You use your gun for self defense...then what??

[TonyB]

Ok,You're approched by a bad guy, who says"Gimme your money"....he has a knife.......you have a gun,and you politly show it to him.He turns and runs(not all bad guys are dumb)......now what???Do you call the cops,and make a report(being that you brandished)or do you high tail it out of there(no harm no foul)????

 

[cool45auto]

I'd call the cops and then give a description of the loser so that he may get picked up. If you call before he does then he can't say some crazy guy pulled a gun on him and get you into trouble.

 

[Baba Louie]

The Boy Scout answer is, of course. Report the scum...er, underprivileged fellow to the police with a good description, location, time, etc.

Points to ponder, however are,

Where are you?
How close/fast will the police response be?
Are you carrying legally?
Did BG see your car or get a good decription of you?
Should you call the police?
Are there witnesses?
Are they your friends or BG associates or neutral third parties?
Do you have some other pressing engagement you can't miss?
Could you call your attorney first or second?
Do you even have an attorney or do you want him/her billing you for his "friendship and advice"?

Would you be willing to testify against the BG in court and face the future consequence that decision may bring -or- are you willing to let bygones be bygones and allow some other victim to face a different end result?

Your call.

Adios

 

[Graystar]

ALWAYS report crimes. Although they will probably not catch the guy, the police department uses geographic crime statistics to determine deployment. So if an area needs more cops, the best way to get them is to always report criminal activity.

As for pulling out your gun, don't worry about it.

 

[Edward429451]

Realistically it depends on if there was witnesses. There are those who will say 'Do the right thing and call the cops' and in fact it may be a good idea depending on if you have your CCW permit, or if you want to build yourself a defense paper trail just in case you ever show up in court for a weapons charge, etc..

If the BG runs and you're ok, I see no problem re holstering and going your own way. Save the LEO's a lot of paperwork, maybe they could go home early to thier family. Might save you a charge or three also.

I don't have a CCW permit and a dog attacked me few years back. I shot once in the grass in front of the dog and it turned him from the attack. I beat feet out of there and went home. (Noticed the next day the dog was now chained up!) Everybody won that day. I did the right thing.

Circumstances could drastically change the correct course of action. I might call the cops next time, might not.

YMMV. Don't take legal advice from me. I am not a lawyer.

 

[txgolfer45]

Assuming you are carrying legally, absolutely call the police and make a report. Otherwise, the BG could call the police and accuse you of brandishing. Be the first to make the call!!!

Scott

 

[Mannlicher]

well, I would not show the guy the gun. I would not give the money either. In either case, I would not report it.

 

[Standing Wolf]

At the least, I'd want the cops to have the criminal's description and modus operandi. Just because one citizen refused to be a victim doesn't mean all will.

 

[NC Shooter]

Call and report it. One of the things that bugs the hell out of me is that there are very few statistics on how often guns are used to prevent crime and harm.

Too often the gun is re holstered and the GG walks away. The BG is free to commit crimes again and again, maybe hurting other people. The beneficial use of a gun for self defense is never recorded.

Please report the crime.

 

[Edward429451]

Please report the crime.

That'd be ideal and I thought about that. We all know that the GG's all too often get charged, jailed, property confiscated, the whole nine yards when an incident occurs. Anymore It seems to be a rarity for a GG to walk with no charges. It seems that the police are to be feared more than any criminal for this reason alone. You hardly ever run into a BG, but the police are everywhere. Why subject yourself and your family to the wringer when no harm no foul, the BG left? It goes against reason.

True enough the BG walks away to possibly commit more acts and I'm not without my sympathy to the community, but (thanks to the administration), I can't warn the community of the punk and must put My family before my community in this instance. The administration forces this reality on us. I don't like it. I think I'm just being realistic. Trying to do the right thing is like panning for gold in a septic tank, you might not find a nugget but you're sure to get splashed with crap.

If I ever had to really use my sidearm in defense, I'd certainly call in the police. You cant run from a body and John Walsh and it would look worse to try & run & get caught later, but John Law gets the night off if no shots fired.

It dont sound nice or PC, but the family unit is to be protected from all enemies, foreign (BG's) and domestic (administration).

Where's the flaw in that logic?

 

[Dr.Rob]

If you draw you had better be ready to shoot. There is no 'brandishing' to make him turn tail and run.

 

[Shaughn Leayme]

Given the plethora of video camera's that we have in this day and age and the quality of pictures that they can take, you are taking a risk, by not calling the police.

Before someone says, "but they aren't in alleys" think again, business and landowners are putting camera's everywhere, in part to satisfy residents and insurance companies and for thier own piece of mind.

A camera is impartial, but the person looking at the footage can come to the wrong conclusion about what happened and then he/she/they call the police and since they have footage of you, pointing a gun at someone and the innocent person (remember his weapon may not be visible to the camera) turns and runs away and then you holster and go the opposite direction looking around in a furitive manner (perception of the person looking at the film), looking for witnesses to your (il)legal act (again based on the perception of the viewer).

Now the police get a report from you, saying that you had an attempted robbery and how you dealt with it and then this tape shows up and it will be looked at in a totally different light.

I am going to call and report, even though I might have to jump thru some hoops, because of it.

If I don't report and the BG does, then I have to refute his story and since I didn't report right away, who is going to be looked at with a jaundiced eye?

