“The View” co-host Joy Behar was quickly informed on-air why police cannot just shoot an attacker’s leg instead of their torso.
During a segment on Tuesday, Behar questioned why people seeking to fend off attackers use lethal force.
“It’s like police sometimes, when they shoot somebody. It’s like can’t you shoot them in the leg? Why do you have to shoot them in the head?” she asked.
It did not take long for Behar to get an answer.
Co-host Sara Haines responded, “That’s a false… Having dated a homicide detective, he used to tell me when he hears that on TV his eyes roll.”
“Because you have to shoot, when you’re trained with a weapon, for the mass of the body. So to shoot a leg or a wrist happens in a James Bond film, but in real life that’s actually not something that they can do,” she continued.
She added, “It’s hard enough to hit a target. So when you target practice on a mass, which is the main part of your body — your torso.”
Watch the video below:
Joy thinks we live in a movie where shots to the extremities stop attackers.
Seemingly ignorant that ranges exist she whines: “If it’s hard to hit a target, why do these gun toters want us to constantly have guns when we’re not trained to even shoot as well as a police officer?” pic.twitter.com/6yNFYgg3zQ— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) May 9, 2023
One reason law enforcement and gun owners train to shoot at the torso, or center mass, is because there is a smaller chance of them missing their target.
Between the adrenaline and the target probably moving, it is more difficult to get a smaller target like a hand or leg lined up in time to stop a threat than aiming for a larger target like the torso.
The other reason is that even if an officer or gun owner manages to hit an attacker in the leg or hand, it likely will not stop them.
To answer Behar’s latter question, if you stop by a gun range or gun store and talk to the staff, you would hear the staff talk about how important it is for firearm owners to learn about safety and train with their gun.
If you asked most “gun toters,” as Behar called them, they would probably express horror and dismay at the idea of someone thinking they can carry a gun around and shoot like James Bond without any training.
You do not need to go to a police academy or be an expert marksman to be able to hit your target. You can practice at a range and take lessons to gain at least enough proficiency to protect yourself.
But it is unrealistic to think police and civilians should be able to just aim for the legs or hands.