Gun Self Defense Myths

[troglodyte]

I'm looking for some self defense myths that have shown up in your classes.

Recently I had the good ol' "Racking the slide will scare them away" and "I just want to shoot them in the arm/leg."

What "gems" have you had in your classes?

[Napier]

"The bigger the gun you draw, the more likely they are to back off."

[redlin67]

I thought my instructor was excellent. His thing was that the first sound that a potential threat would hear is the sound of the safety being clicked off.

[troglodyte]

"The bigger the gun you draw, the more likely they are to back off."

Does anyone know who makes a holster for a LAWS?

[Reloader]

Does anyone know who makes a holster for a LAWS?
Yes, two of them...El Paso saddlery and Kramer leather..for a price, plus ammo carriers.

[Rick343]

Well my neighbor wanted to take my class but told me she wouldn't kill em, she would just wound them. I told her " What happens when the guy or whoever gets out of the hospital or jail and comes to see you, what then? She didn't take my class. Fools, one borne every minute.

[C-dub]

I thought my instructor was excellent. His thing was that the first sound that a potential threat would hear is the sound of the safety being clicked off.

What did he have to say about Glocks?

[Hoi Polloi]

I'm not an instructor, but these are ones I've heard earnestly expressed.

You have to get backed into the furthest corner of the house before you are allowed to use deadly force against an intruder, so you need to measure the distance from your front door to the corners to make sure you know which one is the furthest so you can be waiting there to shoot.

If you shoot someone outside, you will be charged with murder. Inside it is self-defense. If you shoot someone on the porch, drag him inside the threshold to cover yourself legally.

If you get a CHL, they'll argue that you are a good shot because you could pass the shooting test that's given to law enforcement, so it is better to carry illegally and keep it concealed and to rely on the legal justification for shooting in self-defense than to get a CHL.

I've read a variation of the above on the forums here with people hearing that they should intentionally "throw" some of their shots when qualifying so they won't look too good in case of an eventual court case.

Edited for spelling. Edited a second time because the spelling was correct the first time.

[mgood]

If you shoot someone outside, you will be charged with murder. Inside it is self-defense. If you shoot someone on the porch, drag him inside the threshold to cover yourself legally.

I'm not an instructor either.
I've hear that . . . bull . . . all my life. Every time I think it's died out, someone else tells me this.

If you shoot someone in one place and drag them somewhere else, law enforcement will figure it out. They're good at that sort of thing. And the fact that you tried to cover something up will cast doubts on you, no matter how justified the shooting may have been.

[TxSheepdog]

You have to get backed into the furthest corner of the house before you are allowed to use deadly force against an intruder...

Edited for spelling.

This is pretty much the case in California, or so I was led to believe while growing up there. You have a duty to retreat until you run out of room. Then hope the thug doesn't trip over a toy or the threshold and sue you for injury (and he'll win.. ).

If you have the misfortune of having to shoot the thug and live to tell about it, prepare to be demonized by the DA and media.


Hooray for the Castle law!

[chasfm11]

If you have the misfortune of having to shoot the thug and live to tell about it, prepare to be demonized by the DA and media.
Hooray for the Castle law!

Not necessarily. Here are several recent examples where that is not true, at least in Texas

viewtopic.php?f=108&t=39395&hilit=Homeowner

For places like CA, NY, NY and IL, the thinking is so warped that you may indeed be in trouble for defending yourself. In those places, you would likely be in trouble for any sort of self-defense regardless of the method that you use.

I attended the Friday lecture at the Forum day at PSC. Charles did a wonderful job of explaining the latitude that we have in Texas and why the Castle law is different than many of us believe.

[VMI77]

Well my neighbor wanted to take my class but told me she wouldn't kill em, she would just wound them. I told her " What happens when the guy or whoever gets out of the hospital or jail and comes to see you, what then? She didn't take my class. Fools, one borne every minute.

The thug will be shooting to kill her, so if she isn't using the force necessary to stop the attack chances are, she, and perhaps other members of her family, won't have to worry about what he does when he gets out of the hospital. Not to mention the legal aspect that if she didn't feel threatened enough to use deadly force she shouldn't have pulled the trigger in the first place.

[jimlongley]

You have to get backed into the furthest corner of the house before you are allowed to use deadly force against an intruder, . . .

That was, for a time, the law in NY State, and if you were backed up but still had a route to escape, then any use of deadly force was either murder or attempted murder. Law suits by injured criminals were won because the homeowner still had a way to escape.

If you shoot someone outside, you will be charged with murder. Inside it is self-defense. If you shoot someone on the porch, drag him inside the threshold to cover yourself legally.

I had an Albany NY beat cop sitting on my front porch enjoying a glass of iced tea, and that is exactly what he told my wife. Of course that was 1970 and forensics wasn't quite as advanced, so maybe the blood smears wouldn't be noticed.

[A-R]

I thought my instructor was excellent. His thing was that the first sound that a potential threat would hear is the sound of the safety being clicked off.

What did he have to say about Glocks?

If you watch enough TV and movies, you'll soon learn that even a Glock must be cocked before every tough guy speech

[redlin67]

I thought my instructor was excellent. His thing was that the first sound that a potential threat would hear is the sound of the safety being clicked off.

What did he have to say about Glocks?

If you watch enough TV and movies, you'll soon learn that even a Glock must be cocked before every tough guy speech

He had a very small semi in his left pocket, I assume that it was also very small caliber. He did pull it out a few times, wouldn't be my choice, but to each his own.