Carry for self-defense or societal-defense?

[Elm Creek Smith]

The fact that I carry to defend my life and the lives of my family makes society safer. Since the otherhumans know there are people like me out there, it makes their choices of victims more difficult. It gets even better: my wife carries, too.

ECS

 

[W.E.G.]

As was pointed out in another thread, its easier to carry a gun than it is to carry a cop.

 

[The_Shootist]

Depends

If I'm in a convenience store type robbery - then yeah - I'm going to draw.
Not necessarily out of any love for innocent bystanders, its just that robbers have a habit of dispatching all witnesses they can.

Being a good Christian, I fervently believe its better to do unto others before they do unto you - in that type of situation.

 

[havanatrader]

Ask any cop who has had an abused woman attack him/her while they are arresting the hump who just split her lip and blackened her eye

I'm no cop, but many moons ago, just out of the Navy, I went to the aid of a young woman who was being viciously beaten and forced into a car. She was screaming "STOP!", "Someone HELP ME!". Her face and shirt were covered with blood.
I ran full speed into her attacker, leading with an elbow to the side of his head. He skidded across the hood of the car, falling unconsious on the other side.
The next thing I know, this woman smacks ME in the side of the head with small wooden bat, screaming "Leave my boyfriend alone!".
"Ouch! Fine. You don't have to live like that, but if you choose to, It's not my business."

Even after that, if I was in one of your scenarios, and I thought it likely that someone was going to be hurt by the thief, I think I would intervene.
If I thought that money would be taken and that would be the end, I wouldn't.
I know it would be impossible to know for sure what their intentions are, but I'd go with my gut.

 

[ssfeldjager]

In the scenario of: "Hypothetically, if you're behind someone at a rail road crossing and they are getting carjacked at gun point, are you going to jump in and shoot the attacker?"

How do you know that the carjacking perpetrator is, in fact a real carjacker and not some clown, friend, etc., of the supposed "victim" and it isn't just people playing around?

Guess who will probably end up sitting at the "defendant" table with their lawyer? Here's a clue: It won't be the supposed "victim" or the supposed "perpetrator". They will be sitting at the "plantiff" table with their lawyer. This is the GOOD part of a potential court action.

And... guess who has a real potential of also sitting at the "defendant" table with their lawyer and the other table is the local District Attorney? And, the victim will be the supposed carjacking perpetrator... this... by the way.. is the really, really BAD part of the potential court action.

Cops gets sued all day and all night when they are involved in a GOOD shooting... You would be portrayed as a "gun-crazed maniac who randomly shot in cold blood...the "victim".

Self-defense is one thing... the remainder of society needs to be armed or remain the "sheep" they are. It just isn't worth the risk to yourself.