First off, I'll admit that I’m a very strident 2ndA type. Politically speaking, I also lean so far to the “right” that when I do pack, I pack on my left side to balance the load a little better. Finally, yes, I’ve actually pulled a trigger in earnest (nuff said). All that (too much) said…

I think this incident went pretty well, all things considered, but maybe it wasn’t just the good guy’s doing. A lot of luck must have been involved too. A ton of conditions had to be right for it to have even gone as well as it did.

How crowded was the place? Yep, that’s an obvious consideration and the good guy also obviously made a good call on that one – multiple shots and no bystanders injured at all including the intended victim. That’s not all though.

Was the BG alone and if not, then who was his lookout? If the BG had a lookout, then thankfully the lookout either wasn’t armed too or, if the lookout was armed, then lookout wasn’t willing to use the weapon. Lucky? Who knows? If there was a lookout, must have split for one reason or another.

I also bet the good guy warned the BG or there wouldn’t have been any argument. If correct, why did GG warn BG? Beats me. Maybe there was a good reason but if it had been possible, I would have either tried to shift position enough to skip right past the 2 center mass stuff and go 1 head immediately or I wouldn’t have tried anything at all. I would NOT have warned the SOB’n BG unless there were no other alternatives available.

Other things need to be considered too but this post is already way too long. My point – there are a LOT of things an armed citizen needs to think about before they even draw their weapon and the entire concept of “it’ll turn into the wild west” is a farce.

Those who do pack are doing darn well at it because we occasionally do hear of a good guy saving someone from a bad guy and we don’t hear about many good guys being the ones who kill victims of (or witnesses to) armed robbery. Unfortunately we still hear a lot about bad guys threatening to and, sometimes, actually killing innocent folks.

Tragically, we also hear “guns kill people – ban guns”. Well, be careful. You might get your wish. Oh my, who can get called "brown shirts" after that? Why not just ban them too? Who's still armed? Certainly not the criminals (ha ha).

Rant done and get well soon good guy.

 

Right, as long as you keep it a one sided story.

 

Not in Florida. Bad guy was committing a felony. Good guy shot him dead. End of story.

 

I would not start a gun fight over someone else's money unless I was damn sure I could get a clean shot and not endanger anyone else. My best wishes to the hero that saved society from another POS.

 

Well, I'm a combat vet....and hate the idea of having to shoot somebody...it is terrible...

BUT

I think it's a good thing that society won't have to worry about that guy anymore. The law is on his side. He got shot becasue he pulled his gun and then warned the BG. That's when the bad guy shot him and the gunfight began. If he would have walked up behind the gunman and warned him, and the guy did anything other than drop the gun, then you put him down.

Even when you were in the right, later on it affects you....some more than others.

I was raised to do the right thing. he did the right thing. The moment the BG came in the restaurant with the gun everybody's life was in immediate danger. I have a CCW, and I would have dropped him...I would have hated it later on, but at the time, I would have done it. I'd like to think I would have done it in such a way as to make sure noone else was in the line of fire. According to Florida law, he could have just walked up behind him and shot him in the head without saying a word.

glad to hear it worked out well.

~Joe

 

Tain't yours. You leave, you've already given up on it.

 

When someone pulls a gun out in a public place.."than a threat of serious injury or death to myself, my loved ones, or innocent bystanders" is at hand, end of story.

 

Lots of damn decent points have been made in this thread. Just about everything in life has some potential risk and some potential gain - it's a constant balancing act that's extra hard sometimes because the conditions are always changing and sometimes (like this example), risk versus gain might be maxed out.

 

First let me say I am sorry that some here feel guilty that they took a life. But, because you murdered someone for fun and not because it was necessary tells a lot about you. Please don’t pawn off your guilt on us. You did what you did for FUN. That is sad to say the least. There are people out there every day doing what is necessary. It is not fun. It is not Rambo. It is necessary.

The BG got what he knew was a risk for the action that he had taken. Not all people are sheep. GG got shot and no other people where injured. GG took the risk of getting killed and stopped the BG. Good for him. If I had been in the BK with them I would have used my gun to.

 

The problem is that in too many cases they don't just take the money and go, they kill all of the witnesses. About 25 years ago, in Tyler, TX I guy robbed a late night fast food place, (think it was a Pizza HUt, but don't quote me.) He came in just before closing, killed all of the employees like an executioner and to the money. It was the I decided to be armed and to use it if and when necessary. I will then take responsibility for my actions. I would rather be judged by 12 than carriedby 6