The Shameless Shooter
“Is there ever a situation where it is okay to shoot someone?” This question was posed during a debate in one of my English classes. We were sitting in a Socratic seminar-style circle on a rainy Tuesday. My brain ran through previous experiences and reviewed the morals my parents had instilled in me. Everyone was required to speak once and then leave the circle. One by one, students went around saying how they would never in a million years shoot someone, as it was against their belief system and ethical code. Even in the case of trespassing, most of the class felt shooting someone could be excessive unless your life was in immediate danger. For some reason, I had a unique viewpoint compared to my classmates. As chairs vacated, the circle got tighter, and my heart began to pound while I contemplated my answer. The penultimate person finished talking, so I nervously started to speak. “In my opinion, it is okay to shoot someone in the right situations. I believe shooting people is fine if it is with explicit consent, implied consent, or necessary in the interests of public safety.” My classmates looked puzzled.
As the staring intensified, I decided I should elaborate on my thoughts. I explained that regarding explicit consent, it is always acceptable to shoot someone if they specifically ask to be shot. They could request how they would like to be shot, and take the time to plan when and where they would like the shooting to take place. It is also common for that requester to provide the type of equipment they would prefer to be used on them and to call for the lighting and position in which they would most enjoy being shot.
For implied consent, I argued that someone is allowed to shoot someone even when that person is not aware that they are being shot. This condition suggests that it is alright to shoot a person when everyone is shooting each other. Instances such as concerts, football games, or plays could fit under this category. I gave an example of how famous athletes are always getting shot and how the photos from those events are often in news articles and magazines. Despite being permitted to, indiscriminately shooting strangers, like at a mall or a school, is frowned upon because it breaches someone’s human rights. Shooting people you know, I explained, is always better than shooting strangers.
The final circumstance I described in which it is justified to shoot someone is when public safety is being threatened. Giving the obvious answer of during times of war, I detailed how it is important to have shootings to make the history books more interesting.
I closed out my speech by saying that if I could have any job in the world regardless of consequences, I would want to be paid to shoot people. I explained that, in fact, I have shot multiple people and sometimes will go out of my way to shoot a particular person. To be honest, I couldn’t understand why this was such a controversial topic. Shooting people is so much fun, and I will always love photography.
Biographical Note:
Ellie Wardman is a sophomore at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and is majoring in Psychology with a minor in Writing. Her goal in life is to work with children and to one day become a published children’s book author and editor. Ellie enjoys writing, photography, and reading in her free time.