This is one of my biggest fears since I started carrying. Hypothetically, if someone had responded to this man in self-defense, I believe the law would be on the side of the lawfully armed citizen (from what I understand of the law). However, you never know with a jury and recent cases in the headlines prove that point. Additionally, no one wants to live knowing they killed someone who was not a real threat. I believe in the concept of FAFO and it definitely would apply here, but still.
I also wonder what this speaks to about the ubiquity of concealed carry. Since I have been carrying for just over a year now, the topic is so common to me and I have many friends who do the same. However, this prankster clearly did not consider the fact that someone in that store might be carrying and could use deadly force against him if he pulled out a gun in public. Do other people really not understand that there are lawfully armed citizens out there? Or is this person uniquely stupid? Okay, well, clearly the latter but you get what I mean.
I really canāt tell what is going on in that video. I would have been taking myself and anyone I was with out of that situation before any weapons were pulled.
Now if someone starts pointing what looks like a real weapon towards me, my family or another clearly innocent person in a clearly threatening manner then things could get interesting.
Moral of the story is donāt get stupid ideas from watching stupid people do stupid things on tik tok.
There probably werenāt very many people in a position to potentially take a shot(s) even if they had a gun. No shots fired, and either way youād have to visually identify who the person with the gun is and be in position to get a shot. If you didnāt start really close to him, youād be able to get the hell out or just get away and seek cover/concealmentā¦
ā¦I think pretty much anywhere you go, chances are the, what, 5-10 people, who might be in position to shoot him as he pulls the gunā¦arenāt going to be carrying.
I believe (canāt know) that most people who are licensed rarely carry, and even those who carry āall the timeā, often donāt.
So Iād wager his odds of being shot to be relatively low.
Butā¦itās on video. Pretty sure he was already arrested and charged and easy to convict
I would hate to think I shot someone who had a fake gun.The problem is how realistic they have become.How does one know for sure the gun is real or not? If youāre wrong you may be dead.
Agreed. I know I am taking this a little far but I donāt even want to own any Airsoft guns. They look so real and I would never want to mix up a real gun with a fake one.
Real gun or fake gunā¦ as long as Iām not able to recognize itā¦ it is a threat. I wonāt hesitate.
If somebody is playing stupid game, may pay stupid price.
The situation from that video is messy, itās not clear what is going on. Even if somebody pulled the gunā¦ hard to tell what to do. The worst what could happened - everyone pulls their guns and start shooting.
Do you remember El Ranchito taqueria robbery and shooting in southwest Houston? Fake gun, real death.
Thatās how it ends.
I would leave there with whoever I was with and whoever wanted to get out of there. And I would do it with my sidearm holstered but ready. ā¦ As for the fake stuffā¦ you would have to be a fool to do something like that.
All true. No matter what his intentions were, he was a danger to that Walmart. He clearly created a mass panic and people could have gotten hurt. Just hate to see stupidity put peopleās life on the line but thatās just the way it is.
If this is the reported event that I read about, the person got what he wanted. As it is 5 years ago (if it is the event I read about) and we are still talking about it.
That being said, I would do what it takes to protect my family and myself. Like it is said āplay stupid games, get stupid prizes.ā
Itās also dammed stupid to walk down the center of the railroad tracks, and people do it all the time, and many get hammered from behind by a train. Some poor engineer has to live his life knowing he was in charge of the train that sent that idiot to the great beyond. It wasnāt the engineerās fault that someone was that stupid, it was the idiot on the tracks.
Certainly, there are lots of folks suffering from a case of dumbshititis that may prove fatal (hopefully before they reproduce), but shooting someone with a fake or toy firearm is not something I would want to live with. In my view, this is when āspeed kills.ā Drawing a firearm and pointing in quickly is part of the process, but including some thinking time before one pulls a trigger is equally, if not more important. Shooting someone should a considered deliberate act, not a speed contest.
I consciously play a scenario in my mind when Iām at work where I feel most vulnerable.
Iāve made up my mind that numero uno for me is avoidance, get out of where āXā might be
EXCEPT when I hear gunfire and/or see blood,
most likely within 20 yards* of me.
clear evidence that would remove reasonable doubt.
This would mean a situation where Iām the first responder, not the victim (yet).
*why? Beyond 20 yardsā15 yards even, I probably have opportunity to hide.
(Note to self: I am not a cop).
Not my circus, not my clown.
In the situation depicted in the video. What would a āReasonable Personā believe? Yelling āGo ahead and shoot meā carrying a gun, maybe real maybe fake? Along with, I donāt have to wait to get injured to stop a threat. Could have gone really really wrong.
This video was used in my CCW renewel class two months ago. The instructor, a former prosecutor in California from a very restrictive county, stated he would not have prosecuted the shooter. He also stated the person was clear of charges in the jurisdiction where the shooting happened.
Apparently, words and actions, by suspect, were not picked up by video?
