Ethics of Concealed Carry

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I had to think about it when I was in the Marine Corps; simply put, its either them or you. as a civilian, you have to consider what you will say to the Judge and Jury to validate your use of deadly force. As a point to consider, research 'escalation of force'. If you aim to wound, you won't have to live with the regret, they will. personally, I would rather aim low, and hit the spine. better to paralyze than to have to deal with the death hanging over your head.
 
My Brother Billy was in Vietnam. He still has trouble sleeping now and again. Still thinks people are lurking in the woods, or bushes if the wind blows through them.

But we still get to enjoy him for holidays and occasionally when he calls wanting to "borrow money".

He killed because he was drafted, trained and sent to kill against his will. Would killing someone in self defense be different than killing in war? I can not tell you that.

I am not a violent person, nor would I ever harm a soul in ordinary circumstances. When my wife and I got married, my mind set changed. She was now depending on me. Then as my 5 kids were born, one by one, the more my mindset changed. When I was single, I didn't need to carry. Now I do. Not for myself, I can hold my own in a fight. I carry because my wife and children can not.

Sorry to rant. Have a fantastic day.
 
You (and your uncle) have to make a very personal decision regarding whether or not to carry. You need to be clear on your reasons, and have decided beforehand whether or not you could use a firearm in self defense. That one point needs to be settled. Although it is getting dated, Massad Ayoob's book, In the Gravest Extreme, is very good on the subject. I still recommend it highly.
 
I believe that mental/emotional repercussions in the aftermath of a shooting are going to be in the realm of "Did I really have to shoot him?" We are likely to second guess ourselves to eternity. This is why I ran scenarios through my head constantly until I had a well considered plan on what I wanted to do in any situation, especially in the "shoot, don't shoot" area. Fortunately in 20 years LE I never had to shoot anybody.
But those planned scenarios are still in my head and I believe, degraded reflexes notwithstanding, will still serve me well.
I'm a firm believer in the axiom that you perform as you train. The mental aspect is no different than the physical.
The OP's question is complicated. The uncle's dilemna is the result of a lifetime of his personal experience and thinking. I wonder if someone can truly ever say, "OK, you're right. I got no problem killing somebody." like throwing a switch.
 
I was blessed with an excellent CWP instructor and these are the three questions he wanted each of us to answer before we carry:

What will I die for?
What will I kill for?
What will I live with?

Before you carry you need to know the answers to each of these questions. I suspect your uncle has figured the answer to at least one of these and ruled out the option of carrying.
 
That Catholic Catechism
Chapter 2, Section 2, Article 5 - 2264: "Therefore (self defense that kills another) it is legitimate to insist on respect for one's own right to life. Someone who defends his life is not guilty of murder even if he is forced to deal his aggressor a lethal blow".


So it would be a sin to allow someone to kill me, similar to suicide perhaps because I didn't resist know that if I did nothing I would most likely get killed.

Its much more primal for me though; someone threatens my life or my children's lives with imminent bodily harm that could kill, well then I believe that person has earned my lethal force to make them stop.
 
Well, it might be unpopular, but I've got NO problem shooting some piece of garbage that wants to hurt or even steal from me.
 
I believe the theory of the three types of people. Others do not, but it is my opinion there are these three types.
1) the sheep = people who are blind to what is going on in the world, never prepared for anything, follow the herd mentality, and not willing to step in to right a wrong if it puts them in danger.
2) the sheep dog = most of these people are military, first responders, LEOs, firemen, and others in the civil service but not always, these are the people who will act when they are needed, they are prepared, they are the CCW crowd.
3) the wolf = these are the scum bags who prey on society, they would rather steal or sell drugs than work an honest day.

You and yours will fit in one of these groups and not all people can be sheep dogs. it is usually an A type personality to fill that role.
 
I carry every day, but not for self defense. I carry a weapon to defend those around me who cannot defend themselves.
A women once asked me, "You're a big man, so why do you have a gun? What are you afraid of?"
I answered, "I'm not afraid for myself - I'm afraid I can't help you if you are being raped by several men even bigger than myself."
 
aarondhgraham and Wagonman ty both for input and the link,im sure it will be a good read tonight.
I don't want to hijack the OP's thread as i feel that all tho my question stemmed from his post,it isn't what he wants to discuss.

I kind of find it fasicinationing about the use of PC and choice of words wich can all mean the same thing,but at the same time hide peoples intentions.
 
