Photojournalism and self-defense

Okay, as a law abiding gun owner who also has a carry permit, what exactly are the legal grounds as a photojournalist? Why am I asking? Because it is our duty to actually avoid potentially violent situations if possible and I am aware of this but as a freelance photographer, some situations may be difficult to avoid. So, especially with the current political climate, what would be the best route to take in Texas. I know that I can carry legally but I guess the concern is more along the lines if I actually find myself in a situation where there is a need to use lethal force as a photojournalist.

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I do not see where it would be any different then your daily life. As a Freelance you are your own boss.
Keep it out of sight and keep your mouth shut. :smiley: :+1:

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@Jeremy67 Welcome. :+1:

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You have no duty to retreat, Castle Doctrine for your vehicle (until you exit) and you house. Unless you make a no firearms policy for your business, you’re good :metal:

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That’s a tough one. You can legally carry but your job puts you in dangerous situations. I look at it this way if you get attacked while doing your job you have the right to defend yourself. If something does happen where you are attacked and you have to use deadly force then here’s where the problem might arise. The people who are committing these acts of violence don’t care whether you are doing your job or not. If you get attacked by protesters that are unarmed but obviously out number you, you are still at risk of losing your life or being badly hurt. Are you willing to accept the fact that you may have to shoot someone or will you just not put yourself in that situation? The choice is yours. A prosecutor can say you shouldn’t have been there. How could you be so stupid and put yourself in harms way? Were you looking to kill someone? These are things that they can use against you even if you were justified. All this said you have to think about what’s important to you.

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Welcome to the family brother and god bless you.

Welcome to the community @Jeremy67!!!

It seems to me (and I’m not a lawyer it’s just an opinion), that if you’re engaged in our profession which may occasionally take you into dangerous circumstances that you need to be in in order to do your job…you should be covered.

E.g. I work at a cash loan business and make deposits to our bank and both my business and bank happen to be in the not so good part of the city. I can’t not go to that area as my profession depends on it…so it seems reasonable to me that it should not be held against you for being someplace where maybe most people would avoid (again it’s your job).

In light of recent events though, you may want to consider a personal body cam. to help in your defense.

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Going alone into a place of nuisance, while being distracted by your camera, your interview subject, etc. journalistic duties, is inherently unsafe. When you watch journos for big networks, the moment something is not right, security team appears in the frame. Can you recruit some help with security? This may not be possible financially, I understand.

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I agree with this including the prosecutor asking why they were there. That being said, the job putting you there would easily counter that question and would work, especially in a state that supports the working class. Now, if he just went there for no real reason then that would for sure be used against you.
Either way, @Jeremy67 must decide what is most important. You could easily dress up as a riot supporter and work which would not make you a target by them (possibly). If you are going in a professional capacity, they may assume you are for something lilke Info wars, which would result in being a target by the crazies. If I had to go anywhere near an area with all the nonsense, I would got strapped with extra ammo and everything. However, I would not go there unless I had to.

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Camo… I like that :+1::+1::+1:

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Ah yes, luckily they have figured out I am not with infowars or any other media source similar and have become very welcoming to my presence. So the latter has pretty much been taken care of. I have been capturing these things for awhile but I am also not blind to the fact that, in a moments notice, things can become violent

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Yeah, security is a great idea but just don’t have the financial backing for that at the moment. So I do my best to do my part with keeping my head on a swivel. Shadows, reflections, body language, anything I could use from military experience

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Personal body cam is a great idea so I will have to do that for sure. Thank you for that advice, I didn’t even consider that

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