
Originally Posted by
Dead Man
None of this answers the question. When are the rules suspended, and why?
To lend you support: I can understand a need to be able to engage a question-mark. Soldier or police officer facing a possible threat may have his weapon at ready in the general direction of the subject, or even bead-on, until he can be sure the subject is not a threat. But in the photograph you posted, no exigency exists (the fact that you could devote the time and attention to digging out the phone, lining it up with the sights, and snapping the picture proves this). Furthermore, you seem to be defending using the weapon sight as a set of "binoculars." As though this is a common and general practice of yours for when you want to see something or someone closer.
It's good that you don't care what I think. But you brought this into the conversation, not me. I'm simply wanting to understand your logic.
You say "in a combat situation." Where is the line drawn? How specifically do the rules change? Is is a full suspension of the rules? Does a man's life mean less to you because of a combination of physical attributes, dress, language, and nationality? Would you use your weapon sight to scrutinize Americans?
I get the feeling, talking to some combat veterans, that there's a generalized sense of "we do what we have to and don't make excuses" when it comes to the rules in combat or combat zones. That's all fine and well, when it's a matter of lives. But I challenge the notion that this means one becomes the inventor of his own rules. Ethically, at least. That simply by having been in a firefight or twenty, one is enlightened to the point of being above the need for standards that apply to the safety or well being of other human beings.
I took a Ken Hackathorn class a few months ago. He said something to the effect of: the most important rule is to keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to shoot. Unless your weapon is grossly unsafe to handle or you get something caught in your trigger guard like a branch or your shirt when holstering it, the weapon won't go off.
We violate "every gun is loaded" and "don't point the weapon at something you don't want to destroy" all the time. ALL the time. Is the weapon loaded when you've removed the magazine, taken the upper and lower apart, and removed the bolt carrier? According to the rules of gun safety, yes, it is. It's not only loaded, but it can still apparently destroy things when it's sitting on your bench and is essentially nothing more than a metal pipe with rails.
In urban environments when working with a team, you'll muzzle sweep your team at some point. They'll do it to you too. But it's unavoidable.
The one key thing is to keep your finger off the trigger. All other rules are a distant second, third, and fourth in priority. They're still important, but in even a potential life or death situation, it's perfectly with the intent of the safety rules to use your weapon scope to ID your target. It's not a good idea to do that AND have your finger on the trigger.
"I never learned from a man who agreed with me." Robert A. Heinlein
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