What NOT to do With Your Concealed Carry Gun
Russ Chastain 12.15.15
Elkhart, IN – Don’t be like this guy. Please.
I love it when concealed carriers use their guns legitimately. Every day, guns in the hands of citizens do more good than harm and prevent an untold number of crimes. And I like to concentrate on that.
But sometimes, the concealed carrier is in the wrong, as in this case.
In short, two shoplifters were reportedly getting away from the scene of their crime. They got into a truck. Concealed carrier Norman Reynolds drew his gun and fired a shot into the truck. The crooks left the scene, Reynolds did not.
And Reynolds was brought up on felony charges.
Why did he draw his gun? As far as we know, he was never threatened, nor was anyone else.
He fired the shot “just behind the passenger seat,” he said, because he didn’t want them to get away.
‘I wanted them to stay there [in the parking lot] until the police arrived,’ Reynolds said.
Well heck. I don’t want thieves to get away, either, but that’s no reason to start shooting.
If you don’t like that reason, he’s got another one to offer: Just in case the passenger, whom Reynolds said had disappeared from view, had a firearm, Reynolds figured that firing a shot would discourage the baddie from shooting his imaginary gun.
‘I figured if [the suspect] had a weapon, he wasn’t gonna use it then,’ Reynolds said.
Hmmm.
I don’t know about that shoplifter, but I can tell you that if I were in his shoes (and had a gun), I would be MORE likely to use it against someone who shot at me, than if I was not being fired upon.
Thankfully, nobody was injured.
Reynolds, reportedly a veteran of the army and air force, claimed that he is “very well trained.”
Clearly, training isn’t everything.
Suppose that Reynolds was wrong when he said of his shot placement, “there’s no way the bullet was going anywhere else.” Suppose the bullet had been deflected by the tough steel of the vehicle door and struck one or both of the crooks.
Suppose he’d killed someone.
That would suck for many people, including Reynolds. And it illustrates why the use of deadly force was not called for.
This is why your gun should only come out when and if you see a definite threat to yourself or someone else. Reynolds’ handgun probably should never have even seen the light of day, much less fired a shot at retreating crooks.
Reynolds still has a permit to carry a concealed firearm, but said that he hasn’t been carrying one lately. He had this to say:
I really, really feel uncomfortable. So [my wife and I] hardly ever go out. I pretty much stay in my house cause I don’t feel like I can defend myself and I will not be a victim.
I guess firing at a non-threatening vehicle falls under the category of self-defense? If so, I’m relieved he’s no longer packing heat in public.
He’s facing two felony charges: criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon and pointing a firearm, which could result in as much as five years in jail and fines amounting to $10,000.
Please carry responsibly, and only draw your gun if you see a clear threat to yourself or others.
