Never, ever pull a gun, rifle or weapon unless the situation necessitates its use AND you are willing to handle the consequences of that use.
A weapon is not to be brandished just to warn people. If ALL you want to do is give a warning, give a verbal warning but don’t pull a weapon. There is too much chance of the situation escalating. If you are not prepared to use it, then your antagonist might be and just might take it away from you.
Decide in your own mind under which situations you will use your weapon. If you are not sure, ask someone you trust & respect. Ask local law enforcement. Ask your lawyer. Ask your pastor or priest. Ask your spouse.
Think through the consequences LONG BEFORE you ever carry a weapon.
Full disclosure: I do not carry a weapon. I do not have CCW. I did spend a number of years in the USMC where I qualified EXPERT with the .45, .38. M-14 and M-16. I have carried & used weapons in combat. I have checked a .45 out of the armory in peacetime while on foreign soil in order to transport payrolls, classified documents and cryptographic codes off-base. Each time I was required to re-read the current rules of engagement, initial each and every paragraph and sign the document. Folks with far more experience and wisdom than I thought through all the ramifications and developed these procedures. I was grateful.
Situations are different....and should be taken in to account. When / if I pull my weapon...I'm ready to use it. Period. And I've made that determination..before hand.
Some folks just don't take a verbal warning for an answer...and we all need to have some discernment in that regard.
So far, I can agree mostly with BwanaNDege has to say here. I do live in a good area, and am armed. I wouldn’t draw or present a weapon unless I needed to fire, and wouldn’t fire unless I needed to kill, and wouldn’t kill unless mine or another life was in clear peril. This is drilled into my head.
As a correction : The Molotov cocktail thing wouldn’t happen in my neighborhood. I live about 2 blocks from my “urban center” (think 30 or so buildings, the tallest 5 being 4 stories) but on the other end of that urban center are 4 slums of dark villany. These people are frequently crossing the train tracks and causing a ruckus - even getting people killed. The police have setup annex stations in these public housing slums. They are truly places to be avoided. Not Detroit-level, but certainly level to be watched.
Invaders on the home, is a definite defense situation. I’m talking about molotov cocktails, bricks and rocks in the urban center while I send out a package or visit a coffee shop (This urban area has several notable coffee shops)
Allow me to follow up my situations with the core observation:
We all say that riots will turn out differently in the US because of our right to firearms. But how will that right affect the riots at all ? Even if there are modern hazards (riots and violent flash mobs) how will owning a firearm affect the situation, when all of my scenarios will only be ESCALATED and HARMED by using a gun ?
If a gun owner in this country were to pull out a gun in a riot, They will be pinpointed as a villain by media and the public-at-large. It MUST be the most righteous, caught-on-film shooting in history.
We can’t just pull out guns and start shooting people (Usually, so far, kids) just because a riot has broke out, or they have decided to ransack a store.
Again, I see a lot of posts on FR that say “The riots will stop the moment some kid gets shot for raiding a dunkin donuts” but I disagree. You can’t shoot people for trashing a store and shoplifting. You can’t shoot people for being caught in mob mentality, or for vandalizing property. How will gun ownership affect the outcome of these riots in the US ?
I don’t think it will. I think we will see large-scale rioting the likes we haven’t seen in decades. I think riots will escalate to “NOLA” levels, where the entire area is decimated for weeks or months afterwards, and a lot of people die in “Escape from New York” style gang-lands. I think riots will be VERY BAD in the US, and gun ownership will have very little positive effect on it.
Of course, as a CCW holder, I know exactly what my boundaries are for my locale and what decisions I’m willing to sleep with. But I can’t see any scenario where presenting a firearm during these situations will positively affect the outcome.
I do enjoy some of the responses though ! Freep on !
Is there a difference between “brandishing” and “showing”
I have had 2 instances where I have “shown” my weapon, one holstered, one laid on dash, that kept a situation from escalating.
Best answer so far! Couldn't have said it better.
Regards,
GtG
“Never, ever pull a gun, rifle or weapon unless the situation necessitates its use...”
“I have carried & used weapons in combat.”
Are you saying that in combat you always kept your rifle slung from your shoulder and your pistol holstered till you knew the situation necessitated “its use”? You never carried in your hand(s) because the enemy might be around the corner or in the trees you’re scouting out, and the situation only might necessitate its use?