A news story out of Philadelphia has me thinking. An off duty correctional officer was carrying concealed outside a bar when he came upon a drunk patron shooting into a crowd. I could not find the original story I read a few days ago so I will link to one with less details. It is always easier to second guess someone else’s action but there are some things you must consider that you may need to do prior to it actually happening. Here is what I know from different news accounts of this story and other resources:
1. The C/O was not at the bar drinking. He stopped by on business.
2. New Jersey C/O’s are allowed to conceal carry under LEOSA. (HR 218)
3. Being in another state he has no police authority. If NJ is like Delaware then he was no police authority off duty no matter where he is.
4. One news article says the C/O flashed his badge. A definite mistake. (see #3)
5. He gave a warning to the guy to drop his gun which gave the guy enough time to turn and fire at the C/O.
Some people will say that if it is not their fight then they will not get involved. They carry only for their protection and to protect their family. To them I say that is fine if that is what you choose. To those will intercede, and I would include myself in this group if I determined I could do so without posing a greater risk then the situation at hand, who in their right mind gives the gunman advance warning by telling them to drop their gun.
I would like to think I would act appropriately but not having been in that position you never really know. I have said (in jest) that if I were to ever get into a gun fight the first thing I would do is to take off my buttons so I could get lower to the ground.
Is this a black and white issue or are their gray areas? If you see someone shooting into a crowd could you shoot him without warning? Legally and from a tactical standpoint the answer would be “yes” and I say that is the right thing to do. We like to see ourselves as better then the criminal element that has no second thoughts about killing someone and that humanity in us that tells us to hesitate is exactly what gets so many well intentioned people shot.
Any other opinions?
Note: I am also a correctional officer and I carry under LEOSA.
A drunken tavern patron who turned a gun on a crowd outside a Juniata Park pub early yesterday lost his life after he ignored an off-duty New Jersey prison guard's orders to drop the firearm and instead fired at the officer, witnesses said.
The correctional officer, who police declined to identify, returned fire and hit the gunman twice in the chest and abdomen. The man, 28, whose name police wouldn't release, died at Temple University Hospital a half-hour after the 2:30 a.m. incident outside the Family Tavern on Luzerne Street near J, police said.
http://articles.philly.com/2011-01-29/news/27089788_1_fatal-exchange-bartender-gunman
