CCW and morality

[diveRN]

<snip>

If you have received training in first aid, and simply choose to not apply that training, it is possible that it could be considered an omission, i.e. a failure to do what you know needs to be done.

To be clear: What this means is that if you have training and provide aid, but then decide to act outside the scope of the training you received ... you could be found liable for said act or omission.

I have a dozen certs and thousands of hours of training which I don't care to list here. Outside of my work environment, I am under no legal obligation to provide aid just because I am medically trained. Do I have a moral responsibility? Depends. Could I be sued for not helping? Sure, but I could also be sued for having bad breath and passing offensive gas in the morning. It doesn't make me liable and doesn't mean they're going to win.

[Zedrek]

I would be leery about approaching someone I just shot regardless of how incapacitated they appear. Once they are secured and my weapon is secured I would have no problem treating them. I carry an extensive trauma kit in my vehicle. The most that you are going to be able to do is either stop the bleeding by applying direct pressure or administer CPR. If you do either of those than you would be covered by the Good Samaritan Law. If you try to stick your hand in the wound and remove the bullet or something equally as stupid than you will probably open yourself up to a lawsuit. The friend that was sued probably did something that was beyond his scope as a lay bystander. There was a woman that was sued because she was under the influence of drugs and yanked her friend out of a car after an accident even though there wasn't any immediate danger and it paralyzed her.
Remember the first part of any emergency response is scene safety. If you just shot someone then the scene is not safe. Wait for law enforcement to secure the person. If you are close enough to provide first aid then they are close enough to harm you.

[Foxmaster05]

JohnCCW, no problem here on what you said...though I do think that from a legal CYA standpoint that your quote might be more appropriately stated "If you've reached the legal threshold to employ deadly force, aim high center mass for optimal stopping power." Or something to that effect. Every instructor I've ever had has been insistent on the phrase : "shoot to eliminate the threat." Not "shoot to kill." Specifically, a double-tap to the 8 section of a B-27 silhouette target.

[e90bmw]

Maybe I've watched too many movies.
I watched "The Following" the other night; the BG thought they had killed the GG and approached. BG shot dead.
That being said, I'll call 911 and keep my distance to make sure the threat does not reoccur.

I'm not approaching the guy/woman no matter how bad they sound. No matter how much they cry out. No matter how much they bleed. It is not my job and I will sleep just fine knowing that my family is safe and the BG is either in the medical ward under guard or dead.

If you get shot by me during the protection of myself, my family or others, you better hope the paramedics come really, really fast.