Quote:To add to that, responsible, legally permitted gun owners who carry are usually more likely to be better trained on the use of firearms.  When was the last time you heard of someone with a concealed carry permit who just started opening fire without regard for potential collateral damage?  I

 

have my permit, and I've undergone several training classes to be proficient with my firearms.  I also spend a lot of time practicing with my firearms to improve my skills and to be as in tune with my weapon as possible. 

 

When I'm carrying, I tend to be far more aware of my surroundings and what is happening around me, and there have been plenty of times when I've thought through a scenario where I would need to pull my gun.  I pray it never happens, but I'm confident that if I did pull my weapon, I wouldn't be firing into a crowd.  If I couldn't draw a bead on a target without concern for what's between me and said target AND what is behind it, I'm not going to pull the trigger.  Even for home protection, training dictates that if you're going to shoot an intruder, think about what's beyond your target in case you miss, or the bullet passes through. 

 

I know a lot of gun owners and every one of them takes the responsibility seriously.  To a person, if you talk to them about the "what if's" that can come up, the last thing they will do is draw and fire.  That is the absolute worst case scenario. 

 

I was in a local retail establishment just last week and there was a patron in there who was getting aggressive with the salesman because he wasn't getting resolution to a problem. At one point, the conversation got very heated, and the guy put hands on the salesman.. The poor manager tried to intervene, but there was a language barrier involved, and he wasn't doing much to diffuse the situation.  At one point, the customer backed up and acted like he was about to pounce, and all of a sudden he reached for his waistband like he was going to grab something (never saw a weapon, but you just never know).  I was with my wife and a female sales person, and very quietly moved to get between this guy and them.  Fortunately, the customer's wife saw what was happening, and how the other customers were reacting, and she jumped up and grabbed the guy and dragged him out of the store.  I never even reached for the gun, but I knew that if he had one and decided to pull it on this salesman, I was going to be forced to make a quick decisions and it was going to become a very unpleasant day.  Thankfully, it didn't come to that, but in the span of probably 10 seconds, the training I have received kicked in and I was positioning myself to draw and fire cleanly if necessary.  My hands were still shaking 20 minutes later as the adrenalin finally eased up.  

 

I actually had a conversation with the pastor at my church over the weekend because I know we don't have adequate security in the event that someone were to walk into our church during mass.  I had inquired after the Charleston shooting to find out if a security audit we'd had done a few years back by JSO had reaped us any changes.  Other than a perimeter fence and electronic locks, they hadn't really gone much further, but even my pastor was shaken up over the Charleston shootings.  We're supposed to meet with several officers in our parish this week to come up with a plan for having some form of visible security on our campus any time there is an event, but that doesn't address smaller gatherings and meetings on the campus.  Under Florida law, I can't carry on the campus because there's an accredited school on the campus, Not wanting to risk a felony charge, I comply with the laws.

 

As more information about the Charleston shooter comes out, there were an awful lot of flags going up that people either chose to ignore, or they simply didn't think he was serious. His roommate says he planned this for up to 6 months, and was intent on targeting either a church or college campus.  Why?  Gun free zones.  He knew he'd likely face no opposition.  He was right.

 

The good news here is that despite his best efforts to spark a race war, it looks like Charleston might actually buck the trends we've seen in Ferguson and Baltimore.  Rather than mob rule, there's been an outpouring of love and emotion over this shooting.  There were certainly a few there who were trying to stir the pot, but the overwhelming majority of those who were on the ground there fought to find the good in this tragedy.  The usual suspects who are known for arriving on the scene to create turmoil were basically squeezed out by those who were intent on trying to find a way to stop the nonsense we've seen nationwide with other high profile events. 

 

Very interesting story FBT, and thank you for sharing.  I too have been in similar situations, and much like you, I try to stay very aware of my surroundings whether I happen to by carrying or not.  Many years ago prior to entering the military I served as a Deputy Sheriff, and some of the skills and habits that I learned have never left me.

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