In that same thread, one poster callously said, “It’s too bad about the bystanders. I call it gene pool cleansing.”
I don’t think any comment is necessary on that one.
Never forget that we live in a time when police detectives are smart enough to get a warrant to seize the computers of those they investigate. Technology originally developed to track pornographers, child molesters, and white collar criminals will be applied to determine what Internet boards you may have posted to. When statements like “It’s too bad about the bystanders. I call it gene pool cleansing,” are discovered and tracked to the suspect, his conviction for something from attempted murder upward is almost a slam-dunk.
Ignorance won’t save you. You’ve heard and read people say that over-penetration is irrelevant because missed shots are a more likely danger. First, a defense that says in essence, “You must forgive me this mistake because I figured I’d probably make a much worse mistake” is a frail reed that will not withstand the gale-force winds of cross-examination. Second, 53 percent misses versus 46 percent shoot-throughs in the unintentional bystander shootings in New York hardly makes the latter “irrelevant.” 52 % misses versus 42 percent shoot-throughs in the friendly fire shootings of cops in the same study obviously shows that the over-penetrating bullet is not an “irrelevant” danger.
The next time some Internet ninja advises you to load ball ammo for home or public defense, think of the above thirty cases. They are documented reality. And they are not the only such cases.
Collective reality has given us a message, and it is this: Save the over-penetrating “hardball” for range practice. Load your concealed carry or home defense handgun with ammunition designed, and proven to be likely, to stay inside the body of the offender who forces you to shoot him. It’s the responsible thing to do.