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Be a “Good Witness” or possibly save a life?

KLGunner said:
Let’s say your in a Walmart at the register for check out and a couple registers down you see someone pull a gun on the cashier. You being a CCW holder do you react and pull yours or do you stand back and be a good witness?
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I'm thinking that it just depends.... There are a thousand different ways for the situation to play out and the chances of making it worse are pretty high.... A Wal Mart or any other public place often has lots of people around and there is no telling where they might go or what they might do to try & get away and hurting or killing one of them is always a possibility.... And, there is always the possibility of you being mistaken for a bad guy and a partner in the crime by responding LE... That being said, If the bad guy gives the slightest indication that he is reaching his breaking point/trigger point for violence then there really is no other option than to try and stop him from succeeding. That's where the couple of seconds you had to prepare from the time you recognized the threat until action was required should have been used to gain any advantages possible to give you any edge available in the situation.... As SOON as the crisis is over, if it works in your favor and it's safe to do so separate the firearm from the suspect and holster yours as soon as it's safe. Don't be standing there with a pistol in your hand as officers respond standing over a gunshot victim.
 
Jim R said:
I'm thinking that it just depends.... There are a thousand different ways for the situation to play out and the chances of making it worse are pretty high.... A Wal Mart or any other public place often has lots of people around and there is no telling where they might go or what they might do to try & get away and hurting or killing one of them is always a possibility.... And, there is always the possibility of you being mistaken for a bad guy and a partner in the crime by responding LE... That being said, If the bad guy gives the slightest indication that he is reaching his breaking point/trigger point for violence then there really is no other option than to try and stop him from succeeding. That's where the couple of seconds you had to prepare from the time you recognized the threat until action was required should have been used to gain any advantages possible to give you any edge available in the situation.... As SOON as the crisis is over, if it works in your favor and it's safe to do so separate the firearm from the suspect and holster yours as soon as it's safe. Don't be standing there with a pistol in your hand as officers respond standing over a gunshot victim.
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Also the other point I wanna add to this is what if he has backup? You could draw to save a life and his wife or buddy could see this and now your the target for one or both.
 
These types of questions are really not answerable sitting behind a keyboard. Every situation is different and must be assessed in real time. If I or a loved one were not in immediate danger I would use whatever time was available to asses the situation. Is the perp acting alone? Is my line of fire clear? What is beyond the intended target? Can I find cover before engaging the target? Am I alone or with loved ones and will engaging the perp bring unwanted attention to us/them? Is the teller complying with the perp's demands and if so does it appear this will satisfy him/her and he will leave with the cash without injuring anyone? There are just so many questions that must be processed in as short a time as possible. If it were me I would try to wait as long as I could to determine how things may play out. Maybe the perp will just take the money and leave. Maybe he shoots the clerk but I've been able to use the time to improve my odds of neutralizing the perp before he can do any more harm without putting myself or other innocents at more risk than is necessary. Is my shooting the clerk or another innocent bystander by accident any better than the perp shooting them? I would rather have one dead clerk and one dead perp than several dead or injured shoppers including myself.
 
Active Self Protection channel on youtube discusses this issue at length. Stepping into a third party encounter is very risky, and should only be done if shots have already been fired, or if you, or your loved one's life is in danger. Its good to consider these issues and have a plan in place beforehand.

Based on my life experience, I would be very reticent to step into a third party encounter. You just don't know what the situation is.

The problem with third party encounters is you may not know the backstory, and as mentioned above, there may be trailing accomplices which you are not aware of.

RKV
 
These are all great replies guys. Keep them coming. I wanna point out something that was said in a couple different ways “Its good to consider these issues and have a plan in place beforehand.” There are many different circumstances and situations that have to be considered before any action should be taken.
 
A shorter and more direct answer to the OP's question is: I got a concealed carry license to protect myself and my circle of loved ones first and foremost. Would I use my weapon to save the lives of strangers? Yes, absolutely. If I felt I could do so without putting myself or my loved ones at unexceptable odds of being seriously injured or killed. I want to have the opportunity to maybe walk my daughter down the aisle one day and to enjoy a long and happy retirement with my wife.

A sheepdog's job is to protect his sheep not the bunnies, not the mice, not the deer.
 
somorris said:
Dial 911. Walmart registers would normally not be a good place to start shooting. Too many other folks around who might get hit, especially if the bad guy starts shooting back.
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Agreed, rule #4 is the big one to remember here: know your target and what's beyond, and around it.

If you're gonna do something like this it'd probably have to be a close in shot at an angle. A straight on shot would likely hit unintended targets.
 
Jim R said:
I'm thinking that it just depends.... There are a thousand different ways for the situation to play out and the chances of making it worse are pretty high.... A Wal Mart or any other public place often has lots of people around and there is no telling where they might go or what they might do to try & get away and hurting or killing one of them is always a possibility.... And, there is always the possibility of you being mistaken for a bad guy and a partner in the crime by responding LE... That being said, If the bad guy gives the slightest indication that he is reaching his breaking point/trigger point for violence then there really is no other option than to try and stop him from succeeding. That's where the couple of seconds you had to prepare from the time you recognized the threat until action was required should have been used to gain any advantages possible to give you any edge available in the situation.... As SOON as the crisis is over, if it works in your favor and it's safe to do so separate the firearm from the suspect and holster yours as soon as it's safe. Don't be standing there with a pistol in your hand as officers respond standing over a gunshot victim.
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Got this from another forum. I think it sums up how I feel on the protection and responsibilities to other:

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