Posted on 08/16/2014 8:09:55 AM PDT by Enterprise
You park your SUV in a space and you and your wife prepare to do some shopping. You open the door and a 300 pound jerk is near to the vehicle and he slams your door shut and yells at you and tells you to leave, and says your kind don't belong around here. You get out of the vehicle, and the jerk pushes you back into it, punches you in the face a few times, and for good measure, punches your wife in the mouth, splitting her lip. He walks away and you get out of your car, and you have your concealed weapon in hand. The jerk is about 35 feet away. He sees you and angrily yells that he told to leave and he's going to f... you up! He charges at you, and you only have a couple of seconds to decide. What would YOU do?
Thanks! I’ve never been told that. And the really important “people around me” are my grands, they all know granny wears a gun, they all know not to touch it, and they all know if they see it out and not on my person, THEY GET TO PUT ME IN A ONE HOUR TIME OUT! LOL!
For most people, just seeing it on my hip is enough of a warning, thank God.
Trust me, the mag drop button is my favorite part of my gun, next to the trigger, of course!
At least morally. Legally, if this is not a “stand your ground” territory you might be required to at least try to flee. That stinks and is wrong that you must, not simply have the option to, but it’s where a lot of lefties have left us.
When seconds count, 911 will have help there in a matter of minutes.
I hope I don’t run over him as I exit the scene.
> and then don’t call it in? yeah, ain’t buying yet
In a large department calling it in is SOP. In a smaller town of say, 22,000 I don’t know...
Drop him where he stands. Fire until the threat ceases. If that means he’s dead so be it.
The few times I’ve had someone suspiciously come up to me and my car window after I’ve parked somewhere, I’ve already had a gun pointing directly at them from underneath a jacket or newspaper or something.
Nothing ever happened. It was usually a transient asking for money or someone trying to sell something, and they went away quietly. But I was ready in case they tried anything.
“Scenario as described has the assailant walking away”
No it doesn’t. Read it again.
First laugh of the day! THANKS
I flattened a man with an elbow in a Wal-Mart parking lot. I hightailed it “outa” there in my car as he began to rise and run away!
I went to the next gun show for concealed carry permit!
What would I do next time?
Nope. In the hypothetical presented, hostilities are renewed by the subject, only this time with a proven history of intent to do great bodily harm. In law school we had to answer the hypo for what it was. Yes, avoidance and de-escalation would be better if they could be carried out safely. But that’s not the hypo, and neither is the idea of the subject just walking away. Both parties have access to the public space. If the subject charges you from 35 feet, you have a second, new event, and the threat is immediate and potentially lethal. Safe escape is not assured. Shooting in response is defensible. IMHO.
If you can’t safely get into your vehicle, lock the doors and remove yourself from the situation, then use of lethal force becomes appropriate and defensible as you are in fear for your life. Being a dumb@ brandishing and firing, giving into pride, fear and emotion, is exactly the wrong thing to allow yourself to do. As I said, you’d better keep your wits about you, otherwise it’s you who is going to jail.
That’s my answer as well.
If you drove away to call the police that is acceptable. However, the Tony Stewart option resulted in the death of the other driver. You would be hard pressed to justify that.
” You open the door and a 300 pound jerk is near to the vehicle and he slams your door shut and yells at you and tells you to leave,”
At this point I would leave. The thug is giving me an opportunity to break contact, and only an idiot would refuse it.
Plus, there is a possibility he has 3 friends close by that I do not know about. Only bad things can happen to me and my wife if I “stand my ground”.
BTW, the proper use of a CCW is to break contact and stay safe, not run around and play Rambo.
He's walking away with at least a bullet hole or two in him at this point. Especially if he turned his attention to my wife!
I realize that the laws may vary. But the scenario applies to anywhere, and you still have to decide what to do, or what not to do.
Pull the trigger.
Several times.
If you had a wife like BykrBayb the thug might hit you but that’s as far as he would get.
I don’t disagree with your answer, but it changes the scenario.
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