I have to make a disclaimer;I am not a lawyer, I cannot give legal opinion, and even if I could it doesn’t always count in court. However, I have known several individuals jailed for self-defense actions they believed legal, and several anecdotal accounts of murder deemed self-defense based upon the rural “he needed killing” legal strategy.
I don’t tell that to you to scare you off, but to make sure you realize the seriousness of lethal force. Even if you are justified, defending your actions can take years and your life savings – but that is way better than being dead.
I want to give you some thinking points to ingrain into your training regimen so that if faced with a self-defense situation you have trained your mind to react appropriately so that you can survive the aftermath of a shooting as well as the shooting itself.
This is one of my particular favorite scenario videos.
I think it starts the ball of right and tells me a lot about the students in class.
Some think that because it’s a bank the citizen is in the wrong because “you cannot take a gun to a bank” Which is not always a true statement (not all banks are posted “no firearms” – in the video this one was not). But generally most students agree that because a firearm is being pointed at the armed citizen then the armed citizen would be legally justified in drawing their own gun.
So the answer to question 2 is yes – baring something unusual the act of the armed citizen would be legal.
Why did I answer question 2 before answer one? It’s not because I want to build tension like they do on reality shows, the reason I saved it for last is because the answer is more complicated.
Many of my students assume that because it is legal, then it’s a good idea. I hear a lot of “heck yeah I’d shoot him he’s pointing a gun at me!” To reply I get a volunteer, give him my red gun and a holster, point my airsoft up in the air with finger on trigger and tell him to draw. I always am able to shoot my drawn and aimed firearm before they can clear the holster. Why? Because action is always faster than reaction.
This video demonstrates an important concept for use of force (and life in general.
Just because you can, does not mean you should…
I think this kind of what would you do training is invaluable to preparing a person to carry a gun for self defense. If you never work on handgun scenario training you will have to work through the situation when it occurs – this will waste precious seconds and may cause you to do the wrong thing. Please look at the post on OODA loop for more information.
