Hallelujah my brother and God bless you and your family. God is good every day.
2 Likes
And every day, God is good!
2 Likes
Roger that sir and thank you. Must have been tough to have rules like that to worry about.
1 Like
Watching that video made me cringe. As a certified wingshooting instructor, and as a NRA RSO I was watching most of the gun safety rules being broken. I’m not sure if this has been mentioned, but the gun that lady had was a gun they use for demonstration purposes in the courtroom. The firing pin had been removed. Even with it being inoperable it still makes me cringe, but she went out there and confronted a mob with a gun that wasn’t operable. It just seems stupid a good way to get yourself killed.
4 Likes
Dogs, like guns can be used as potential offensive weapons. The trick, I guess, is to get people to see it the way you want them to see it. Maybe even keep the true intent of the user hidden. Part of the problem or part of a solution? I will avoid trouble when possible. Harder to defend me when others dirty the water and make people suspicious. But we do have rights!
2 Likes
Welcome to the community @Patrick69. And yes, almost anything can be weaponized to some degree.
1 Like
Welcome to the family and God bless you.
Not until found guilty by the jury of their peers. Which is rather unlikely.
3 Likes
Welcome to the gun owning community and USCCA! This is a question I suggest you have with your local USCCA attorney during a face to face introduction as a new client.
FWIW I think verbally challenging a mob that destroyed a locked steel gate while trespassing, while armed (would they listen to you otherwise?) seems similar to “I’m armed and called the PD–get out”. I see the MO AG seems ready to intervene on the McCloskey’s behalf.
From a tactical perspective, that was as bad a move as some of their gun handling. If that mob had decided to bum rush them, they wouldn’t have even had the time to expend their ammo before being jumped by that mob. Using their home for cover and concealment would have been a huge equalizer if that mob attacked them and they had to start shooting. “your home is your castle”, use it to good effect
3 Likes
You have gotten some good answers here that repeat the theme: avoidance and prevention are your best friends even when armed. Self defense actually has 5 active components: prevention, avoidance, deterrence, surrender, and confrontation. And that’s the order of use. Think about concentric circles with the inner ring being confrontation and the outer ring being preventive measures like installing a security fence or alarm system to expand your reactionary gap. As a civilian gun owner, you have ZERO responsibility or authority to prevent crime or help other people whom you perceive to be in trouble. The firearm is a “when all else fails” tool. If you can get the basic principles down, the “what if” scenarios can be tested against the principles to get reasonable answers.
What the McCloskeys did was stupid…legal in MO…but very high risk - low reward. First of all, neither firearm was capable of firing a live round at the time of this incident. Threatening someone with an unloaded or inert firearm is ALWAYS a horrible idea. Second, you have far more cover and concealment INSIDE your home than standing out front barefoot. Third, even with an AR-15, facing down a mob…even if they are unarmed…of a couple hundred agitated people without at least 100 yards of stand-off distance is suicidal. (and I’m getting into some pretty advanced tactical stuff at 100 yards to improve my odds, which still aren’t great) Yes, fire is a huge threat in these situations. That’s why fire extinguishers and alarm systems are just as important as that firearm. And you’re way more likely to fight a fire than an attacker. The example you cited is one of the extremely rare examples where “if it worked it wasn’t stupid” isn’t true. It worked, but it was stupid.
4 Likes
My concealed instructor said the same thing. I have 2 Doberman pinchers and he said don’t use signs.
I can’t remember why.
2 Likes
Plus the fact god’s name ain’t god should relieve you further
2 Likes
The short answer is yes, it is. The governor and the AG of the state where this happen agree with this view. Only the local prosecutor doesn’t but there seems to be a political agenda interfering with that individual’s execution of duties.
1 Like
Standing outside is probably OK. If you move to confront, your legal risk increases. I would make sure that any firearms were holstered, pointed at the ground, etc. The couple in St. Louis demonstrated horrible gun-safety skills, which brought them very close to committing a crime (in some jurisdictions it WOULD have been a crime). Get some good training, AND some good legal advice from an attorney who knows about the subject AND who is licensed in your state.
2 Likes
I think when you use the sign like “ guard dog on duty “ and such you assume the liability with that,
1 Like