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by Charles L. Cotton
Thu Feb 21, 2013 6:15 pm
Forum: General Texas CHL Discussion
Topic: Being mistaken as the bad guy
Replies: 36
Views: 5269

Re: Being mistaken as the bad guy

Abraham wrote:Those with a CHL are not law enforcement officers or even a remote subset.

Those who must fantasize about being a gun hero could quietly buy a CHL badge and affix it to a cool looking leather badge holder. Then they could discreetly slip it into their sock drawer. Once a week or so they could lift out some socks revealing their cool badge, stare at it and fantasize for glorious five minutes.

After which, they could re-pile some socks over their badge and come back next week for a repeat performance.

Do this until the need to be a hero subsides.

Finally, once normality returns, throw away badge.
Generally speaking, there are two types of individuals, 1) those who run away from the sound of gunfire; and 2) those who run toward it. The former are not cowards and the latter are not foolhardy. That's just the way we are wired.

It's also human nature, at least in the south, to want to help people who are being attacked or are otherwise in desperate circumstances. This isn't New York City where 30+ people will sit in their windows and watch a young woman be stabbed many dozen times and not even call the police, because they didn't want to get involved. So it's not a matter of telling Walter Mitty types not to be a hero; that would be easy. Convincing good, caring people who truly do love their "neighbors" to stifle their natural instincts to go to the aid of someone they perceive as an innocent victim until/unless they have enough information to get involved is hard, sometimes very hard.

Chas.
by Charles L. Cotton
Thu Feb 21, 2013 12:02 pm
Forum: General Texas CHL Discussion
Topic: Being mistaken as the bad guy
Replies: 36
Views: 5269

Re: Being mistaken as the bad guy

un0fficial wrote:Thought provoking question with some great answers. :)
In each of my CHL classes, I cover what I call the "Nightmare Mall Scenario" where shots are fired and you have no idea what is happening. This segment usually prompts some very good, thought provoking discussions and it frequently gets folks to think about an issue they never considered.

There's nothing wrong with coming to the aid of an innocent 3rd person to keep them from being killed, but I stress that 1) if you don't know the people involved; and 2) didn't see the event(s) from the beginning, then you probably don't have enough information to get involved. Yes, sometimes the circumstances are clear enough to get involved, but not always and I dare say not frequently.

Thanks for posting this excellent question.
Chas.

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