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To protect a third party or not (whether in a crowded mall setting, a convenient store, or out on the streets) is a decision I believe you have to make now- before anything happens.

I think first priority should be to protect my family and my own life- as stated before I am no good to anyone dead. However, I personally have made the decision that I will attempt to protect any innocent people if at all possible. I have no romantic notions of being a hero, a maverick or a wanna-be SWAT guy... I simply know that I could not allow another person to be killed if I knew I had the power and opportunity to protect them.

With that said, in a mall setting my mind is set to do the following
#1 find cover and get ready to defend myself from a direct assault (ie: stay alive)
#2 assess the situation to see if I have any opportunity to take out the BG
#3 act accordingly (ie: if I cannot resonably shoot the BG, I find my exit- if I can take him/her out I take my shot)

If my family or friends are with me, my priorities change. In that case, their lives are my only concern. My actions are to:
#1 find cover if in the direct line of fire and get ready to defend my loved ones
#2 get the heck out of dodge with my loved ones as soon as possible.

I realize there is an inherent risk involved when engaging any BG, and I would never take that risk joyfully or unnecessarily. To face that risk in defence of a third party is a personal decision every CHL holder needs to think about at some point.