What would you have done?


G

GUNNERDOGGY

New member
I have carried for about 10 years now, and never once have I had the need to draw my weapon. I don't frequent sketchy places and am generally very good at keeping myself out of trouble. Then, yesterday i read this in the news...

Cary man charged following robbery attempt

This pharmacy is right by my house (in a very safe neighborhood) and i had been in there (carrying), hours before, to pick up a prescription for my wife. It really makes you think "what would i have done in that situation?".

What would you have done if you were at the pharmacy waiting for your name to be called and some guy threatens you with a knife?

I would have drawn, demanded that he drop his weapon then... if he did anything other than drop the knife or run away i would probably feel justified in using my weapon to stopping the threat.
 

This guy wanted drugs. He had a knife. Why not just let him take the drugs? Why fight with him? Why risk your life over his addiction? Why not let the police chase him down after he leaves? I think I would have drawn on him also. There really were no details in the story so who knows what any one of us would have done.
 
GUNNERDOGGY said:
I have carried for about 10 years now, and never once have I had the need to draw my weapon. I don't frequent sketchy places and am generally very good at keeping myself out of trouble. Then, yesterday i read this in the news...

Cary man charged following robbery attempt

This pharmacy is right by my house (in a very safe neighborhood) and i had been in there (carrying), hours before, to pick up a prescription for my wife. It really makes you think "what would i have done in that situation?".

What would you have done if you were at the pharmacy waiting for your name to be called and some guy threatens you with a knife?

I would have drawn, demanded that he drop his weapon then... if he did anything other than drop the knife or run away i would probably feel justified in using my weapon to stopping the threat.
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And then get ready to refinance your house to pay the legal bill. You missed the first rule of PP. As per the course syllabus in "NRA Personal Protection Outside the Home" dictates... retreat. Draw the gun and retreat whether you have a stand your ground law ot not. NEVER try to disarm the attacker. Forget telling him to drop the knife. Disengage him. Completely. You didn't say he was actively attacking but rather "threatened you with a knife." You draw your weapon and move away. Stand your ground laws be damned. Using a gun in self defense, whether you are right or wrong will probably ruin your life for so many reasons. Normal people don't live with these actions easily. This advice is brought to you by Mas Ayoob in his acclaimed book "In the Gravest Extreme." I trained at the Lethal Force Institute where Mas' staff pounded this into our heads for a week.
 
BC1 said:
And then get ready to refinance your house to pay the legal bill. You missed the first rule of PP. As per the course syllabus in "NRA Personal Protection Outside the Home" dictates... retreat. Draw the gun and retreat whether you have a stand your ground law ot not. NEVER try to disarm the attacker. Forget telling him to drop the knife. Disengage him. Completely. You didn't say he was actively attacking but rather "threatened you with a knife." You draw your weapon and move away. Stand your ground laws be damned. Using a gun in self defense, whether you are right or wrong will probably ruin your life for so many reasons. Normal people don't live with these actions easily. This advice is brought to you by Mas Ayoob in his acclaimed book "In the Gravest Extreme." I trained at the Lethal Force Institute where Mas' staff pounded this into our heads for a week.
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If your not willing to use it don't carry it.
 
I believe that if you have made the decision to draw your gun, then you have made the decision to pull the trigger. And if you don't pull the trigger, it is because the attacker is retreating.

EDIT: I would like to clarify that I am not talking about brandishing your weapon and then hoping that the threat runs away. What I am saying is that once you make the decision to draw, it for only one purpose: bang.
 
Agree with danmc...neutralize the threat. If the threat is retreating, let him go. If the threat is advancing, neutralize it the other way.
 
Rhino said:
You have reason to disparage LFI? Please enlighten us.
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Certainly. I'm not going to bet my life on what the criminal will or will not do when faced with the threat of getting killed. When I present the threat of my firearm to the criminal, I am not going to bet my life upon that criminal allowing me to retreat to safety. That criminal with the knife is only going to be presented with one option - and that option is to begin their own noticeable retreat in the span of time between my firearm leaving the holster and my ability to aim and fire at them. The criminal with the gun is only going to be presented with one option - and that option is not only to begin their noticeable retreat, but also to, at a minimum, lower their gun in the span of time between my firearm leaving the holster and my ability to aim and fire at them. BC1's theory involves trusting the criminal and betting my life upon the predicted response of the criminal to my defense. I simply will not bet my life, or the life of others, on what the criminal's reaction is going to be.

