Info about Shooting in Aurora (Denver) Colorado last Nov.

While obviously I wasn't there, I feel it may have been avoided. Eichstedt did seem to act somewhat aggressively and most likely escalated the situation. All he had to do is say, lets call the police and have them examine the damage and determine if its fresh. Then say if its fresh let the insurance sort it out. I think two hotheads who weren't willing to backoff created a situation that got out of control. Eichstedt's statement ( what do you want to do little man ) is an act of both MACHOMAN and challenging, he threw down the gauntlet so to speak.

I wish witness statements were a little more precise as to who hit who first. Eichstedt had to reach over Mrs. Davis to get to her husband who was hitting or had hit him with a bar. Mrs. Davis said Eichstedt reacted first and she had to push him away. I have to wonder if Eichstedt would have been as aggressive if he hadnt been armed. I hate to say it but some people act 6 inches taller and 50lbs heavier when armed. I always go out of my way to avoid confrontation more so when I am armed knowing the consequences.

I thought Jehovah's were supposed to be non violent, but then again he was a postal worker. I agree that he had the right to defend himself, but I also think he may have added fuel to the initial fire. Sadly like most situations road rage etc most times it takes two and if one cooler head had prevailed the whole tragic situation may have been avoided.
 
Can't afford a temper when you carry a gun.

He wouldn't have had to defend himself if he had done everything to de-escalate the conflict. The whole situation was very avoidable.
 
Quote"then again he was a postal worker"

Seeing as it's pretty obvious where your head's at,take that comment and put it where it'll keep your ears warm... :mad:
 
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Eichstedt is very lucky and is not to be respected for his actions.

Does Colorado have any mandatory training for a CCW permit? I know this is a debate that deals with the RKBA. However, the TX chl course contains a great deal of conflict avoidance. Also, most quality tactical courses do the same.

I wonder if Eichstedt just carried a gun with little practical training?
 
Colorado does require training but IMO it isnt enough. All that is required is the Basic NRA pistol training. It is a one day class and it doesnt cover what I think it needs to.

The course I took covered all the NRA stuff in about an hour. Spent the rest of the time going over all the other stuff that is needed as well as the Colorado specific laws.
 
This is a tough case. On the one hand it's too bad they started throwing around macho taunts. On the other hand if Mr./Mrs. Davis hadn't started a physical assault and just called the cops, they'd still be alive and maybe have an insurance check in hand to pay for the door ding.

In Colorado there's no duty to retreat and as long as you're not the initiator of a fight you have a right to respond to deadly force with deadly force (and clearly a steel bar applies).

On the other hand ... if Eichstedt had started pushing and shoving and Davis responded with a metal rod ... Eichstedt would be in jail right now for pulling the trigger.

I could have seen this going either way.

I don't know about y'all, but carrying a gun makes me a NICER guy, and a lot less macho. I'd stand up for myself, but once things started getting physical I would have descalated that situation by trying to walk away. If they wanted to call the police, so be it. I'll wait for them to arrive. (what is it someone here say ... "You can afford to have a gun, or you can afford to have a temper, but you can't afford both?" -- something like that).

But if someone comes at me with a deadly weapon I'll defend myself in kind. And since I wasn't there ... well, I wouldn't have used the same words that were reported, but I think I can yell back at someone and defend myself without having to face a beating from an iron bar.

Colorado training isn't very well definied. My own CCW class was excellent, and my "advanced NRA carry class" was even better. I think the secret is to seek out the best training possible, since they all cost about the same, and take the advanced class if you can afford it at all. Our advanced class had a real criminal lawyer come in and talk about the law and answer questions (VERY eye opening in many ways).

It's a slippery slope, though, when you start putting too many specifics into the training requirements in the law. i.e. I'm sure that the anti's would love to put in rules about taking at least 50 semester hours of training at a local college and/or having a law degree to restrict the right as much as possible and keep people from getting the CCL they abhor.

Too bad the first defensive use of a firearm by a Colorado CCL holder (at least since the new law went into effect) couldn't have been a little cleaner. But at the end of the day it appears that the guy who got shot initiated the action, was the first to draw a weapon, and that it was justifiable.
 
No amount of "training" is going to overcome free will.

But I do not see anything in the linked material that indicates conclusively the shooter was responsible for the escalation or could have necessarily avoided it. There is no detail as to the actual dialogue from start to finish, nor how or at what point the metal bar appeared. On face value though it seems like a sound case of self defense. Looks like the Assistant DA and a Grand Jury saw it the same way.
 
Kirkcdl, comment of postal worker was only meant in humor, sorry if your offended. Postal workers did seem to have problems a few years ago with numerous shootings and workplace violence events and the term going postal was thus formed. I am retired from the Gov. and have heard many jokes about Gov. workers and the military and I am not offended, this is life. I feel that If we cant at times make fun of ourselves than we are the ones with the problem. The whole scenerio was fueled in start by this postal worker but I feel may have needlessly been brought to a lethal level by both parties and as I stated Eichstedt may well have added fuel to the fire.
 
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