Need a gun?

ZigZagZeke · Oct 14, 2012

An acquaintance of my wife's had somebody run up to him and point to a house a few doors away, saying "My friend has been stabbed! He needs help!" The acquaintance ran to the location expecting to find the victim in distress. Not only did he find the victim, he found the knife-wielding assailant still there. The assailant waved the knife at him and told him to mind his own business. The acquaintance was unarmed, but is a Desert Storm vet and also knows some martial arts. He attempted to disarm the assailant without hurting him using his martial arts training. He was successful at disarming the assailant without being injured himself, but he's now disappointed in himself for severely dislocating the guy's shoulder. He's been told that the assailant is lucky it wasn't someone with a CHL or the police that responded, or he'd probably be dead. He still thinks he used too much force.

So the question is, without any warning that the perp was still there, would you have gone to help unarmed? What would you have done upon discovering the perp still there? If you were armed, how would this scenario have played out for you?

mjbskwim · Oct 14, 2012

I wouldn't have gone unarmed.That wasn't very bright.
I probably would have drawn on the guy with the knife,then determine if he needs finished off or not.
But seein's how he didn't have a problem stabbing someone,he probably would have gone down.

OregonPlinker · Oct 14, 2012

Im an impulsive person so I have to say I would have gone unarmed. I most likely would have responded the same way your friend did by taking the guy with the knife out of the picture. If I were armed and he came within 20 feet of me waving a knife I would have put 2 in his chest.

MarkAd · Oct 15, 2012

he is lucky. I am glad he put the hurt on the BG without getting hurt. No reason for him to feel bad, His actions may have saved a life.

AlphaCoyote · Oct 15, 2012

No one called 911? Backup is good.

longcolt · Oct 15, 2012

I will probably be demonized for saying this but I would mind my own business and call the police.

My weapon is to protect myself and my family and friends only. I will bring my gun into play to save my life or theirs. Thats about it.
I am not trained as a police officer and will not run into a house to check out a situation. Good way to get killed or spend your assets on lawyers trying to keep out of the slammer.

But then I am an old guy, not full of testosterone anymore and I enjoy my afternoon naps and avoid the hassles if I can. I will let you young bucks play spiderman and run in to save the beautiful maiden in distress.

fd15k · Oct 24, 2012

I would go armed or unarmed (a person is possibly bleeding to death). But if I went unarmed and ran into the assailant, can't really say what I would do - rush of the moment would take its course.

chemist · Oct 25, 2012

I've learned that you never know what you'd really do until the situation presents. The few times in the past half-century that lightning struck, I was always quick to respond, and it has always worked out. Plus, I never hurt anybody.

I agree in principle that staying home to take care of yourself and your own is noble enough for most, but you might surprise yourself by how instinctively you'd respond to a call for help.

Misterbill · Oct 25, 2012

The cops were right. The BG is lucy it wasnt' someone with gun. In the situation described, I would have grabbed my shotgun. -Not much chance of surviving coming at me with a knife in that scenario. -Your friend is being an idiot. -Brave, but an idiot.

8ball · Oct 27, 2012

Hypothetical - How did your friend know that the guy with the knife wasn't an assailant but actually a homeowner, and the stabbed guy and accomplice had been caught in the act of robbing the homeowner? The homeowner could have seen your friend as another bad guy arriving on the scene, in which case he would have been within his rights warning your friend off with a knife.

To take it further, if you shot the homeowner in this scenario, as some people are apparently recommending on this thread, you'd be facing a murder charge.

This is why we have professional law enforcement. Call 911 before you rush in to a life and death scenario.