Posted on 12/06/2006 7:23:18 PM PST by skyman
Mike Taylor, Concealed Weapon Carrier: "The police have their hands full with everything and I don't think they could be every place at once."
When Mike Taylor was threatened by a carjacker, he turned the tables on him. He says the situation could have been very different if he had not had a concealed weapon permit.
Steven Beckstead, NRA Master Training Counsel: "A victim is somebody who has no options. A fire arm gives you an option to protect your life."
Call this the latest exhibit in the contentious debate over concealed weapons. Many people say the guns just make bad situations worse, but today was hardly a worst case scenario.
Mike Taylor was getting a few things done before work this morning. In his back pocket was a concealed weapon, but the man who threatened Taylor didn't know that.
Mike Taylor: "It's a small gun."
This morning it saved Mike Taylor's life.
Mike Taylor: "I just came down to get my hair cut this morning."
As he was leaving the building, a guy would not stop asking him for a ride.
Mike Taylor: "When I refused to give him a ride he told me he was going to take my car."
Taylor continued to his car, going for his cell phone to call 9-111.
Mike Taylor: "Finally he told me he was going to kill me and take my car for himself. At that point I felt like he was going to kill me and I feared for my life so I drew my firearm and called police."
Detective Joe Cyr, SLCPD: "He did the right thing."
Salt Lake City police say this is a perfect example of why Utah law allows citizens to carry concealed weapons.
Detective Joe Cyr, SLCPD: "He had the weapon, and permit for this very reason, to protect himself. This is one of those good stories."
The gun community likes this story too.
Steven Beckstead, NRA Master Training Counsel: "Some people choose to carry a gun, we have that right to do so."
Steven Beckstead teaches the class you have to take to carry a concealed weapon in Utah. By law, if your life is threatened, like Taylor's was, you have the right to protect yourself with a gun, like Taylor did. Beckstead says it's actually making Utah safer.
Steven Beckstead, NRA Master Training Counsel: "In many states, including Utah where concealed permit is allowed, violent crimes have gone down significantly."
Fortunately it never got too violent with Taylor because once he pulled out his gun the suspect took off and Taylor was unharmed. That is exactly why Taylor got his concealed weapons permit six years ago.
Mike Taylor: "I decided I need to carry a gun for my protection these days."
To carry a concealed weapon in Utah, you have to be over 21 years old, pass a background check, complete a class, and apply for the permit.
Police have not caught the man who threatened Taylor.
IBTP
"In many states, including Utah where concealed permit is allowed, violent crimes have gone down significantly."
If someone had told me that he was going to kill me, I wouldn't have drawn my gun and called police. I would have drawn my gun, shot to stop the assailant and then called police & my self-defense lawyer.
If the dude was close enough to continuously ask for a ride, then he was close enough to brandish his own weapon, even if it was a knife and cover the distance to injure or kill Taylor before Taylor had been able to react, draw and fire.
Another example why everyone should have the right to concealed carry.
"If the dude was close enough to continuously ask for a ride, then he was close enough to brandish his own weapon, even if it was a knife and cover the distance to injure or kill Taylor before Taylor had been able to react, draw and fire."
Yup, although in this instance he saves the lawyer money.
If I had to shoot in self-defense, I'd shoot to kill.
Well, you know that and I know that, but weak-stomached juries might hear that coming out of your mouth and think "COLD BLOODED MURDERER!"
SLC ping...
Wow, this story almost sounds objective. Has to be a local Utah station because no way you hear this in most markets!
Thank you KSL!
You might reconsider calling the police after you peg a perp
the cops would rather you didnt defend yourself you are
horning in on their action. If I ever have to waste good ammo on some thug Im not going to stick around and wait for the uniformed thugs to show up.
Seems to me it was most effective once revealed. Maybe I'm just nitpicking.
This is why in Utah you should have a concealed weapons permit for TWO small pistols, one for you to shoot the perp threatening your life absolutely graveyard dead, and the SECOND weapon to put into their hands (if they don't have one of their own) after they (ahem) "wrestled it out of your grasp", good thing you had a backup weapon. ;)
"going for his cell phone to call 9-111."
Ya better be carrying. I don't think that number will get you much help!
Without even reading any further down the thread, allow me to add my own sentiments that you already DO have such a Right.
Right now, we just have a bunch of bureaucrats and their enforcers keeping us from doing so without first going through the "guilty until proven innocent" licensing scheme.
Double tap center mass. One to the head. Call 911.
Thanks for the ping.
The more people carry, the safer all of us are -- crime goes down when criminals are know citizens can and will shoot them...
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