But just to be sure, I got in touch with a friend of mine who works at a research reactor, and asked him what he thought would happen to you if you tried to swim in their radiation containment pool.
“In our reactor?” He thought about it for a moment. “You’d die pretty quickly, before reaching the water, from gunshot wounds.”
Spent fuel can be used in dirty bombs etc not to mention that an unauthorized person handling radioactive material is a danger to those running the reactor, and anyone coming into contact with the subject. Those are ample grounds for the use of deadly force to preserve security.
Nuclear is amazingly safe compared to other options. Pollution from fossil fuels kills millions a year, but only a few dozen have ever died from nuclear power worldwide.
According to the article, there are 60 agreed-upon long term deaths from Chernobyl. But there is a debate about how to measure long-term deaths, with some claiming figures into the tens of thousands. The nuances of the debate are covered in the article.
So I think GP's point is fair, because even at the highest figure of 60,000, that is far lower than the millions per year from fossil fuels. This article estimates that fossil fuels cause 1 in 5 deaths worldwide:
“In our reactor?” He thought about it for a moment. “You’d die pretty quickly, before reaching the water, from gunshot wounds.”
Shot for your own safety. Classic.