TexasCHLforum.com

Lucky45 wrote:

Lodge2004 wrote:That said, there are certain rare situations that one has no choice but to dive headlong into the fray (i.e. Luby's in Waco).

Hey Lodge2004,
I understand your stance and your statement sums up what I learned and hold true as my justification for using deadly force. The suspect in his criminal actions HAS LEFT ME NO OTHER CHOICE. PERIOD. If I am NOT in imminent danger, then I HAVE PLENTY OF CHOICES other than using deadly force. This justification can be applied to any scenario.
Store robbery in progress with me inside, then firearm is coming out.
Store robbery in progress across the street and I'm outside, then cellphone is coming out.

Thank you! Close to what I am trying to say.

dihappy wrote:If you can live with the fact that you chose to do nothing when someone was raped, killed, etc. etc. then good for you.

We each weigh the risks and respond accordingly.

I believe the original statement was a gas station being robbed. Nobody said anything about raped, killed etc. We are now talking about something entirely different. Yes, I would stop a rape or a killing. But that was not the original question was it?

My point was --- I am a man with a gun. I am not a cop. I am not superman. I do not have a mission to stomp out crime and evildoers everywhere.

One of the things that has been discussed several times is thinking about how you would handle a situation before it happens. If I don't have to ruin my life I won't.

I am sure your superior attitude will be extremely comforting when you have given all your savings to your lawyer and are trying to get a second mortgage on your home and refinance your truck.

TxBlonde wrote: You know if I was working at a store and I was being robbed I would pray that someone would help me. AND NOT JUST SIT IN THEIR CAR AND DO NOTHING BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT BEING THREATENED.

Well see here is the thing. I got a chl to protect me and mine. I did not get it to protect you. I did not get it so I could be a policeman. John Wayne died and I am not here as his replacement. There is no guarantee that the bad guys won't start shooting and kill you when I pull my gun. Add to that, that I was told in my class with a deputy DA as guest instructor that when I fire my weapon I can figure on spending many many thousands of dollars. So if I can just watch I will. Now if he shoots you that is different. But am I going to ruin my life to save your boss' money? Not a chance in Hades. Mr. Horn is waiting to see if he is going to spend every penny he has set aside to take care of himself and his family in his old age on lawyers. Right now that is a coin flip. I bet at this time he is wishing he had made a different choice.

"If I was working at a store and I was being robbed I would pray that someone would help me." You can get a gun and protect yourself. I don't mean to be flip but I took the steps to protect me and mine because I didn't trust anyone else to do it for me. If you don't care enough to protect yourself don't ask someone else to put his future on the line for you.

Does this mean I would never get involved? No! But I will use a great deal of discretion when I do. It will have to be a very serious situation before I shoot somebody. When my gun comes out I am going to fire. I may or may not say "Please stop!" Or "Don't do that." So what my original statement meant was, Am I going to shoot somebody that I see robbing a stop and shop. No I am not. Rape, assault or something else. Yes. But I will be the one that decides. I am not going to get involved in every crime that happens and stop it. You go ahead if you feel that your chl came with a union suit with an s on the front. But consider the price your wife and children may have to pay.

DoubleActionCHL wrote:

rkhal wrote:

flb_78 wrote:

Would you just sit back if you were in a gas station and it was being robbed? It's not your property, they have insurance against such things.

Short answer --- Yes. I carry to defend myself and my loved ones. I am not a cop and don't want to be. If the BGs can rob the gas station without endangering me I would let them.

I hope that this guy gets off but he did run his mouth a lot when he shouldn't have. He made the situation sound like vigilanteism instead of good citizenship and that can effect all of us.

Yeah, he ran his mouth, but I don't consider it vigilanteism at all. I consider it acknowledging the reality of the situation. He simply stated out loud what any of us would have been thinking in a similar situation. When you pull your carry weapon in a situation that justifies deadly force, you are thinking, "I'm going to kill this guy," aren't you?

To me, indicting him on what he said is tantamount to thought crime. It's not the "killing the bad guys" we're worried about, but "what was he thinking when he killed the bad guys" that seems to be so important. To me, that's Orwellian and should not play a role in the indictment.

No --- I think "I am going to stop this without getting hurt if possible." If this guy had said "I am going to stop them!" this would be an open and shut situation.

A guy on another forum said that his instructor told the class that there are 3 kinds of people that carry a gun --- Those that couldn't take a human life, those that can and are looking for an excuse, and lastly those that can but would only do so as the absolute last resort.

The instructor said those in the first category should get rid of the gun. Those in the second should buy a large jar of vaseline and save up for a good lawyer because eventually they would need one or both. Those in the third category would probably do everything totally legally.

This guy seems to me to be in category number 2. He sounded to me like he thought he had a legal way to shoot these guys. That to me is vigilanteism.

Now I hope he gets away with it. But he ran his mouth and he left himself very exposed.

flb_78 wrote:

Would you just sit back if you were in a gas station and it was being robbed? It's not your property, they have insurance against such things.

Short answer --- Yes. I carry to defend myself and my loved ones. I am not a cop and don't want to be. If the BGs can rob the gas station without endangering me I would let them.

I hope that this guy gets off but he did run his mouth a lot when he shouldn't have. He made the situation sound like vigilanteism instead of good citizenship and that can effect all of us.