You see, I'm of the mindset that when carrying a concealed weapon; one must be more polite and ready to de-escalate a situation than usual. Got cut off in traffic? Smile and wave! Having a weapon on your person means that you need to have a thicker skin than normal; NOT shooting a guy in a theater for throwing popcorn at you. That concealed pistol means you need more maturity and tolerance for rude behavior, not the other way around.
I've got a good friend that feels the same way. A career military man who's been in harm's way off and on for a long time. Below is his experience when he could have shot with far more justification than Curtis Reeves and he did not.
A roughly 6', 240lb guy was screaming at a 17yr old teenage female for being too loud in the movie theater. I intervened when I saw him smack her in the face twice and spit on the girl. I got almost within arm's distance and yelled "Sir, back away!" twice. He snapped out of his rage and saw me ready to draw (Glock 26 in CCC AIWB holster) and gathered up his wife and children (yes, he was doing this in front of his family!), threw his popcorn and drink, and left.
I followed him out to inform management. I fingered him and commanded the management to call the police. He overheard me then pivoted and rushed at me, stopping short at three feet when he apparently noticed me ready to draw my Glock. He then said, "don't think you are the only one that can pop them!" (pointing at my hand on gun).
I kept a stone face, hand on chambered and holstered G26. He retreated without further incident.
Police arrived, took victim statement only. I gave the victim my email address and told her to have her parents press charges. I'll be happy to take the stand.
Least I could do.
Awesome. That is the message that needs to be proliferated to the public. Concealed carriers, by and large, will help those in need, responsibly. Not irrationally. Once again the gun control cabal's meme falls to dust.
ReplyDeleteI carry two incredible weapons... a Glock 22 with enhancements and laser sight, and my Samsung Galaxy Note 3. If I see something developing that MIGHT lead to a confrontation, it's video-time. A record of the event is invaluable when explaining the situation after the fact, and quite often, a perp noticing that he/she is being recorded cools down quickly. Our responsibility as CCW permit holders is to AVOID using the weapon, but that doesn't release us from the obligation to protect the innocent from harm.
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