? for ccw guys, to shoot or not to shoot

ohihunter2014

New member
been thinking about this lately and want some opinions.

2 stores I frequent have been being robbed at gun point lately and its got me a little on edge.

now say you walk into a store or your in the store waiting on your food and a guy comes in with a gun and mask on screaming give them the money do you shoot or not shoot? one of the stores they forced the person into the back room at gunpoint.

I don't know how I would handle the situation, part of me says just stand back and let it happen and part of me says stop the threat. its on thing to rob someone but to point a gun at them and others and force them into a room draws the line. not trying to be a hero just wondering what others would do.
 
Imminent threat to human life with a safe opportunity to stop the threat = shoot.

I wouldn't blame anybody for taking the opportunity to run out the door when the bad guy took the clerk into the back room. On the other hand, there's a chance that the bad guy walks in, engages the clerk, gives you a chance to shoot - you don't - and then they turn around and make EVERYBODY in the store go to the back room.

There's not just one right answer, and I'm not the type to "try to be a hero," but I think it's very fair to say - if a lion walked into the gas station and attacked the clerk, I would shoot the lion. That's not "trying to be a hero," that's stopping an imminent threat from becoming a death. A guy with a gun is the same imminent threat to human life as an African Lion. If I have an opportunity where I could stop an imminent threat, then I feel obligated to do so.
 
imo if your crazy enough to rob a store at gunpoint then your crazy enough to take someones life for a couple bucks. had this conversation with a buddy and he felt differently.
 
As has been stated, it depends upon the situation! Each scenario has the potential of going south in a hurry.

I'm going to throw some stuff in the game here. Suppose the bad guy is, at this point in time, merely holding a gun on the clerk, no shots fired as of yet. You choose to shoot the bad guy but for whatever reason, miss, bad shot, perp high on drugs, whatever, and then, after you shoot, the perp shoots the clerk or others in the store?

Quote:Shoot, then call your lawyer.

At this point, you need to go heavy on the "call your lawyer", which is good advice even if you are 100% successful in disabling the perp w/no further shots fired.

A good friend of mine was forced to (justifiably) shoot someone high on drugs who was threatening him in his own home. He began teaching CCW classes when CCW became law, and closed every class with, "Remember, nothing good happens after the shot" based on his personal experience.

Just thinkin' out loud here.

Regards,
hm
 
I agree with the situation going bad real fast. I brought this up because I hear a lot saying id drop him in a min and I got to thinking. I spent years working armed protective services and transport and guys were so gun hoe and my instinct was if someone actually gets the drop on me with a gun pointed at me or others it would be stupid to draw, if shots were actually fired then game on I'm going home.
 
I feel...And have always felt that probably more than 50% (or more) of people carrying would, "freeze" if the moment came up. Shooting at a target and shooting at a human being are nowhere the same! For a, "normal" citizen, it is gut wrenching. Even at war it is hard.
 
Killing somebody is not something you want to live with if there is any better way out at all. And if you do shoot and are like the average man you might as well get ready to give up everything you have and maybe what you hope to have. If the grand jury does not bring true bill there is still civil court. Beats being dead but not by much. That said I would still do my best to protect family. As for the store clerk, how do you know they are not in on it.
 
Living with yourself after shooting someone can be tough but I personally wouldn't blink before I pulled that trigger.I guess it has alot to do with the kind of person you are
 


You turn around or back out the store and call the police from a safe position.
Take more training courses and you will more prepared to handle what comes your way.
 
I agree that getting out is ideal, but if I were a gunman I wouldn't let anyone leave. You would be asking for him to point his weapon at you. Not me. I'll let a hollow point catch him off guard
 
before i let some innocent person die i would put one in him.it just depends the situation.if you don't want the worry don't go to that store anymore
 
I don't have a CCW permit, heck, I don't even own a handgun but I would have to take action if I were in the situation hypothetically. Like newmexkid said though, I would most likely be that 50% that would freeze and not be able to react. I like to think of it this way, if you did shoot the person and it was all followed up by lawyers, court, etc., that is a better scenario then say the guy shoots the clerk and kills them, then you have to live with the fact that you had the opportunity and ability to help the person and you didn't. My brother is law enforcement and he said it is a weird feeling even unholstering your gun with the intentions of pointing it at another human even if it is self defense. It's hard to say if I would be able to do it, but in my head, I would rather have to call my lawyer than some police officer knocking on the door of the clerk's family to tell them they were dead because some piece of [beeep] needed a few hundred dollars. Just my opinion.

Shelton
 
I would much rather be a witness in court than a participant in a gunfight. That said, if I had the opportunity to end the situation by shooting the bad guy without making the situation even more dangerous for other innocent people, the bad guy gets shot.
 
As long as he is holding a gun with hostile intent towards me or any other citizen, the first time he turns his back or focuses his attention else where I would begin shooting… I would continue to shoot until he is no longer a threat… I do not have a duty to wait until he shoots at me first...

“I was in fear for my life. I was forced to defend myself. I will make no further statements without an attorney.”
 
avoid if possible, protect family and property. Store clerks are on their own, unless i am standing there and I am sure that he is going to shoot, Then I shoot and make sure they are not a threat.

AZ has very shooter friendly rules and laws.
 
Tough to say what I would do. But if he is waving the gun around and there is No One beyond where the bullets are going to go then it will be I was in fear for my life and use SD. But I will have my lawyer on the phone and make sure no one leaves the establishment or the scene before the officers get there.
 
That's a tough Decision to make and I would have to really think hard about that if it were to happen to me. I'm not sure what I would do at this point in time. I would have to take a class on this in order to learn what the law is in IN and how that would apply to this situation. So until I learn what the law is I'd hesitate to shoot at anyone unless they were breaking into my home and trying to harm me. Only then would I shoot someone.

I really don't want to have to deal with the aftermath of shooting anyone. So I hope I never have to shoot anyone.. ever. I'd much rather just have fun shooting at the rifle range and not have to be stressed out by shooting someone.

With that said I would shoot if I thought I was in danger and felt my life being threatened by a bad guy.
 
Originally Posted By: Infidel 762As long as he is holding a gun with hostile intent towards me or any other citizen, the first time he turns his back or focuses his attention else where I would begin shooting… I would continue to shoot until he is no longer a threat… I do not have a duty to wait until he shoots at me first...

“I was in fear for my life. I was forced to defend myself. I will make no further statements without an attorney.”

Forced to defend yourself? You shot him in the back, he wasn't pointing the gun at you. Some slick talking attorney is gonna get you in front of a jury after he has portrayed his severely injured or maybe deceased client as a good young man, just down on his luck, society has stacked the deck against him and limited his opportunities for education and success, struggling to make a living for his young family (picture six stair stepped kids well coached with big wet eyes and sniffling noses sitting first row) with no intention of hurting anyone (are you a mind reader?) being gunned down by you the wildly dangerous zealot gunslinger (race will play a role if it can be raised in anyway whatsoever).

I hesitate to enter into this discussion. I feel I know exactly what you are trying to say and why but there are a lot of things to consider and not the least is your ability to articulate why you did what you did. Because that statement is going to be shredded word by word in law offices for months afterward. Folks... you better be sure of yourself.
 
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