General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Mother arrested for firing gun in the air to get attackers off her daughter [View all]moriah
(8,311 posts)Stray bullets can go anywhere -- what goes up must come down. One of the prime rules is to know your target and what is beyond it before shooting -- you have no idea where a shot into the air is going to go. But more than that, it's kind of like what my stepfather did when he was drinking heavily -- he tried to take a firearm out of the house onto the front porch in a verbal confrontation with someone. He didn't intend to shoot anyone, just planned to wave it around to "scare" the person.
It didn't help my PTSD any to have to be the one to stand between him and the door and tell him in a firm, loud, commanding voice to "Put that goddamn gun down NOW", but he did. My mother had unsuccessfully tried to sweet-talk him into putting it down and he wasn't listening, and I was absolutely terrified the thing would go off and a stray bullet would hit my mother, since she was so close to him and thought she could take it away from him.
Guns are too fucking dangerous to take out unless you are in fear for your life. Fear enough that you truly believe the only way you will get out alive is to kill. If not, you shouldn't draw.