Being mistaken as the bad guy

[un0fficial]

So a thought has been running through my head for a few weeks now, what if you're in a confrontation, or in a situation where you would draw your firearm, what if another CHL is in the vicinity and is untrained/over reacts and draws and fires upon you....

I'm the type of person who always runs scenarios through my brain. I was the type of person who always had an escape route for every class I was in in school, for any situation. Lately the scenarios have been if I have to draw to protect myself, what if another CHL see's someone draw, and then draws themselves and open fires.

So what is your take on this? I believe perhaps more situation training should be brought in to get a CHL, etc, but I'm more curious on the communities thoughts.

Thanks

[Ericstac]

It should be pretty easy to spot the difference between the defender and the aggressor.

[jmra]

This almost happened in the AZ shooting. A guy in a store heard the shooting and ran out of a store with gun drawn. He came around the corner and saw a guy pointing a gun at a guy on the ground. He almost fired but didn't.

The guy pointing the gun was another CHL who was helping subdue the shooter.

1. You are not a cop. Do not run to gunshots!
2. If you don't KNOW what's going on, you DON'T KNOW what's going on.
3. Shooting a bad guy will change your life forever. Shooting the wrong guy will change your wife and kids lives forever.

[Jumping Frog]

Mistaken identity has killed a number of police officers over the years, so it can happen. However, there are millions of concealed carry licensees in this country with a multi-decade track record of law-abiding behavior combined with good common sense. Bottom line, the scenario you are talking about -- if it ever happens -- is extraordinarily rare.

It does serve as a lesson to all of us, however, that it is risky to use deadly force in apparent defense of a third party with incomplete knowledge of the circumstances. That person holding the gun on someone might be a perp, or he might be an undercover cop making an arrest.

[Wodathunkit]

Don your shiny CHL badge, run into the fracas, fire 6-9 warning shots, and yell "Everybody FREEZE! I'm a CHL"

[Diesel42]

There has never been a fight I couldn't run away from.
If I can't avoid a threat to my life, only then will I use deadly force to stop the threat.

So far, those two sentences have adequately addressed every scenario I can imagine.
Hope that helps,
Nick

[Grapevinebill]

Don your shiny CHL badge, run into the fracas, fire 6-9 warning shots, and yell "Everybody FREEZE! I'm a CHL"

I was waiting for this to come up...

[M9FAN]

Don your shiny CHL badge, run into the fracas, fire 6-9 warning shots, and yell "Everybody FREEZE! I'm a CHL"

[MeMelYup]

Holding a gun on someone is one thing, indiscriminately shooting at people is something else.

[goose]

A buddy and I have talked about an exaggerated thought along these lines. One of us had seen a comic of a bad guy robbing a store in Texas and 10 people draw down on the bad guy. It makes a chuckle but in reality I'd probably soil myself.

For me the crux of the discussion comes around tactics. It is often discussed that we have to be careful in a robbery situation because the bad guy may have an accomplice in the crowd. I think about the day I were to draw (and possibly fire) in a robbery situation and a second CHL/undercover LEO draws as well. I hope that it is easy to tell who is who but with adrenaline running I doubt it. Good to think about but not fun to think about.

[texanjoker]

Don your shiny CHL badge, run into the fracas, fire 6-9 warning shots, and yell "Everybody FREEZE! I'm a CHL"

[un0fficial]

Thought provoking question with some great answers. :)

[OldGrumpy]

Don your shiny CHL badge, run into the fracas, fire 6-9 warning shots, and yell "Everybody FREEZE! I'm a CHL"

Or you could apply the Barney Fife strategy of waving your gun around, hollering loudly, while fishing in your pocket for the magazine!

[rtschl]

Don your shiny CHL badge, run into the fracas, fire 6-9 warning shots, and yell "Everybody FREEZE! I'm a CHL"

You forgot the sash. Without the sash it doesn't count.

Ron

[texanjoker]

Just a comment, but you mention a person being "untrained." There is no real training required to get a CHL, and as such a basic CHL holder IMO can be described as untrained for this type of event. As such one should be a good witness if they can. Even trained police officers are taught to be a good witness if they can when off duty as others may not identify them as an LEO. They are not wearing their body armor, do not have back up, do not have the rest of their gear, and without being in a uniform may not be recognized by anybody to include responding officers or in this example a CHL as an LEO. Even holding a badge does not protect you, and there are many with fake badges out there, to include those with their fancy "CHL" badge that is nothing more then a paper weight. Most people will look right past the badge at the gun in your hand. There are many documented cases of blue on blue fire. The military has their friendly fire as well. I have covered LEO's in a shooting one time off duty and you can be darn sure they knew I was a off duty LEO before I approached or pulled my gun out. I then covered one who made entry and verified the armed robber was now deceased as the other officer collapsed after the incident.


There are tons of articles about this for LEO's

http://www.policeone.com/Officer-Safety ... ischarges/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.policeone.com/officer-shooti ... ing-death/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;