3 ms·

I have never understood why the police in the US shoot to kill(chest area) as opposed to disarming or injuring by shooting in the leg.

by vkat 6y ago

ailun 6y ago
Because that’s action movie nonsense. The issue is that they pull out their guns too easily, not the place they aim them. Guns are not a tool for disarming or wounding. For one thing, a leg shot can easily kill. Second, it’s extremely difficult to make that shot with a pistol, even for trained police. Third, if someone has a weapon and they are about to kill someone (which is the only time police should be pulling out their guns), a leg shot might not stop them quickly enough. And disarming someone with a bullet is absurd except in very rare stand-off situations where the person is sitting still, and a sniper has had time to get set up.
waste_monk 6y ago
1) A firearm with live ammunition is explicitly a lethal weapon. You must not fire one at something you don't intend to kill, even if you "only" end up maiming the target. There's also a reasonable chance you'll kill someone if you shoot a limb, e.g. if you hit an artery. Guns are not to be trifled with. 2) Per [1] the surface area of your torso is about double that of one leg (that is, anterior torso is 18%, an individual leg anterior is 9%), so it's far more likely to hit if you aim for the torso. Even if you aim for a torso and miss, you might hit a limb or head - it's a lot less likely to miss a limb and hit something else. 3) The research behind the Tueller anti-knife self defence drill found an attacker with a knife could cover 21 ft / 6.4 metres in about 1.5 seconds. To stop the attack, you have to be able to shoot them before they can close to melee range - you must aim for the largest possible target to have any hope of success. I am not commenting on US police practices generally, but specifically that the idea you can shoot to wound is neither responsible nor practical. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_body_surface_area https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_body_surface_area
Buttons840 6y ago
If a situation allows for shooting at the legs, then it is not serious enough to justify shooting at all.

I have never understood why the police in the US shoot to kill(chest area) as opposed to disarming or injuring by shooting in the leg.

by vkat 6y ago

I have never understood why the police in the US shoot to kill(chest area) as opposed to disarming or injuring by shooting in the leg.

ailun 6y ago

Because that’s action movie nonsense. The issue is that they pull out their guns too easily, not the place they aim them. Guns are not a tool for disarming or wounding. For one thing, a leg shot can easily kill. Second, it’s extremely difficult to make that shot with a pistol, even for trained police. Third, if someone has a weapon and they are about to kill someone (which is the only time police should be pulling out their guns), a leg shot might not stop them quickly enough. And disarming someone with a bullet is absurd except in very rare stand-off situations where the person is sitting still, and a sniper has had time to get set up.

waste_monk 6y ago

1) A firearm with live ammunition is explicitly a lethal weapon. You must not fire one at something you don't intend to kill, even if you "only" end up maiming the target. There's also a reasonable chance you'll kill someone if you shoot a limb, e.g. if you hit an artery. Guns are not to be trifled with. 2) Per [1] the surface area of your torso is about double that of one leg (that is, anterior torso is 18%, an individual leg anterior is 9%), so it's far more likely to hit if you aim for the torso. Even if you aim for a torso and miss, you might hit a limb or head - it's a lot less likely to miss a limb and hit something else. 3) The research behind the Tueller anti-knife self defence drill found an attacker with a knife could cover 21 ft / 6.4 metres in about 1.5 seconds. To stop the attack, you have to be able to shoot them before they can close to melee range - you must aim for the largest possible target to have any hope of success. I am not commenting on US police practices generally, but specifically that the idea you can shoot to wound is neither responsible nor practical. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_body_surface_area https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_body_surface_area

Buttons840 6y ago

If a situation allows for shooting at the legs, then it is not serious enough to justify shooting at all.