 

[Baba Louie]

TonyB,

The reality is, if he's within 7 yds of you and has knife in hand and you DO NOT have gun in hand, you lose... or you'd better be backing up fast.

21 ft. is about 1.5 seconds or less for him to cover you and paint you red, if he so chooses. 7 yds. is the magical number I've been taught.

Tag... you're it.

So, I guess I'll waffle again and say... it depends on your jurisdiction.
Urban or rural, east coast, west coast or in between, big town or small town.

If you see him/them laying in wait as you approach... that's another thing altogether.

Still and all, calling to give the Constables an eyewitness account of the accosting is a prudent procedure.

Adios

 

[Preacherman]

Dr. Rob and Baba Louie have it. If he's within range to threaten me with a knife, he's not going to get the opportunity to turn and run - I'll be shooting, not brandishing the gun like a talisman! If you've ever experienced the Tueller Drill, you know what I mean. It's just too darn dangerous to assume that he'll turn and run at the sight of your gun. Besides, a good knife man will know what he's capable of doing. If I were within 7 yards of someone I knew to be a good knife man, believe me, I'd be giving him my wallet rather than trying to draw my gun. That can come later, when he's further away!

 

[bountyhunter]

In Kali

You just put your hands behind yourself and wait for the cuffs.

 

[Jeff OTMG]

My action would be totally dependent on what state, city, and area the incident occurred.

 

[TarpleyG]

I don't buy the "bad guy calling the cops on you" routine that many of you advocate. The last thing in the world 99.9% of these types want is an encounter with police. Even if it is just a phone call. I'd say, if it is just you and the bad guy, don't report it. They won't catch the creep anyway. OTOH, if someone else sees the event, you may want to either acknowledge/converse with them if possible and explain or just call the po-po and report it. I would still remain anonymous if you can.

GT

 

[KMKeller]

Tarp - You're assuming that the guy is going to hang around. All he has to do is place an anonymous call reporting a "man brandishing a gun" and give your description and where he saw you. Damage is done.

It's happened many times in the past and I'm sure will happen many more times. I advocate calling the incident in to the local PD. The next person may not have a pistol to protect themselves and the perp may find himself in the mood to do some damage to someone. Give the PD the help they need.

 

[rappa]

Diall 911 and report it to the police so they can keep an eye out for the perp and you can establish that you were the victim and avoid any identity problems when the police arrive.

 

[El Tejon]

What KM sez. Save the super secret vigilante (Batman) stuff for the gun shoppe.

Remember there are only two boxes on the police report: perp and victim. If BG gets a hold of the po-po first, he goes down as the victim. Problem #2 lingers!

 

[Soap]

1- Call the police
2- Call El Tejon

 

[Baba Louie]

The man that taught our CCW class proposed that we take a couple of 20's, fold them over half and "STAPLE THEM SHUT", and carry them as evidence money. Throw it on the ground in front of you.

Yeah, he told us, if the bad guy's that close, give them something to hang onto that YOU CAN IDENTIFY to the police... "Yes officer, he has three $20 bills with a staple (or staple holes) in them right over Andy Jackson's eyes" (or somesuch). Evidence that links him and his crime to you and the police can duly note it, if they pick him up based on your description and find money with matching descriptive holes.

Throwing it on the ground also forces him to bend down to pick it up, giving you a heartbeat to do something else... your choice. Boogey or begin to draw your... wallet or whatever you carry on your strongside hip...

Just an idea.

Ayoob wrote about carrying some money folded around a matchbook I think it was. Created some negative controversy... "I'm not giving any creep my hard earned dough, etc", but it does create another heartbeat for you to decide and act...

Adios

 

[Tamara]

Well, when the actual situation happened:

A) I was not cool enough to do the whole "no brandishing" thing. I pulled the gun out in full expectation of having to use it, he backpedalled and started saying "It's cool! It's cool!" and then turned and ran. I guess he'd never heard of Dennis Tueller either. He did, however, retain posession of his straight razor, so perhaps he set up shop elsewhere that morning.
B) I may have tried saying something in a commanding voice, but I doubt anything came out.
C) I was not inclined to shoot a fleeing man, so I guess I broke the ol' "never pull it unless you're gonna use it" bugaboo.
D) I did not report the incident to Johnny Law. Mea culpa.

EDIT: I did not report the incident per se to Johnny Law. The next day, my roommate called the cops to come clean out the guy's "nest" in our parking lot. I don't think the whole 'drawing the gun' part was included in the tale other than a vague reference to "...and my roommate scared him off."

Edited again, as (like the college dropout I am) I used "backpeddled" rather than "backpedalled". You "pedal" your feet, unless you are trying to sell them, in which case you "peddle" them. D'oh!

 

[RandyB]

call the cops. It improves the chances that they can take Mr. BG off the street and make our world a safer place. This is especially important since the next person might not be so lucky and get the drop on this BG.

 

[Edward429451]

With all the potential ways for it to go bad its a wonder anyone even goes to work or the supermarket. Think I'll stay home today and hide under the covers instead of walk that tightrope. But, OH NO, what if I have a home invasion? NOT.

I like Tams response to the incident. Call the police after the fact so the community still gets the warning. How'd I scare him off occifer? I made him think I had a gun. (I have a couple painted wooden trainer pistols) I was on my way to/from practicing disarming techniques with my friend.

Ya gotta admit, exciting times we live in.