“The Drill!”
Competent Operators (armed or not):
> Avoid times and places where violent events are probable, and where unstable/dangerous people are likely to be present (AKA: “stupid places”). Exit at once when you sense inordinate danger. In a “lock-down,” get out immediately, no matter what anyone says!
> Aggressively (but politely) verbally disengage and physically separate from unknown people attempting unsolicited interaction (beggars, political/religious activists, street “salesmen,” etc)
> Refuse to precipitously insert yourself (neither verbally, nor physically) into situations/affairs/interactions in which you are not otherwise involved.
> Don’t attract unwanted attention, maybe drama, by broadcasting your political/religious opinions on your clothing, car bumper, front lawn.
> Out of sight. Out of conversation. When going armed, insure all weapons and accouterments are, and remain, discreetly concealed and are not talked about.
We practice the foregoing, because we know the world is full of unstable people who will “fly off the handle,” often becoming dangerously violent, at what they perceive as some kind of “provocation” on our part (unintended, of course), or sometimes for no reason at all!
For some (like on-watch police officers and security personnel) deliberately confronting unknown, maybe dangerous, people is part of their job/duty, and they thus always have “Plan B” ready to launch instantly when the confrontation goes south.
You may choose to unilaterally impose such a “duty” upon yourself, but there is no legal nor societal expectation that you do so, and you need to realize that great risk unfailingly attaches. Voluntarily exposing yourself to this kind of unnecessary personal risk is strictly between you and your own conscience. Be assured, your lawyer recommends against it!
In many parts of America today, good citizenship and civic responsibility are largely dead, replaced with “justified hostility,” directed against all who practice “wrong” political views, adhere to the “wrong” religion, or are the “wrong” ethnicity. Such politically-encouraged hatred often waxes violent, sometimes deadly violent, with scant “provocation.” There are more than a few VCAs looking for an excuse to do harm to others, and they don’t wear labels!
Now, despite following all the foregoing advice, you find yourself in the middle of a potentially violent confrontation that you never solicited, nor wanted. For example, you’re confronting, at gunpoint, a burglary suspect who has just kicked-in the front door of your home and entered, uninvited.
You didn’t voluntarily “go to this fight.” The fight came to you, through no invitation, nor intent, of your own.
Depending upon the “totality of circumstances,” you may still be able to persuade this burglary suspect to run away. That will surely represent the preferred outcome, with no one getting hurt. And, the next person this suspect confronts will be a uniformed LEO, who will “take it from there,” all without “assistance,” nor further involvement, on your part!
On the other hand, you may be compelled to apply precise deadly force, when reasonably necessary to preserve your own good health. That’s what guns are for!
In our civilization, you are permitted to shoot people, upon your own summary command and judgement, when those people clearly represent an imminent, deadly threat to you (and/or to other innocent people). In other words, shooting imminently threatening suspects, “because you feared for your life” is legally allowed.
Shooting people solely “because you’re angry” is not!
When criminal suspects are wounded, maybe immobilized, and represent no immediate additional threat that you can see, you may not continue shooting them! When criminal suspects, wounded or not, are running away from you and do not represent any ongoing threat that you can see, you may not continue shooting them!
This is so important! You may shoot criminal suspects only so long as they continue to represent a genuine, imminent threat to innocent people. When a deadly threat to innocent life is clearly no longer present, application of deadly force must end at that point. “Anger” is surely understandable, but anger, alone, is not legitimate justification for deadly force.
The “Rest of the Story:”
Any time you produce a gun, for good cause, and whether or not it actually discharges, expect to be arrested by arriving police, even when you are the one who called.
Like it or not, you’ll then be involuntarily entering our imperfect (and expensive) “criminal/justice system.” It is in your best interest at that point to conduct yourself with courtesy, decorum, respectfulness, benevolence!
Expect to be handcuffed, searched, interrogated, transported to a local lock-up, booked-in, and sit in jail for a least a day or two. Expect to require the services of a criminal-defense lawyer(s), at your own expense (up-front). Expect felony charges (which may be subsequently dropped). In the interim, expect to require the services of a local bail/bondsman (also at your own expense). Expect to be sued in civil court by the suspect(s) himself (or his “estate”), and/or by bystander(s). Expect the media to refer to you as a “vigilante,” and find fault with virtually everything you did, or ever did!
Not a lot you can do about the foregoing unpleasantries, but there are things can do, and avoid doing, that will prevent the situation from getting any worse. In other words, you have to “Know the Drill,” and these critical details often remain unaddressed in much of what passes for “training”
“The Drill”
> Assume everything you say, and all your actions, are being continuously recorded. We’re living in a “surveillance nation.” Take a long breath before saying anything is the presence of LEOs!
> When in the presence of LEOs, do not become verbally, nor physically, combative. Let them touch you. Let them apply handcuffs. They’re just doing what we pay them to do. Affronting behavior, rudeness, insults, vulgar language (all recorded, of course) will not make you any friends in court, nor on the evening news. Whatever you do, don’t represent (through posture, language) any kind of threat to the safety of LEOs. That will not have a happy ending!
> Make a brief statement to police, something about having been in fear for your life. Then, clearly indicate that you choose to remain silent and that you want your lawyer personally present before answering questions. Also, say to them that you do not consent to any search (they may search you, your house, your car anyway, but not as a result of your “consent”).
You may point-out evidence, witnesses, ongoing threats. You may produce personal identification. I don’t think you can hurt yourself with any of the foregoing. What you’re not going to do is talk about numbers of shots fired, who shot at whom, who said what to whom, number of suspects present, how far away they were, etc. Those details will all come-out later, not at the scene.
Two weeks hence, your lawyer may allow police to interview you, at his office, with him personally present, and with a stenographer taking it all down, word for word. This may be in your best interest, but let your lawyer handle it. Never allow yourself to be interviewed without your lawyer present.
Be prepared for endless hearings, appearances, conferences. Expect mental-health issues, like nightmares, flashbacks. You may require professional mental-health counseling/treatment. It’s not unusual, but let your lawyer set it all up first, so it remains protected.
There are many more details, but this has gone-on long enough!
Operators need to arm themselves, not just with weapons and physical skills, but with the knowledge necessary to protect themselves within an indifferent legal system.
Citizens of precious few other nations enjoy the right of lethal self-defense.
But, we do here!
/John