Fortunately, the laws of the state where I am located, Washington, offer great protection to a person acting in self defense, and our laws also provide us with the lawful ability to use deadly force for self defense in a variety of situations - the easiest of them is the design of the person slain to commit a felony against the slayer and the means available for that design to be accomplished. The criminal threatens me with a knife - clearly a design to commit a felony and the means available to accomplish that design is satisfied.
 
NavyLCDR said:
Certainly. I'm not going to bet my life on what the criminal will or will not do when faced with the threat of getting killed. When I present the threat of my firearm to the criminal, I am not going to bet my life upon that criminal allowing me to retreat to safety. That criminal with the knife is only going to be presented with one option - and that option is to begin their own noticeable retreat in the span of time between my firearm leaving the holster and my ability to aim and fire at them. The criminal with the gun is only going to be presented with one option - and that option is not only to begin their noticeable retreat, but also to, at a minimum, lower their gun in the span of time between my firearm leaving the holster and my ability to aim and fire at them. BC1's theory involves trusting the criminal and betting my life upon the predicted response of the criminal to my defense. I simply will not bet my life, or the life of others, on what the criminal's reaction is going to be.

Fortunately, the laws of the state where I am located, Washington, offer great protection to a person acting in self defense, and our laws also provide us with the lawful ability to use deadly force for self defense in a variety of situations - the easiest of them is the design of the person slain to commit a felony against the slayer and the means available for that design to be accomplished. The criminal threatens me with a knife - clearly a design to commit a felony and the means available to accomplish that design is satisfied.
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So you don't have reason to disparage them. You just disagree with them. That's fine. I misunderstood your comment anyway.
 
There's another facet to this scenario that needs to be considered. Criminals don't always act alone. His accomplice could be right behind you
 
Rhino said:
So you don't have reason to disparage them. You just disagree with them. That's fine. I misunderstood your comment anyway.
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And it has a lot to do with BC1's historical posts as well. He has full faith in the criminal not harming anyone if you just give them what they want and/or retreat from them. I don't have any faith or trust in a criminal making threats of great bodily harm or death.
 
Assuming he's alone and there's no other person that could pose a threat to me, my response would be dependent on his circle of threat. If I already have my gun drawn and aimed, I'm not within thrust range of his knife and no other person is within thrust range of his knife, I may give him the opportunity to disarm and retreat. The 21 foot rule doesn't apply because my gun is already drawn, but there's still a slight reaction time to consider. However, if I'm within his threat range, or if someone else is, then I likely won't give him the chance to strike. He poses an immediate, deadly threat that needs to be neutralized.
 
I would've done exactly what you said: Draw on him, disarm him, hold him for police (unless he decided to run away). And yes, if he didn't comply with "Put the knife down" and if he advanced, he's dead.
 
Actually it's a tough call....If you draw on him and he feels threatened he may take and/or kill a hostage, if you don't draw he may stab you or someone else. The ultimate decision, and it may have to be a VERY QUICK one, is do you feel that your life, or someone else's life is in immediate danger or will they suffer GREAT bodily harm.

The second consideration, you're in a store, if you miss there may be a LOT of other people in the store....should you risk that?

It may also depend on your state laws, FL you can use deadly force to stop a forceable felony (this would apply here), MN, it's not defined as clearly. There is no "correct" answer...that's what makes it so difficult. AFTER he stabbed the first guy, then it's pretty clear, but before not so much.

The other thing I would add, make sure if you ever shoot someone you've seen the ENTIRE situation unfold...You may shoot the wrong person. Imagine this guy stabs the first guy in another aisle and someone hears a gun shot and runs over and see's you standing near two wounded people holding a gun and shoots you.....KNOW THE FACTS!!!
 
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