I have often read that you should not pull a firearm unless it is to shoot an immediate threat. I have always disagreed with this. There are are cases where pulling a gun and "brandishing" it or firing a warning shot (hey Biden promotes this) can defuse a bad situation without killing anyone. I realize laws are all over the place (and pa does not have a brandishing law). depending on the state you are in.
What do you think? Should brandishing and firing warning shots be legal or not?
The story that prompted this discussion. A woman was being attacked. Pepper spray did not stop the attack. She fired warning shots which did end the attack. No one was killed. The woman may be charged with discharging a firearm.
http://www.postbulletin.com/news/loc...fc679f5b3.html
Winona woman fires gun to chase away attackers
WINONA — A woman being attacked fired a weapon Friday in Winona.
Winona Police Chief Paul Bostrack said no one was hurt Friday when the victim, a 26-year-old woman, was allegedly being assaulted by a group of people with whom she has been having an ongoing dispute.
According to a Winona police report, the woman came out of a residence in the 1700 block of West Seventh Street and was putting a child in the back seat of a car when she was approached by a group of men and women who argued with her, punched her and hit her with a pole.
During the fight and argument, the woman's cousin used pepper spray to try to disperse the crowd. When that did not work, the woman told police she did not feel safe, so she removed a gun from her purse and fired three shots in the air, according to the report. At that time, the alleged assailants fled.
When police arrived, no one was outside, but witnesses directed police to the home where the woman went after the fight. She told police she had fired the shots and handed over a 9 mm Smith and Wesson handgun. The gun had ammunition similar to the spent casings found outside. Bostrack said the woman has a license to carry a firearm.
Currently, no one is under arrest, and no one has been charged. Bostrack said the county attorney's office will determine whether to charge those who allegedly assaulted the woman or charge the woman with discharging a firearm.