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Many are unwilling to pull
the trigger on an assailant,
but will not hesitate to tase.
(2) when and to the degree he reasonably
believes the deadly force is immediately
necessary:
(A) to prevent the other’s imminent
commission of arson, burglary, robbery,
aggravated robbery, theft during the
nighttime, or criminal mischief during
the nighttime; or
(B) to prevent the other who is fleeing
immediately after committing burglary,
robbery, aggravated robbery, or theft
during the nighttime from escaping
with the property; and
(3) he reasonably believes that:
(A) the land or property cannot be
protected or recovered by any other
means; or
(B) the use of force other than deadly
force to protect or recover the land
or property would expose the actor
or another to a substantial risk
of death or serious bodily injury.
But in most jurisdictions, harming a
person to save property is frowned on.
You will have to convince a jury that
you used the lowest level of force that
would work.
Talking is considered preferable to
hurting, hurting is considered preferable
to injuring, and injuring is considered
preferable to killing. Even though
it is possible to injure a person with a
gun, a gun is considered a deadly weapon
and, if it is used, you must be able to
justify deadly force.
If the person threatening you with
a blunt instrument is a fit, healthy,
experienced criminal, deadly force
may well be your best or only option.
If the threat is an eighty-year-old
with dementia swinging his cane at
you, you should be able to handle it
with something other than a firearm.
That’s the obvious stuff, most of
it legal or moral. Most of the situations
that most of us will encounter
can be resolved without deadly force.
Realistically, most can be walked away
from.
One less obvious reason is tactical. If
you have only one option, you can only
respond to one type of situation. This
isn’t limited to guns. Any training that
doesn’t span from observing to talking
and all the way up to small unit tactics
leaves holes in a self-defense plan.
If you can’t tell the difference between
a predator and a potential date,
you’re in trouble. If you don’t know how
to set boundaries or calm people down
(and understand thoroughly when each
of those tactics is likely to work) you will
take unnecessary risks. If you don’t have
MAY/JUNE 2011 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n USCONCEALEDCARRY.COM
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