Reply #74: I understand that self defense is where I part ways with the party

[pokerfan]

They should have been called first. Violence never solves anything. Now the kid will be looking for you. I hope this doesn't excalate.

If I am armed at the time, I drawing and backing away and calling for someone to call the cops. I'm not an officer but my work involves riding around with law enforcement officers. I am trained and licensed to carry CCW. I swear to God I hope I never have to use it. There is something called the 21 foot rule. Feel free to google it. That is the distance at which a subject can wound or kill a LEO before he can defend himself.

"It's just a boxcutter, not a real knife."

We have several major arteries and veins pretty close to the surface. Amnd even just manually defending myself against someone with "just a boxcutter" could result in serious damage to my hands, severed tendons, etc. Career ending injuries.

In this case, pepper spray is not an option. The first priority when dealing with an edged weapon is distance. Ask any LEO. I can't effectively shoot pepper spray from 21 feet. Pepper spray is for instances when lethal force is not reaquired. But anyone who carries a firearm should also carry pepper spray because it allows you to moderate your response.

The cold harsh reality is that there teally are monsters out there, And they are walking on two legs. This guy in the pool room may or may not qualify as a monster, but if he's threatening me or my own with a lethal weapon, I'm going to defend myself.

Feel free to kick me out here.