If you are going to carry a concealed weapon then you should have already thought through the concept that there may come a point where you would need to use it to eliminate a direct threat to you. Then you either settled your thoughts on that subject or you didn't and if you didn't then I don't think you should be carrying. I was a combat soldier in Vietnam in 1969 and that's something you deal with early on and move past because you realize they are trying to kill you and you need to shoot to eliminate the threat.

I hope I never have to pull my gun but if I have to in a life threatening situation I will be shooting it when it's out.
 
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." -Edmund Burke

"He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it." -Martin Luther King Jr.

"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing." -Albert Einstein

“The true justice, then, is to pursue the evildoers and the unrighteous with drawn sword. If [rulers] sheath their sword and keep their hands unsullied by blood, while the wicked roam about massacring and slaughtering, then so far from reaping praise for their goodness and justice, they make themselves guilty of the greatest possible injustice.” -John Calvin

“To desire to save these wolves in society may arise from benevolence, but it must be the benevolence of a child or a fool." -Henry Fielding
 
Doose, . . . Blue Steel just gave you a whole handful of reasons one should be willing to defend himself and others around.

BUT, . . . there are some people that will never be of the persuasion that it is correct to take another's life.

Others mistakenly believe that ANY situation can be "talked or discussed" to a mutually agreed upon cooperative effort.

They will not do well with a deadly weapon, . . . nor with any training they could receive, . . . it is not in their nature, makeup, desire, or willingness.

Love them, accept them, . . . then protect them.

To a certain extent, . . . that is why some of us even exist.

May God bless,
Dwight
 
"I carry every day, but not for self defense. I carry a weapon to defend those around me who cannot defend themselves."

I am not a sworn Law Enforcement Officer and the rules in my state are different on the use of deadly force by civilians.

The essay linked below discusses danger in intervention on behalf of someone else. For me it's a given to step into protect your family from outsiders; but for others it can get sticky. Never assume witnesses/ strangers testimony will be friendly. A lot depends on the law in your state.


http://www.stoppingpower.net/commentary/comm_dangers_in_intervention.asp
 
I am relatively new to carrying concealed, less than a year, but I have been training for my personal defense for nearly a decade. I started out believing that if I trained enough in martial arts I would not need to carry a gun, but the one thing that all the training I have has taught me, its that no one is fast enough to stop a bullet. I have been blessed in the fact that I have never had to draw my gun in defense, and hope that I never have to.

I carry several weapons everyday, a firearm and usually two knives, and will use them without hesitation if my life or that of my family is in danger. Like many have said in this thread, the choice to carry is an extremely personal decision and should not be pushed onto anyone who is not 100% sure.
 
I don't think too much about having to possibly shoot someone. What I do think about is my wife and 2-year old son - and if (God forbid), we're ever in a situation that calls for it, I hope and pray that I'll be ready.
 
Many good links already posted.

I don't have a link, but there have been a few "anti-CCW" folks who had a strange epiphany following an assault.

I'm not proposing that this is universal, as there are a few that just abhor violence in all forms and would rather be dead than take up violence to defend themselves.

However, it is somewhat amusing that for some, all it takes is a touch of the real world to open their eyes...

I wish more could see that road without having to travel it.
 
Avoid it at all possible cost without endangering you or your loved ones. I think its better to have Mr Rogers mentality when armed or otherwise than the Arnold as the terminator. A macho, I'm invincible mentality is going to buy one trouble they never bargained for. Also avoid bad places and use common sense with situational awareness. A gun is an absolute last resort, even if you have to swallow your pride and retreat.

I look at it this way when it comes down to I absolutely had to shoot with no other solution, the aggressor brought it to those terms. Like in combat it comes down to kill or be killed, survival instinct. It may not make the results easy to accept, but if you did everything possible to avoid deadly conflict that's what you have to reflect upon.
 
Lots of folks here have expressed it better than I can, but here goes ... when I moved to Texas and decided to look at carrying concealed, I thought long and hard about whether I actually could pull the trigger on another human being if I had to. Then I looked at my wife and imagined what my life would be without her, especially if I allowed her to come to harm because of inaction on my part. That sealed it for me. I've had my CHL for about five years, always carry, practice as much as I can and take a professionally taught class in SD at least once a year. It would distress me greatly to have to take a life, and I'm hoping I never have to make that decision. But the alternative -- forfeiting my life or the life of a loved one -- makes the decision far easier to make. The people who prey on others rather than live a life of work and peace forfeit their rights to compassion, IMHO. Attack me or mine and, if I can, I'll make sure you'll be the one going downtown in a bag, and I'm guessing it will be easy to sleep afterwards.
 
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