# Could you kill a man? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 27, 2010, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-kill-a-man/551720 "2010-08-27T21:44:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-kill-a-man/551720/81 "2010-08-30T03:44:57Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#): > > I’ve killed so many, I don’t hardly break a sweat anymore. Hmmm… protecting your crop? ---
**Author:** ![king\_gorilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9fc29f/32.png) [@king\_gorilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/king_gorilla)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-kill-a-man/551720/82 "2010-08-30T08:46:01Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > I don’t love this about myself, but I could. What scares me is it probably wouldn’t take much. I have a very tenuous grip on my temper, and have gotten myself into enough pickles to be amazed _I’m_ still walking around. A number of years ago, I hurt one of my neighbors pretty badly because he said something to my wife I felt was inappropriate. Afterward, I felt horrible, because no matter what my perception was, he didn’t deserve what I did. I don’t know how far I’d go when I’m set off, so I avoid potentially uncomfortable/volatile situations as much as possible. But yeah, I could kill someone, and I wouldn’t need a gun. > > \ NM. TMI. Onomatopoeia - Sticking my noise where it doesn’t belong… If you realize you have rage and/or anger, and/or impulse control issues when angered, to the extent a close call left you regretful and lucky that you still have your freedom - you should DO something about it. There is no shame in counseling, maybe read some behavior management books, whatever you need to do. I have personally met some people who have destroyed their lives because they couldn’t control themselves after insults, someone made a pass at their wife, wife/girlfriend cheated, etc… I understand fighting for your wife’s honor (as in your case), but I bet your incarceration for X amount of years would be more detrimental to her than even the most vulgar statement. Just some free unsolicited advice from an anonymous person on an internet message board. That said, I voted yes to all. If someone was threatening me or my family with extreme or deadly force, I could kill them. I doubt I would have much regret in that instance, and would sleep easy as soon as the adrenaline wore off. In war, despite whether you agree with the cause, it’s kill or be killed and I’m going to do what I have to do to get home. Depending on the situations, I can see some potential guilt issues arising from such an event. I also checked other, because I have a pretty active imagination. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-kill-a-man/551720/83 "2010-08-30T10:31:17Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#): > > I’ve killed so many, I don’t hardly break a sweat anymore. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xC03hmS1Brk/hqdefault.jpg "I Kill People") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC03hmS1Brk) ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-kill-a-man/551720/84 "2010-08-30T11:49:12Z")
I’ve killed mothers with their babies. I’ve killed great philosophers, proud young warriors and revolutionaries. I’ve killed the evil, the good, the intelligent, the weak, and the beautiful. I have done this in the service of His Divine Shadow and his predecessors, and I have never once shown any mercy. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-kill-a-man/551720/85 "2010-08-30T13:51:09Z")
> [@king\_gorilla](#): > > > [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > > > I don’t love this about myself, but I could. What scares me is it probably wouldn’t take much. I have a very tenuous grip on my temper, and have gotten myself into enough pickles to be amazed _I’m_ still walking around. A number of years ago, I hurt one of my neighbors pretty badly because he said something to my wife I felt was inappropriate. Afterward, I felt horrible, because no matter what my perception was, he didn’t deserve what I did. I don’t know how far I’d go when I’m set off, so I avoid potentially uncomfortable/volatile situations as much as possible. But yeah, I could kill someone, and I wouldn’t need a gun. > > > > \ NM. TMI. > > Onomatopoeia - > > Sticking my noise where it doesn’t belong… If you realize you have rage and/or anger, and/or impulse control issues when angered, to the extent a close call left you regretful and lucky that you still have your freedom - you should DO something about it. There is no shame in counseling, maybe read some behavior management books, whatever you need to do. I have personally met some people who have destroyed their lives because they couldn’t control themselves after insults, someone made a pass at their wife, wife/girlfriend cheated, etc… I understand fighting for your wife’s honor (as in your case), but I bet your incarceration for X amount of years would be more detrimental to her than even the most vulgar statement. Just some free unsolicited advice from an anonymous person on an internet message board. Oh, of course you’re right, and I have gone through counseling, both prior and subsequent to the incident I referenced. I mean it’s not as though I don’t realize I have this issue. The challenge, however, is not that I don’t value or respect other human beings, because I do, nor do I go out of my way to look for trouble. The challenge is when I’ve lost my temper, in that instant, I have an uncontrollable, visceral urge to react as fiercely as I am able. I don’t intellectualize the impetus (until after). In fact, it happens so quickly, I wonder if it even reaches the part of my brain that weighs consequences. Like I alluded in my previous post, I’m not at all proud of my inclination in this regard. I Don’t believe people have the right to hurt others, and had I the ability to ignore, or simply walk away, when affronted, I would, but I don’t. So I will continue to have to actively work to control my nature until age softens me, or I’ve been placed six feet under. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-kill-a-man/551720/86 "2010-08-30T15:49:00Z")
> [@Susanann](#): > > > [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > > > As it happens, I to have a concealed-carry permit. I never carry a weapon, so the above scenario is unlikely. But a CCW does allow me to forego a waiting period if I want to buy a new handgun. > > I think you are an exception. > > I would guess almost all/most CCW holders have already made the decision to kill if necessary in order to protect oneself or ones family in danger. > > Everyone working as a police officer has also made that decision to kill. > > The poll numbers on this topic of 77% and 79% are not true at all. The “real poll” is the number of Americans who have actually made the decision to kill if necessary and who hold CCW’s. Those people who dont have CCW’s, most of them, probably would not kill in any real life situation but they would cower and give up. It is not a game, and it is not a hypothetical question. It is real. > > Bottom line: When you get right down to it, its really a very small number of people who are willing to kill, and who have demonstrated their ability to kill by owning and carrying a gun, just a few percent of the American total population have CCW’s. Not necessarily. For many years I neither owned a gun nor had a CCW permit for one simple reason: a gun would have been an expensive investment that I couldn’t justify based on my income and how urgently I needed one. I would have cheerfully brained an intruder with a steel pipe if it had come to that. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-kill-a-man/551720/87 "2010-08-30T15:55:09Z")
Yes to all assuming by “man” you mean “human”. I refuse to discriminate against any sex, race, religion, age, national origin, or sexual orientation when it comes to killing them. ---
**Author:** ![FallenAngel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@FallenAngel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FallenAngel)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-kill-a-man/551720/88 "2010-08-30T21:56:28Z")
I’ve been very close to having to make that decision on a few occasions in my life. Luckily, the other party quit or was taken down without actual lethal force having to come into play, but yes, in the right circumstance I could kill someone and sleep like a baby as soon as the adrenalin passed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-kill-a-man/551720.md?page=4)