A few weeks ago I asked the question: If SHTF, Could You and Would You Shoot Someone? This article resulted in an outpouring of comments not only here at Backdoor Survival but at Activist Post, SHTF Plan Blog and a couple of other sites that were given permission to reprint this article.

I also received quite a few direct emails. Today, I would like to share one of the more poignant pieces from an ex-marine and current member of the law enforcement community in main stream America.

I once used deadly force against an armed robber/rapist. People analyze the law, and think it will guide them in lethal encounters,, but it won’t. My district attorney was satisfied that my incident was within the bounds of the law, because it was an offender fleeing from a violent crime that I actually witnessed. Legally of course, he was correct. But that wasn’t the reason I shot.

I had many people tell me that they don’t know if they could have done it emotionally, because he was running away and I couldn’t have either if he was just running.

But, what “pulled the trigger in my head”, was that he was running with a gun, towards cops that could not see what I had seen. And furthermore, I knew they were in mortal danger. They were also in a bad position to defend themselves because there were also many innocent bystanders in the area.

The instant that all became clear to me, I fired the shotgun.