If you own one...

[DireWolf]

I know hundreds if not more people who own a firearm and have asked every one of them the following question.

 Can you use it to kill another human being? A hard question to be sure and some may call it unnecessary but it vitally important. This is the same question that concealed carry instructors as well as or armed forces ask each person they train. It needs to be so or you put an others life in jeopardy

There is no more precious gift one can possess than the gift of life and be sure no one has the right to arbitrarily take yours or that of another. Period.
 
Of the many I have questioned it was to my dismay when I received the answer "I could never take a life even in the defense of my own or that of a family member" to them I regretfully accepted their decision and wished the the best with the hell they know will soon to be unleashed.

 I am not looking for actual responses here don't need big sis knowing where you stand but do hope you carefully consider this most important question. May you never have to incur such a situation where you will be tested. This may as yet seem a remote scenario but history teaches us that tyrants, and  power hungry thugs have and will once again force this choice upon humanity, it is but a matter of time.

[MonkeyPuppet]

I have given this very question much thought.  It is my opinion that anyone who owns (and carries) a firearm for self defense must possess not only the proper training to operate their weapon with confidence under stress, but also the will to use it should the situation warrant.

It is a serious question.  However, I find it easy to answer (personally) because if someone else makes the choice to act in such a way that is intended to cause undue harm to myself or those around me, it is not necessarily my choice to intervene, but rather a duty.  The choice was theirs to make, and at the the point at which it is clear they have made it, I must be ready to respond with whatever level of force is necessary to ensure my safety and that of those around me.  I am not a member of law enforcement, so I don't have the luxury of calling for backup.  My only tools are my wit and my handgun... and when used together, I am only a danger to those doing harm to myself and others.  I am willing to press the trigger, magazine after magazine if necessary, until the threat is over.  If the perpetrator of the crime dies as a result, that will not be what keeps me up that night.

For those that are unsure about the answer, leave your gun at home.  Firearms are dangerous when the operator is either lacking in training or unwilling to use it when necessary.  Not only do you put your life at risk (assuming you were not the first target), but should you hesitate and lose possession to the perpetrator, they now have a more efficient means of causing harm.

For those that would answer "yes" [in self defense], keep up the great work... train hard, carry often.