I agree about 100% with this. My struggle comes in the thought of "If my wife and/or child are in that 'bank' or whatever the scenario is, I would hope that a good guy CHL'r would protect them or take out the bad guys before they got hurt." I know I can't count on it, but I'd sure hope for it to play out that way.ex_dsmr wrote:
I respectfully take the mindset of "Just because you can does not mean you should"
Everyone is going to have their own mindset and I welcome that so long as it is a legal one.
My own opinions are that unless me or my family are being directly threatened and we cannot escape safetly im not going to engage. Especially in situations like armed robbery you never know all the facts. The all too common "accomplice posing as another shopper/hostage" comes to mind.
And while it may seem like a stingy and cold hearted mindset, I have obtained my CHL, spent the time training, and put forth all the necessary costs for fees, firearms, ammunition, etc etc so that myself and my family are protected. I am not the police, I am not a security guard, nor am I a superhero. When it comes down to it...ive got no obligation to anyone other than myself and my family. If you have taken the aproach to not take the proper steps to ensure you are protected, thats your bad. And im sure not going to put myself in harms way because of the choices youve made. CHL holders arent some exclusive club lurking in the shadows, and unless youve got a criminal history there arent alot of hoops to jump through.
Now, we all know its not always cut and dry and there would be times where id probably be forced to bend on that.
YMMV
So, in general I agree with the above, but I think there's a side of me, which may be an old school feeling of duty to protect women and children mentality, that would have me act if I felt I could succeed in stopping the threat to a woman or a child. (ESPECIALLY A CHILD) I admit, that if it's a man, I'd be less likely to do anything. That may sound bad, but I'm just being honest. I see our role as men to protect the those who cannot protect themselves (for the most part). Other men are responsible for themselves (for the most part).
This is all my opinion and mind-set, but does anyone else struggle with this?
The struggle comes in that even for defending a woman I don't know, it's hard to justify risking your own financial security and/or life when you have a family that depends on you.
All that rambling above being said, I am very confident that I just know until I'm in the situation... and I pray that I NEVER am.
