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So the basic question is a theoretical, unlikely scenario but using fingers instead of toes is:
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-babinski-reflex.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
or
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-plantar-reflex.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

In children and adults, the appearance of the Babinski reflex is a sign of a neurological disorder which may affect the brain or spinal cord, But typical in kids under age 2.

I wonder if mentally underdeveloped perpetrators would do the opposite of "normal" in finger reflex

curling vs. extension.

Purplehood wrote:

george wrote:I was once told by a Federal guy that a shot in the head would probably stop him from pulling the trigger.
Take that for what it's worth.

Was it a TSA Agent?

Could have been, but he now works at Academy behind the gun counter.

speedsix wrote:...no...

Here's the answer. It could have ended here, but noooooo ...

AndyC wrote:The cerebellum at the rear base of the brain is sometimes called the "magic walnut" or "apricot". Destroying that is considered to have the effect desired - instant crumple with zero nervous response capable of pulling a trigger.

Andy speaks facts. To hit the medulla oblongata one must surgically place the bullet. A hit to the MO will cause instant incapitication but, you've got to hit it. A handgun is a very low powered and imprecise firearm. The only way I would attempt such a shot is with a rifle that I have shot many times and can tell you within 1/10 of an inch where the projectile will hit. That's the kind of precision we are talking about. A simple head shot may or may not turn the BG off a well placed bullet to the medulla oblongata will every time but, you've got to hit it.

Picture of location of medulla oblongata.

Ruark wrote:I don't think the "area of the brain" would make that much difference, e.g. hitting the brain stem, etc. The hydrostatic shock wave of a decent-sized hollow point blasting through the cranial cavity is NOT going to allow the brain time to send a message saying "pull the trigger," whether you hit the brain stem or not.

There are also documented cases of people shot in the brain who never lose consciousness and are not immediately incapacitated. And actually, wiping out the brain stem IS an actual goal of certain sniping shots, for exactly the reason that it not only turns out the lights, it also acts as a "surge protector," converting standing man into limp rag doll instantly. By hitting the brain stem, you're not just eliminating the conscious trigger pull by the bad guy, you're removing the possibility of a spasmodic response being transmitted down the spinal cord to the extremities.

Traumatic bain injuries, including penetrative ones, can produce sudden tonic responses in which the skeletal muscles will suddenly tense, often causing the extremities to be pulled towards the body or rigidly pushed away from it. It can go either way. If a BG has a finger on the trigger, muzzle at contact distance to the victim's head, your shot to his brain could most definitely cause a spasm that would fire the gun. That's just a fact. Doesn't mean it will happen every time. But, it does mean that you have a significant risk of that outcome. And, area of the brain definitely does have a part to play. Are you destroying the motor cortex, or the speech center? Either may be a nearly instantly fatal wound, but they might produce entirely different results. Is that a chance you're willing to take when there is a third party's life on the line? If you have no choice, then you do what you have to do. Just be aware that you may very well get the outcome you least wanted. Simple anatomy and physiology. The shot that destroys the brain stem and severs the CNS is the one that will remove the ability for a spasmodic impulse originating in the brain to be communicated to the muscles of the trigger finger.

What AndyC said. A shot through the brain stem will destroy the medulla oblongata.

74novaman wrote:I don't think we can really definitively say that a cranial hit is a 100% guaranteed man stopper, especially with a pistol round.

Heads or tails?

WildBill wrote:

74novaman wrote:I don't think we can really definitively say that a cranial hit is a 100% guaranteed man stopper, especially with a pistol round.

Heads or tails?

You shoot me in the tail, I'mma stoppin'. Just sayin'.....

The Annoyed Man wrote:

WildBill wrote:

74novaman wrote:I don't think we can really definitively say that a cranial hit is a 100% guaranteed man stopper, especially with a pistol round.

Heads or tails?

You shoot me in the tail, I'mma stoppin'. Just sayin'.....

I was referring to the odds, not your posterior.

I do not need a stinking bullet, use your bayonet, the surgically sharp one.

Beiruty wrote:I do not need a stinking bullet, use your bayonet, the surgically sharp one.

Ahaah! We have a steely-eyed ninja amongst us!

AndyC wrote:The thing one has to remember with the medulla is that to hit it, the point-of-aim on the subject's head will depend how it's oriented; we were taught to think of the head as being a glass skull with a little apricot hanging low at the rear. Now swivel and tilt that skull around and see how the position of that apricot changes - it's never in the same place.

A straight-on frontal shot would require aiming (for example) right between the eyes. A 90-degree side shot would need a bullet just aft of his ear-hole.... a 45-degree frontal shot would need you to place your crosshairs on his cheek.... etc, etc.

If you could do this you could probably shoot the gun out of the BG's hand.

RSJ wrote:Wrong on all accounts!
It was a gun free and 30.06 zone! It is phyiscally impossible for him to have a gun there in the first place!

In reality, I respectfully disagree with a few posts above me about putting finger infront of hammer, or trying to manipulate the weapon. I just don't see myself or another being able to make the gun malfunction faster than the BG can pull the trigger. This is even harder IMHO when the gun is behind or beside your head and locating the piece or part is VERY hard to find and eye-hand coordinate in time. If you are the hostage, and worried death is imminent, then why not go for it, you've got nothing to lose. otherwise, aside from doing one of these: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQNDMfOVV8M" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (should be safe for work, note: it is a fake scenario of BG with gun to GG's head, subsequent disarm) I'll pray the LEO or GG can take out his functioning brain ASAP

Or do the 'disarm' like Chuck did in "Invasion USA". Bit o'language in that clip, but can be found on Youtube if you search for Invasion USA East Atlanta.

^ Great move!