Whenever there is any doubt, there is no doubt.
Every so often we get a thread at Warrior Talk asking about what a CCW person should do if he sees a crime, or some apparent victimization. The implied question of course is the quest for justification of the desire to jump in with both feet to save the day. That inherent desire, while noble, may also be quite foolish and self-destructive. But staying out of everything doesn’t have to be the mantra either. Like many things – it depends.
So I am not saying to default to doing nothing, merely that you should have sufficient information on what is happening before reacting. Lacking sufficient information, minding your own business may be a better option. Your decision will be based on three factors – location, companions, and information. Let’s discuss it.
Location. I have traveled in places that I refer to as Non-Permissive Environments. Those are areas where the legality of being armed may be questionable, yet where it is so dangerous that going unarmed would be stupid. In such places getting involved in anyone else’s problem is a bad decision unless what you are witnessing shocks the consciousness of mankind.
Look at it this way, will you trade your freedom, and finances to save strangers? That is what it boils down to. It is easy to be indignant at my suggestion from the safety of the internet in your living room, it is also quite easy to disagree when you carry the “Badge of America” card as an LEO with the full umbrella of protection your agency provides, but it is another matter altogether when you are sitting in the defendant’s chair, a civilian paying your own way, looking at a lengthy trial because you decided to “do the right thing”.
Again, I am not saying to default to do nothing, but neither is everything worthy of your risks. If you don’t have a gun its a moot point. If its legal for you to carry its also a moot point…for the most part.
by Gabe Suarez
