Marine. Infantry. With 4 combat tours. Purple Heart Recipient. Navy/Marine Corps Commendation with Combat 'V' recipient.
I'm not a keyboard combatant theorizing about what I "think." Been there, done that, took lives, saved lives, got the tshirts......I lived those situations day in and day out in the streets. In fact I've lived in those situations more than I've spent physical time in the last three houses I've had.
Today marks the 9th anniversary of the first time I ever had to fire a shot in anger......Operation Phantom Fury/Al Fajr Fallujah, Iraq.
Under you precepts, no matter where or what, if it's obvious you can't escape, then shooting to kill is the only option.
There are plenty of things you can do before you pull that trigger. But if it comes down to pulling a trigger with a lethal round in the chamber - it is to kill. Period. Guns chambered with lethal rounds are fired (lethal force) when lethal force is a necessity.
It's called Escalation Of Force.
But, you seem to think otherwise.
So tell me smart guy.........where is your warning shot going? Into who's car? Who is in the car? Can your round go through and through the care? Is someone on the other side of that car? Can your round ricochet off that car? Are sure?
What wall is your "warning shot" going to hit? Can your round penetrate that wall? Are sure? Who is behind that wall? Are you sure? How did you see that, xray vision?
What innocent bystander is it going to be hit?. Are you sure?
Ok, you shot in the air, where is that bullet coming down? Who/what is in the vicinity? Are you sure?
You are allegedly so in fear for your life and safety that you fired into the ceiling, will your aggressor seize the opportunity to shoot/harm you while you're brandishing a firearm? Are you sure? Bet your life on it? Bet your loved ones' lives on it?
Warning shots show no other purpose but to warn everyone around you that you are reckless and shouldn't handle firearms.
But please, by all means educate me, as you are obviously and demonstrably an expert.
Your combat experience should mean you have a superb sense of situational awareness - God Bless for your service ( I spent 24 years in uniform in AF and was never sent in harms way).
If no safe (I believe I used the word "receptacle" earlier) place to put it, then no warning round. Not as young and chipper at 61 as I once was - I'm not as prone to wait until there is absolutely no way to deescalate as I once was.
I'm not prone to "brandishing a firearm" and I'm aware enough of my situation that I can generally have a good idea if I need to be prepared to defend myself - the first step of which is to try to get some distance. I'm very grounded in reality and have had a couple tense moments where I was prepared to take my weapon in my hand, but managed to defuse without having to let anyone know I was armed - neither of those situations would have allowed a warning shot so the desire to defuse was great for everyone's safety.
I appreciate the combat experience, hate the ROE you guys have to suffer, but I will go to my grave maintaining that there are situations where a warning shot may be appropriate and safe. While my general rule is very like what you lay out, I believe that there are situations where it's not necessary to wait until shooting to kill is the only option left. Neither me or my wife will hesitate to do what's needed to preserve our life and I have taught her more along your lines because I want to give her the best chance to survive without having to do any extra thinking. Where I may put one or two rounds on target, she is to follow the body mass down until it's time to insert a spare mag.
My prayer is that neither of us has to kill another human being but to be prepared to do so if it ever forces itself on us. I am always more polite when armed (every place but the base I work on) and even willing to let myself "lose face" if it will serve to defuse a situation.
At any rate - I thank you for your concern, but your experience (even killing) doesn't make you the world's expert on across the board situations. You may have used weapons "in anger", but I have used them longer and been around them longer. Learned to aim at age of 4 (Daisy BB gun with saw horse to support the barrel) in '56 and grew up as a NRA/Shooting range brat. Field stripped a 1911 at 10 in '62 (needed to be strong enough to defeat the springs and clean it before I was allowed to shoot it), and watched my father use a gun to stop an intended robber without having to fire the shot. He explained what went down, the potential for harm to us, what his options were as he saw them, and why he made the decision he did instead of killing the guy. He also explained that another 6 inches of closure would have made for a different outcome.
I know myself and I'm not prone to panic (If I have a strong reaction it's after the fact instead of during). I'm sure you trust yourself in situations where you don't trust others - you're not the only one that feels that way, and not the only one who has personal "creds" to validate that sense of ability.
I hope I managed to keep from throwing out any insults. If I did, I have confidence that, willing to toss them, you are also able to absorb them without emotional damage.
We live in a world of a thousand shades of gray. Black and white are only idealistic concepts when humans are put in the mix. Your question about where my warning shot would go indicates you are attempting to live in a black and white world where only familiar/accepted options exist. I used to live there but time out of the womb keeps on changing and tweaking the philosophies of life and living. Hell, the last 12 years of FR have affected me.
Stay safe Warrior and thanks again for your service.