We read about and discuss all kinds of self defense scenarios here in ST&T. Scenarios discussed here include encounters at service stations, in parking lots, at cross-walks, in the driveway, in the yard, at ATMs, in stores and pharmacies, in parks and on trails, outside dormitories, and just about everywhere else one can imagine.
The details vary, as do the locations. However, in point of fact, every one of these scenarios, except for those that involve someone breaking into an occupied home or an armed robbery that is already in progress, is just another variation on the same theme. Someone encounters someone else who may pose a threat.
This is even true for the most recent scenario du jour--the so called "flash mob".
That point was driven home very effectively in a discussion of flash mobs; that thread was properly closed, but I think that one of the comments made in the thread is so valuable and so universal in its application that it bears repeating.
I refer to this one by Lee Lapin:
As stated, ADEE isn't always possible, but if it is, that advice applies to just about every kind of encounter that one can imagine, unless it involves an invasion of the home.
It is often said that if one has a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail. Similarly, there is a tendency to think "gun" when something that appears to be sinister presents itself.
It is always infinitely preferable to avoid even having to put one's hand on a firearm, if it can be avoided. As Lee implies, the possible legal consequences, both criminal and civil, are daunting.
That's not all. A gun in one's hand does not make one bulletproof. Our protagonist with his firearm risks being shot by the "threat" or by his accomplice, by an armed citizen, or by a law enforcement officer.
Most of us here believe that lawfully carrying a firearm for self defense is a prudent thing to do. It is important that we know how to use it and that we know the law in whatever jurisdiction that we happen to visit.
That means the law, not just the code. On that subject, it is a very good idea to avoid looking at the law in terms of trying to figure out when one is permitted to shoot. Rather, it would be more fruitful to focus on what one may not do in terms of drawing or pointing or shooting a firearm at someone under differing circumstances.
Again, this advice is probably rather universal when it comes to most outdoor scenarios.
The details vary, as do the locations. However, in point of fact, every one of these scenarios, except for those that involve someone breaking into an occupied home or an armed robbery that is already in progress, is just another variation on the same theme. Someone encounters someone else who may pose a threat.
This is even true for the most recent scenario du jour--the so called "flash mob".
That point was driven home very effectively in a discussion of flash mobs; that thread was properly closed, but I think that one of the comments made in the thread is so valuable and so universal in its application that it bears repeating.
I refer to this one by Lee Lapin:
As stated, ADEE isn't always possible, but if it is, that advice applies to just about every kind of encounter that one can imagine, unless it involves an invasion of the home.
It is often said that if one has a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail. Similarly, there is a tendency to think "gun" when something that appears to be sinister presents itself.
It is always infinitely preferable to avoid even having to put one's hand on a firearm, if it can be avoided. As Lee implies, the possible legal consequences, both criminal and civil, are daunting.
That's not all. A gun in one's hand does not make one bulletproof. Our protagonist with his firearm risks being shot by the "threat" or by his accomplice, by an armed citizen, or by a law enforcement officer.
Most of us here believe that lawfully carrying a firearm for self defense is a prudent thing to do. It is important that we know how to use it and that we know the law in whatever jurisdiction that we happen to visit.
That means the law, not just the code. On that subject, it is a very good idea to avoid looking at the law in terms of trying to figure out when one is permitted to shoot. Rather, it would be more fruitful to focus on what one may not do in terms of drawing or pointing or shooting a firearm at someone under differing circumstances.
Again, this advice is probably rather universal when it comes to most outdoor scenarios.
