Do you believe you are capable of killing another human being?

Yes. When its as easy as pulling a trigger, yes.

Yes, out of self defense.

I think that I could if I had no other choice but, depending on the weapons available, I don’t know if I would be physically able to do it.

In defense of myself or someone else, yes. It’d be a maximum adrenaline experience and who knows what all else (who hasn’t done it), though. I’m sure it’s different for different people, as we all have different meanings and associations in our heads. I’ve felt partly responsible for some violence before, and there was more to deal with, especially afterward, than just taking or failing to take an action.

e.g. When I startled a cat by walking by and it rushed out into the street and got hit by a car. Or when my car hit another car with people in it – it made me consider stopping driving, just to avoid the possibility that would happen again.

I could if someone was doing something to a member of my family or myself. It would have to be that radical of a thing happening though. I can’t even kill bugs on a normal day. I let spiders climb on a paper towel and then I let them out the back door. But someone do something to my family and that person is dead as fast as I can make it happen.

Mentally..nope because its no coming back from that. But if I had to defend myself I try and hurt them enough where they couldn’t hurt me…I always said that if I had to shoot someone I would shoot them in the leg.

Yes.

Yes, in self defense, like an intruder in my home I believe I could kill someone. But, it would be very difficult for me to do it up close I think. What I mean is, with a gun would be easier than say a knife. I actually think if someone came in and started attacking my family or myself if I could knock the person out, I would keep banging away to make sure he could not get up again. I would not take the time to check if he was dead dead or not, but I would give him more than one lump on his head once he was down if I was already right next to him. I hate in the movies when the intruder is able to get back up and start terrorizing again.

War might be different. I cannot imagine going to war and killing others. I tend to think of the other soldiers as being just like me, and the people at the top as being the assholes. It would depend on the circumstance.

Someone came after my kids I would kill them twice and be damn glad I did.

Yes, if anyone friends or family were in danger I coud do it out of self defense. It would probably have a great affect on me mentally though, for the rest of my life.

I find it hard to kill a bug, but if it were a “Kill or be killed” situation or if another humans life was at stake and I could prevent it, I wouldn’t hesitate. Hopefully I would have a gun or a cast iron skillet.

If they were in attack mode and I shot them and they accidentally died, then yes, but I’d consider it a grievous accident because I’m not a great shot.

@druebeall – I hit a guy trying to shimmy into our ground floor flat through the small bathroom window with a cast iron skillet. It was a little 7” one and I was 5. Imagine If I were 16 and it was the big 12” one! I surely would have grievously, if not fatally, injured him.

Only if they die laughing…then it would just be an accident.

Yep.

I know I am physically capable, I can pull a trigger. Mentally though, I doubt it.

Kill or be killed? Yeah, I could pull the trigger or cave their head in with my skillet. Mentally I’d struggle with the after effects.

Capable? Yes.
Mentally? It depends.

If they were threatening my life or the life of someone I cared about, then yes. Otherwise nope.

It’s sort of a moot point; I wouldn’t do it.

I have serious issues with many countries having a military. But that’s another story.

I’m in favour of defensive military, by all means. If we’re invaded, gimme a damned gun and I’ll go apeshit. But under other circumstances, no.

I feel similarly about home invasion and such.

yes. I’m sure I would not like anything about it but if it was going to be me or him, it’s going to be him, or her? I believe it is hard wired into all of us to some degree. Anyone who lets themselves get maimed or killed so as not to add to the violence in the world is a damned fool.

Yes.

@aprilsimnel I said the cast iron skillet because I had just watched Boston Legal and it was about a little man who killed 2 people with a cast iron skillet and came to his demise when Betty White hit him with one.

Yes. If I was in a situation where killing someone was necessary to save myself, or to save someone close to me, then I would have no problem.

@druebeall – Wow. Poor little man. You mess with Betty White at your peril, you really do.

Only under very unusual circumstances and only as a last resort. For example when someone is about to kill my children.