Armed Citizens, Stand Your Ground Laws And the Role of Police

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Armed Citizens

What is the rule of armed citizens? What is the real role of police? There is much confusion on this topic these days (Editor)

First, law enforcement officers, at least most of them, by the very nature of their jobs are looking for trouble. Or, rather, they are looking to prevent trouble by their presence. Thus a police officer is forced to confront trouble face on. The armed citizen, on the other hand, is armed not because he is out there actively looking for trouble, but so that if trouble finds him he can cope with it. A police officer is expected to walk into a situation that the armed citizen should do everything in his power to avoid.

For instance, should the armed citizen (AC) see an armed robbery in progress, he should not try to intervene. His very presence will complicate things and could cause death and destruction. It will cause law enforcement personnel responding to the call to consider him an armed antagonist rather than a fellow cop. If an AC sees such a situation he should retreat and phone the robbery in to the police. Even if he is in the establishment when the robbery is occurring he should try to hide until help arrives. Only when placed in a situation where he cannot hide or retreat and where he thinks he has enough of an advantage that he can complete his draw and neutralize the threat without getting shot, or where nothing but his immediate intervention can prevent the death or grievous bodily injury of innocent people, should he react with force. Instead of screaming “Stop, I’ve got a gun,” he should seek cover and concealment and try to put himself into a position where, if he is forced to use his weapon, he and not the scumbag has all the advantages. The average citizen is in no way trained to handle such situations and should do everything he can to avoid them. There is no shame is running away or hiding. Even cops and soldiers do it when they are out-gunned or out-maneuvered.

If you, an AC, are leaving the mall with Christmas presents and notice a group of suspicious men loitering around the parking lot, the wise thing to do is return to the mall, find a security guard, explain the situation to him, and ask the guard to accompany you to your vehicle. Unlimbering Old Equalizer is your last resort, not your first. You want to go home with your gifts, not spend the next week at the police department explaining your actions over and over again and appearing on the local news channel as an armed nut and a vigilante. And you should always contemplate the possibility that you may not win the gunfight. Being dead lasts a very long time.

I am very leery of the stand-your-ground laws that are being enacted all across the country. I understand the reason they are being passed, but I am not sure that the average AC understands it. Those laws are not being passed to force you to stand your ground and fight, but I am afraid that is the way many uninformed people see it.

There are no laws now, and there never will be any such laws, that prevent you from retreating from an armed confrontation. It is simple common sense that if you can safely escape such an encounter, you should.

As I said, you are probably not trained to tackle such situations. What those laws are for is to protect you if you find yourself in a situation you cannot see a way to avoid, and end up having to use your weapon in self-defense.

Then if the pundits and naysayers who study your reactions for a few months find what they believe is a way you could have escaped, you are not subject to arrest for standing your ground rather than falling to your knees and begging for mercy.

Not Plain Clothes Cops

Far too many ACs seem to see themselves as plain clothes cops. That is so far from reality that it amazes me. Not only has the police officer been trained to use his weapon by many hours on a range with a qualified instructor, he also has a thorough understanding of the laws and regulations pertaining thereto.

He is taught how to approach an armed encounter in a way that gives him the best possible chance to survive and most have spent at least some time on shoot and don’t shoot scenarios using projectors and movies on a screen.

Some larger agencies even have shooting houses such as the famous Hogan’s Alley. Having spent time on such simulators myself, I can tell you that the adrenaline flows quite freely, and you find yourself almost believing it is real. This is as close to reality as you can get without actually being in a gunfight.

On the other hand the AC has probably not been to any such training. Most have done a bit of practice on their own and have taken the test that gives them their concealed carry license. That course is not a training course. It is a test to see if you can qualify and to familiarize you with the laws that pertain to your carrying a gun. It does not compare with the training a police officer gets. Do not kid yourself that you are well-trained if you pass the concealed carry course.

I personally believe that every person who wants to carry a concealed weapon should take some real training course such as those offered by Thunder Ranch. It would be best if you took that course before you went for your concealed carry license.

That is my advice. Take it or not. It is up to you.

Steve LaMascus

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