Shooting to stop kidnapping

In light of young Jessica Ridgeway's disappearance, and unfortunate discovery of a yet-to-be identified body last night just a few miles from my house, I pose the following scenario:

It’s 6:30 pm on Saturday evening. Dusk is beginning, and your kids are out playing in the front yard. Despite your admonishments, they still have not come in for dinner. As you open your front door, the first screams echo in your breezeway. Thinking somebody crashed their bike, you hurry around the garage to the following horrifying sight.

Two houses down, your 6 year old son is standing in the middle of the street screaming and crying. About twenty feet from him an older model sedan is stopped slightly skewed towards the curb. You clearly make out a middle aged man finish forcing your 10 year old daughter into the backseat of the car. Another man serves as the driver, and begins to pull away as soon as the doors shut. Instinctively, you have already covered most of the distance to the car, but you will not be able to catch it.

Your thoughts immediately turn to the pocket carry Model 37 snub in your cargo shorts. Do you engage the driver/engine/tires of the car? Does the threat of wounding or killing your child outweigh the horrible evil danger they are already in? Should you just take note of the license plate number and attempt to following in your own vehicle while calling 911?

Please comment.

Thanks,

Hunter

I think I'm seeing red, and shooting at the car, with the idea that I can stop the car and kill the driver then the kidnapper. Logically, I probably won't accomplish this while shooting a handgun at a moving car. But instinctively/emotionally I would do so anyway.

Another way of looking is that once the pedophiles get your child and drive away, she most likely will not survive anyway....

I would probably try to shoot th driver, might not make the most sense, but that's what I would instinctively do

MY 10 year old daughter?!? I'm a tire shooter & the perps better pray that I'm empty...before they exit the immobile car. Sorry to say it boys, but I'll drop 'em both like a hot horseshoe. No warning & no mercy. *makes my blood pressure go up just sitting here thinkin' about it.

I would shoot the driver as well. No hesitation at all no one is taking my daughter period.

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As hard as it is to believe there are those that would just try to get a plate number. I would be aiming a bit higher.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ghost tracker

MY 10 year old daughter?!? I'm a tire shooter & the perps better pray that I'm empty...before they exit the immobile car. Sorry to say it boys, but I'll drop 'em both like a hot horseshoe. No warning & no mercy. *makes my blood pressure go up just sitting here thinkin' about it.

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+100!!!
Anyone attempts to harm my babies and... well lets just say that I would gladly go to prison if it means they are safe.

If they are able to pull away and I'm not able to stop them, the last thing that my kid will remember of me if he or she doesn't make it back, is the sound of breaking glass and ripping metal as I empty a magazine trying to stop them.

I shoot. Hand gun shots are not as deadly as child kidnappings.

Unfortunately, I'm always using these types of situations as learning tools for my kids. Told my oldest about this tragedy when it first occurred and what to do. Well this AM, she told me about the body being found. When I pick them all (got 3 total) up from school...daddy will reinforce "stranger danger" and what to do AGAIN. But these types of conversations are not new to my kids, especially the ending sentence "daddy loves you"!

As far as the tread topic...an old Detroit street term "I'M DUMPNG"

Where is your car? Do you have your keys with you? Realisticaly sitting here nice and calm behind a keyboard I would say to immediatly get to your car and give chase (and hopefully you got the car description). By the time you start shooting and realize nothing is going to happen the vehicle is now possibly 100s of yards away and you lost a lot of time to get into your vehicle to give chase while you contact the police.

Chances are that unless you hit the driver the car is going to keep going. The tires blow out mostly in movies. I went to a training course where you try to stop a car by shooting at the tires and it is not like the movies.

But.....I do not think there is a right answer. If you can give chase and they see you they might stop and throw the kid out and take off again.

It's interesting to see the number of players that would try to engage a moving target with live fire that is pulling away with a family member inside the line of fire with a snub nose handgun in the middle of an adrenaline dump.

Accurate shots with a snub nose possible? Sure.

Running shooter, moving target, family member in the line of fire, low light (dusk),adrenaline rush? Odds of a good shot on bad guy or vehicle disabling? Odds of hitting your own family member?

Could you live with yourself if you were the one to end a family members life while shooting at a moving vehicle?

Just food for thought and a few more questions.

I would have to take the shot. I would aim for the driver. Cars can go a long way on blown tires, but they stop real quick with dead drivers.

I've seen far too much of what happens to children in the hands of people like that.

Well if the car is driving away I am aiming for fuel tank and tires and rear window. Rear window busted out makes ID much easier for LEO. If I am lucky enough to hit the tires the car is not going far. Fuel tank hit will also limit distance the car can travel and it will leave a trail to follow. I am also hoping the neighbors are calling 911 for shots fired which should get LEO en route in a hurry.

Now if the car is coming at me first shots are at the radiator then if enough time drivers outline in the windshield. Again thinking disable the car. Even if I don't stop the car now they will not get far with holes in the radiator. Most likely the car is alreay hot so radiator will empty in a hurry and motor will stop in a few minutes. There will be a trail of fluid to follow that way. From there they had better hope the LEO finds them. It will not end well for them if I get to there first with a fresh mag.

All this sounds good typing this. As to my actual ability to hit the tires or fuel tank of a car moving away from me at some distance greater than 30 yards with my heartrate through the roof from running and the adreneline dump, not totally sure. Being able to hit the radiator may be easier but again standing in front of a car speeding toward me....Lucky for me all my kids are older. Now if it is a neighbor hood kid it makes this whole situation a lot more difficult. How do you know what is going on is what you think is going on? If its your kids you know they don't belong in that car. Neighbors kids...not so sure.

Probably take the shot, go for my car and call for help......would be a mean scene..