Police: 7 teens shot near Detroit school

[MichaelJ]

Originally Posted by ironcowboy

Maybe not, but dont you think if someone fired a few shots into the van that was shooting the kids, it would not shake them up, and send them speeding away as fast as they could drag their sorry asses? I dont expect one guy to take out 3-4 shooters, but i dont think they sound like the kind of people who like to risk much, as soon as they would be shot at, i'd think they would be out of there!!

Well this is what comes to mind knowing what little we know about the situation.

Firing at the van:
- van drives off to evade my escalation of the situation- runs over more people. I'm sued and screwed.

or

- solitary shooter in the van- I'm charged with attempted murder and a host of other offenses for each person in the van who wasn't a shooter.

or

- shooter extends the firefight now at my direction, hitting the crowd running around. I'm sued and screwed.

or

-my shot goes in/out and where I don't want it to go. Again with the sued and screwed.

While it's a damned shame that fear of litigation overrides my instinct to help my fellow man, it's a reality we have to face as responsible firearm owners. How will my action affect the situation? We have moments to decide what lawyers get years to argue.

[ExTxN]

Originally Posted by MichaelJ

Well this is what comes to mind knowing what little we know about the situation.

Firing at the van:
- van drives off to evade my escalation of the situation- runs over more people. I'm sued and screwed.

or

- solitary shooter in the van- I'm charged with attempted murder and a host of other offenses for each person in the van who wasn't a shooter.

or

- shooter extends the firefight now at my direction, hitting the crowd running around. I'm sued and screwed.

or

-my shot goes in/out and where I don't want it to go. Again with the sued and screwed.

While it's a damned shame that fear of litigation overrides my instinct to help my fellow man, it's a reality we have to face as responsible firearm owners. How will my action affect the situation? We have moments to decide what lawyers get years to argue.

MichaelJ

Thanks for weighing in with a clearer vision of real-world reactions to (God forbid) such a situation playing out in front of you. An anger-induced reactive shootout could potentially, as you observe, put you and any other nearby IB in front of a target, so to speak. If things were different and you were the intial target, that of course would change everything about your reactions. Self-preservation is a pretty damned strong instinct.

Take care, and everyone have a safe (and heads-up) Fourth.
Dave