Victim decides NOT to shoot attacker!

[chances R]

ET Pat.  Please explain a non-lethal weapon.  At the point of attack; and that is what we are talking about...an attack.  No one knows how that is going to end, or when it will end.  Just about any weapon can result in serious bodily harm, if not lethal at some point.  Certainly a pellet gun can be lethal as noted by several posters  My loss of vision would be life-changing, not to mention career changing and very severely effect my family.  So if I'm on the jury, yes, this gentleman was attacked and risked significant bodily harm, if not loss of life.  Also what about protection of his girl friend.  How do you know what the attacker has in mind.  A gun is a gun, especially in an attack.  If you don't think so, point your water pistol at an officer sometime.

[vontar]

Quinnell, who declined an interview request by the Times, has been arrested 10 times in Florida since 2006, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Many of the arrests involved battery charges and violent threats.

...

As a felon, Quinnell was banned from carrying firearms. That's why, he told deputies Thursday night, he carried the pellet gun instead. He told them he burned the gun after the shooting.

 

 

hmm, only been arrested 10 times since 2006?  So average is just over twice a year

He is 25 so he has a record going back to when he was 18-19.

 

This 11th time they need to really throw the book at him.  I am not a big fan of enhancing sentences with the hate crime but with the past record I believe this would be one of the ones I would support using it.

[TMF]

[quote name="East_TN_Patriot" post="878322" timestamp="1357597606"] I'm just curious how many would be criticizing him had he shot someone over a pellet gun.[/quote] Not me. Just to put this in perspective, had this man been an LEO I am fairly certain the LEO would have shot him and it would have been justified. What is the difference between an LEO using deadly force in self defense vs the average citizen?