Preview – The Use Of Deadly Force

Choosing To Carry A Concealed Firearm
The street behind the restaurant was full of dumpsters, trash cans, and the stench of rotting food. From the parking lot however, it was the quickest way to the front entrance. As you take the hand of your wife and lead her down the alley, you think, “We’ll walk fast. The smell won’t last that long.” You mention to her that the restaurant received rave reviews and that you couldn’t wait to try the steak. So it comes as a surprise when a disheveled-looking man steps out from behind a dumpster directly into your path, asking for a few dollars so he can get something to eat, he claims. After being caught off guard, you stop suddenly and think, “Where did this guy come from? Just keep walking and say no.” With your wife at your side, you attempt to walk around him as you say, “Sorry, I don’t have any change.” Then, just as suddenly as before, he moves into your path again, causing you to stop and really make eye contact with him. As you are about to protest, a voice demands from behind you, “Give me your wallet!” Your wife squeezes your hand and you can feel her fear in her tightening grip. You instinctively turn and step back as the second man approaches, exactly as he suspected you would. Unaware, you’ve backed yourself into the corner between a wall and a dumpster, with nowhere to go except forward, precisely where the two men are now standing. The second one repeats his demand for your wallet more forcefully this time. Again, you refuse. The first one walks across the alley and pulls a 2-foot long steel pipe out from behind a trash can and turns towards you. Knowing what’s about to happen, you can only think, “Where are the police”?

An Everyday Situation
Variations of this scenario are happening every day in America. The players and places may change, but the essential situation still unfolds. One of the myriad of duties performed by law enforcement is to protect law-abiding individuals from opportunistic criminals, but there is a complication. There are far too many of them and far too few law-enforcement officers. This makes it relatively easy for criminals and thieves to roam about without being discovered or caught. law-enforcement officers are very good at tracking down criminals after the fact, but this is of little consolation tho their unfortunate victims. So what options do we have when we find ourselves face to face with hostile individuals in this situation?

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