Keep you and yours safe. That's your ONLY job.

 

Greg Ellifritz, whom we've met in these pages on numerous occasions, has some vitally important advice for civilian firearms carriers in the face of street and gang shooting incidents in public.

I’ve received several emails similar to this one lately.

“Let’s say I’m at a place of business or some other public place and a scuffle breaks out resulting in shots fired such as at Polaris this week or another mall last week or in front of a bar last night. Last night, 15 shots were fired. Being armed competently what should I do? What would you do?”

I’m going to answer this one simply and directly.  You off-duty cops and legally armed citizens have exactly one role in this situation:  Make sure you and your family/friends don’t get shot.  That’s it.  End of lesson.

When I hear shots nearby, I immediately get down on the ground or behind cover.  I assess where the shots are coming from and I plan a path of retreat in the opposite direction, ideally moving between large pieces of cover as I make my escape.  That’s it.  There is absolutely nothing else you should do.

These are young thugs fighting other young thugs.  These are gang bangers fighting other gang bangers.  These are drunken idiots who decide to whip out a pistol when they are insulted.  None of those situations involves you in any way, even if you are in danger of catching a stray round.

They don’t want to shoot you.  The only way you will get hit is by accident.  Don’t go looking for trouble.  Don’t try to intervene.  There is no “innocent third party” to protect.  Let the dumbshits shoot each other.  You don’t have to play their game.

. . .

Don’t involve yourself in this stupidity.  It will only harm you in the long term.  If you intervene, you will either get shot by the thugs, shot by the cops, sued by the person you shoot, or criminally arrested.  If that doesn’t happen and you make a statement to the cops  you take the chance of being  hunted down by the arrested party’s crew at a future date before trial.

Say it again with me:  “Not your people, not your problem.”

There's more at the link. 

That's critical in today's violent urban environment.  Don't inject yourself into the problem unless you absolutely have to - meaning, to defend yourself and/or your loved ones from others trying to harm you/them.  I've seen and heard too many wannabe Rambo's asserting that they'd jump in to stop a bad guy . . . but they ignore the very real dangers in doing so.  Even if they survive unhurt, and hit the "bad guy":

• What if he isn't the bad guy, but trying to defend himself?  How do you know?
• What if your bullets hit an innocent bystander, either directly or by ricochet?
• What if the cops come running in response to a call, see you with a gun, and assume you're the bad guy?  A "good guy" was shot and killed by cops doing just that, not so long ago.
• What if your name ends up in the headlines, and the bad guy's buddies decide that revenge is in order?
• What if you're summoned to give evidence, and the bad guy decides he doesn't want you testifying, and asks his buddies to make sure of that?

There are many other disadvantages most people never consider.  Unless you absolutely have no other choice, stay out of a potentially lethal confrontation.  That's not being cowardly - it's common sense.

(And to those who say, "Oh, but what if you could stop a rape or an assault, but don't, and an innocent victim gets hurt?", I can only say:  re-read what I said above.  Perhaps you may find yourself in a position to do something good, something heroic, like that, without risking your family in the process - but remember the potential consequences, and make really sure you're ready to face them before you act.  This isn't the frontier, and it isn't the jungle, both places where the rule of law is conspicuous by its absence.  If you interject yourself into a situation where deadly force is in use, that force can kill you or your loved ones as easily as anyone else.)

Peter