TexasCHLforum.com

Here’s what I was told by my LTC instructor, who is both a retired DPS sergeant and a Cabela’s gun counter clerk.

Drill for 7m, because that’s what the FBI does. Unless the assailant is actively shooting at people, if you are further than 20-25 feet away from him or her, you stop looking like a good guy and you start looking good for capital murder. If the action is far away, the CHL holder looks like a cowboy itching for a gunfight if they take the shot.

Obviously, if they’re charging you, even if they’re unarmed, you can legitimately say your life is in danger. If they’re casually beating the tar out of some poor soul and don’t even know you exist, try to keep it that way. Call 911 and get your cell phone out. Starting videoing or snapping pictures. I know it seems callous and cold to just let some poor sap get the crap beaten out of them, but the honest truth is that if you escalate things, you might not have enough ammo to keep them all at arm’s length. You may be in the right, but you might still end up just as dead.

You may already be in a bad tactical situation. Who’s to say one of the doers doesn’t have someone off to the side, watching for people just like you? You draw, and someone out of your view pops you before you can even get a shot off. SA is key, he told me. Be aware of your surroundings.

And most of all, don’t go wandering around in places you don’t belong. Prevent the problem from being yours by just not being there.

Under the described circumstances, I wouldn’t shoot. I’m not in danger. My family is not in danger. No reason to kill anyone under those conditions.

Call 911? Sure. The problem is that this could quickly escalate to a subdural hematoma and a dead body. At that point, there was an opportunity to prevent a murder and it was passed by.