The Aristocrats.
No way, I do not hit the man! As caveat lector says, if he kills him it’s on his head, and I won’t beat someone senseless just because of that. I know he dies, don’t tell me that, but I am not the one killing him, am I? I don’t need the horrid memories of me beating someone to within an inch of their lives for the rest of their life - mine must still go on.
Should be a joke in there somewhere if he walked into a bar instead of someone’s home.
You don’t have to shit on the guy, or fuck him.
I voted before I read-
I would let him kill the bad guy hostage, and I would NOT maim the individual to save his life.
I was picturing a shoot through the shoulder to kill the hostage-taker scenario, which might kill the hostage, might maim, certainly badly damage- that I would do in a heartbeat. Much more important to kill the bad guy because I would believe that he would put many more people at risk if he had the opportunity.
I would like to believe that I would want the LEOs to fire through me to save the other hostages and kill the hostage taker.
**
Skald.**…ya might want to reconsider that one. Particularly if you think about the advisability of any damn body trying to enter my home with less force than the 82nd Airborne typically brings to bear.
As for the OP, the gun wielding sadist is a dead man. If he’s dumb enough to hand me a hammer…assuming that I’m temporarily bereft of firearms due to me inexplicably going out in a boat yet again…I will feed him the hammer.
If I haven’t been boating recently, then I probably have a bigger gun, and more skill in using same. Plus I got my mad on, because I do not like being disturbed at all, and especially not for other people’s drama.
Add to that the fact that football season is almost here. If the guy not only disturbs me with other people’s drama, but also interrupts my football watching, he will die in a lot more pain than he envisioned for his victim.
:: shrugging ::
I didn’t say it was MORALLY true, Oak. Just that the people with the most guns get to enter at will. That is what gun means.
ETA: I agree with the part of your post I clipped though–about turning the hammer on the attacker. But only for practical reasons. A man willing to present me with such a choice is going to come after me next; he’ll probably attempt to take me hostage and take me to his next tool’s abode. Even I–coward by principle–am going to have to try to take him out.
But I’d be doing something evil to do so as a primary effect. I don’t consider death to be the greatest evil.
So, this guy wants me to torture someone for him.
No.
If the victim is such a bad guy, the gun wielder needs to have the courage of his convictions. My ethics are not a tool for his revenge.
Yeah, I send 'em on their way. If dude thinks Mr. Evil deserves a beating or a bullet, HE can give either to him.
I see no reason to believe that the gun wielder is doing anything out of convictions.
If I believe the maniac will kill the hostage, then it’s also logical to assume they’ll kill me next to remove a witness, or use me as the next “hostage” in his Twilight Zone-esque game.
I’m taking that hammer and going for them instead of the hostage. Nothing to lose at that point.
You believe what the maniac says, that the hostage is evil, and that you will not be punished for refusing to use the hammer. The question is: would you inflict serious injury on someone to prevent someone else from doing even more damage?
Let the guy kill him. I got shit to do. I’m not going to waste my day pounding away at some dude with a hammer.
Absolutely, this is the winner! 
I don’t have to take part in the game. And I have the moral right to self preservation. I would try to stop the guy, primarily because I wouldn’t believe him. After he shot the hostage, he’d probably shoot me, or even shoot me first.
So I’d say yes, take the hammer, act all psycho like I wanted to maim the hostage, maybe break a leg if necessary. Really go over the top, foaming at the mouth, shaking, then take the dick with the gun out. Or die trying.
No, God (me) says you believe the guy with the gun will not hurt you. So, if your choice is to maim the hostage in order to keep the other guy from killing him, or staying out altogether which will result in the death of the hostage.
Can I take the hammer and then beat the shit out of the maniac just on general principles then?
Edited: OK, say I can’t. No, then I refuse to be a part of it.
Another ‘voted before reading’ - let the dude get shot. I was assuming something like the Joker robbing a bank.
Actually, you can resist in an attempt to save the hostage, at the risk of your own life. In fact, trying to save the hostage from the captor is the only scenario in which you might be hurt. Of course, the captor has a gun, and you have a hammer, and he appears really alert and very careful.