OK Batman.wconn33 wrote:Maybe the crying old lady he is screaming give me your purse at would give him away do you think? I do believe that I am quite capable of picking out a robbery and an off duty cop making an arrest. We can introduce thousands of what ifs into the scenario but sticking with what the OP stated he walked into an armed robbery. Im not gonna play what if with you all day. Cry all you want but I will use my weapon to defend not only myself but anyone else who I think is in danger of losing thier life call me batman if you want.austinrealtor wrote:How do you know the person holding the gun is a "bad guy" in this scenario? What if the person holding the gun is an off-duty/undercover LEO or even another CHL who is holding the real "bad guy" at gun point until help/backup arrives?wconn33 wrote: Just so I understand, you are saying that if you come across someone at gun point in a parking lot. You would just stand by and watch because we dont want to be "Batman" or maybe wait until after the robber has blown thier head off so as to be justified in taking your action? I dont know about you but if I see someone held at gun point or knife point then I consider thier life to be in danger.
If you see someone in a parking lot pointing a gun at another person, are you just going to shoot them? Are you going to point your gun at them and say "hey, drop your gun?!?!" What if this person turns toward you and is now pointing the gun at you, do you shoot then? What if they turn, see your gun, and shoot you - thinking YOU are a "bad guy" (perhaps the real bad guy's accomplice?).
Yes, these are all hypothetical "what if" scenarios, but they illuminate quite effectively the dangers of entering a third-party situation with you gun drawn (or ready to draw).
I'm not saying I would never use my concealed carry weapon to help a third person, but I would need A LOT more information/facts than merely Person A pointing a gun at Person B before I decided to intercede.
(j/k)I agree that you can play 'What if' all day long and it really doesn't get you anywhere. There are WAY too many scenarios to try and answer each one, as each time will be different. Even a location you are 100% familiar with, like your home, will have varying factors on how you will approach a situation. But, running scenarios though your head and even discussing them with others can be good training and opens you up to things you may not have thought of on your own.
In any case, if I can see exactly what is going down, and i know it's the right thing to do, I MAY intervene, but only if it will be a plus. There are times you must bite your tongue, hold your weapon in your holster and sit back without causing more problems. Rushing into any scenario just because you have a gun is a VERY bad thing to do. I learned that even as a LEO you must sit back and reconnoiter the situation before entering in guns blazing.
