense of morality would enjoy killing.

No, I certainly would not feel good about it. In fact, I'd probably be an absolute wreck for a long time afterwards. However, my desire not to be physically harmed, paralysed, or killed by criminals far outweighs any emotional trauma that defending myself may produce.

The ability to survive an encounter with a violent thug is all a firearm guarantees for me... Dealing with the turmoil that may come afterward is my own responsibility.
 
"Good" only in the comparative sense that surviving is better than a dirt nap. I would not be contrite for surviving a deadly attack, but there would certainly be no pleasure in causing any kind of harm to a human being. I have never had to shoot anyone and hope it stays that way.

Ugly as it would be, I would get over any resulting emotional trauma quicker than I would get over being blinded, paralyzed, or dead.
 
I'd feel awful no matter what I'd had to kill, even an animal. It wouldn't stop me, but I'd still feel bad about it. But then, I've got a mixed up sense of liberalism/conservativism. My wife's favorite quote to describe this about me is, "I like to meditate before reloading my own ammo."
 
i would love to be 80 years old and tell my grand children that i have never taken a life....

will have to get back to you on that in a few years though, well see how it turns out.
 
Recently Joe Horn of Houston shot and killed two burglary suspects. What made this incident national news is that it was not his house but his neighbors house that was being burglarized and the suspects had already exited the house and were in the act of running away, both were shot in the back with a shotgun. Under Texas law Joe Horn had the right to use deadly force in protecting not only his property but also the property of his neighbor. Texas is serious in granting its citizens a wide umbrella of protection against civil action in such instances. It is a life altering decision to pull the trigger in any situation so I will not judge Joe Horn for his action. Given the time to think about under what circumstances would I pull the trigger and live with what I did for the rest of my life, I would not kill a person to protect my neighbors property thats for sure but I would in order to protect my life and that of my neighbors. I don't know if I could take another mans life to protect
just property without a threat of harm. Gives me something to ponder. I just hope I never have to make the decision.
 
Add me to the list of those who wouldn't feel good about killing someone, but would feel good about being able to keep myself or my family alive.

Hopefully I will never have to take that action.
 
I've never had to take a life as a civilian. But I'll point out that you can read all the first-hand accounts you can find -- from Thucididies to Xenophon, to Caesar, to Herbert McBride, to John B. George -- and you will never find a case where a man who has seen the elephant tries to answer the question, "What does it feel like to kill a man in battle?"

That's a question with no answer -- they couldn't answer it, no one I know who has seen the elephant can answer it, and I can't answer it either.
 
You're right on the money with that.

I've had many a conversation in the Infantry Bar and other convivial places, and never heard the question asked, or any attempt made to address it.
 
I once had about 2# of pressure on a 4# trigger, with a 1911 aimed at a bad guys center of mass from about 15 feet away. The guy made the wise decision to release a woman and he then slipped back into his house through the front door. The woman got away, the police took it from there. That was the one and only time I had half of a trigger to go until BANG, and feelings per se had nothing to do with it, just instinct and training.

If I had shot the guy, I'd have felt bad about taking a life, but better about saving an innocent life. The good of the saving would have outweighed the bad of the killing, for a net good. That's why I would say many feel "good" about killing. It's a net good, in saving innocent human life from a predator.
 
Feel Good

I think the principal "good feeling" would be knowing I wasn't a completely helpless victim.
 
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