In a confrontation, a person points a gun at another and threatens to shoot but does not fire. What crime is this?

• A. Attempted murder
• B. Assault with a deadly weapon
• C. Battery
• D. No crime

Answer: (B)

When someone points a gun at another person and threatens to shoot, it creates an immediate fear of serious harm and involves a deadly weapon in the act. This fits the law’s concept of assault with a deadly weapon: an intentional act that places someone in reasonable apprehension of imminent bodily harm, using a weapon capable of causing serious injury.

Why this fits better than the other options: To be charged with attempted murder, there must be intent to kill and a substantial step toward carrying it out; simply pointing and threatening without firing doesn’t meet that threshold. Battery requires actual physical contact, which isn’t present here. Saying there’s no crime ignores the clear threat with a dangerous weapon, which enough to constitute assault with a deadly weapon.