Good Samaritan arrested on gun charges

[SuperSet]

A little surprised that he wasn't disarmed when he tried to load/reload. And yes, the guy is an idiot.

[HighLander51]

If you doing what the Police should be doing? Yea, then you are doing it wrong. He is lucky they didn't dump him.

[xibunkrlilkidsx]

From the article, it sounds like the good Samaritan was a little too gung ho to get involved with his gun. It's a shame his actions overshadowed those of the guy shoving the woman. It would be different, IMO, if the assailant was in the process of pounding on the woman, but it sounds like the guy shoved her once and walked away.

im 23. so i shouldnt stop to try and help some one being assualted with my gun? Even though i prob shot more often than most of the PD and train more with my weapon. i have talked to police officers who didnt even know the make of their handgun. the guy already pushed an older woman how am i supposed to know if he does not have a weapon or not. Im going to go into the situation with the best scenario to make sure i am safe.

same thing the police would do if they saw an assualt and the guy ran they would draw their weapon in cause they needed to defend them self.

[fiddletown]

im 23. so i shouldnt stop to try and help some one being assualted with my gun? Even though i prob shot more often than most of the PD and train more with my weapon.....

These sorts of things aren't about not helping someone. And they aren't about how good a shot you are or how well you can handle your gun.

It's about knowing how to help in the best, most effective and appropriate way. It's about learning how to assess things, and exercise good judgment quickly. It's about not making things worse by exercising lousy judgment under stress.

You should never consider your gun to be your primary tool. Your primary tool is your brain. The Giffords incident in Tucson was resolved by good people using their brains -- not their guns.

If your first thought is your gun, you need more training and a better understanding of the laws regarding the use of force.

[fuzz415]

These sorts of things aren't about not helping someone. And they aren't about how good a shot you are or how well you can handle your gun.

It's about knowing how to help in the best, most effective and appropriate way. It's about learning how to assess things, and exercise good judgment quickly. It's about not making things worse by exercising lousy judgment under stress.

You should never consider your gun to be your primary tool. Your primary tool is your brain. The Giffords incident in Tucson was resolved by good people using their brains -- not their guns.

If your first thought is your gun, you need more training and a better understanding of the laws regarding the use of force.

Nicely said.

[goodlookin1]

Regardless of the event, they kid wasnt intent on using his weapon. It was a preventative thing he did, not a life-saving measure......at least not at the point in which he intervened.

What I would have done if I felt the need to intervene is to run up to him and shout at him to knock it off or leave her alone. I would be absolutely prepared to pop out my CCW should he respond aggressively towards me (charge me, attempt to attack me, etc). But he might just leave her alone and walk away, not wishing to escalate the matter.

But here's the big thing: He was driving and saw this happen as he was going by: He was not there witnessing the entire scenario from start to finish. What if the alleged BG was an undercover cop? What if the woman somehow assaulted him first and this kid didnt see it? You just never know in that kind of situation. I remember my issuing CCW officer presenting a "what would you do if" question to me during my interview. He asked, "If you saw two guys fighting in an alley-way, and one of them pulled out/had a gun and pointed it at the other man, what would you do?" I responded, "Call the police: How would I know who the bad guy is? Maybe the GG just wrestled the gun away from the BG, or maybe the guy with a gun was an undercover cop....there's just no way to tell if I wasn't there to see and hear the entire thing". He answered with a smile, "That's absolutely right". I think he was very glad I answered this question this way.

In any case, it still makes me mad how they are throwing the book at this guy. So he did a stupid thing....he was trying to do the right thing. And nobody got hurt. And this kid becomes the bad guy....

[Maddog5150]

Ok, I'm going to get flamed. In CCW classes, they teach you can only meet force with equal force. If I have a knife, its deadly. If I have fists, you shouldnt pull a gun.
What ever happened to being a man, stepping out of the car and confronting the douche bag? Why is everyone so quick to pull a gun? I've even heard this from an old old OLD school crip, "We didnt need guns back then. We had these son. We had these." as he held up his fists.

[Falconis]

Ok, I'm going to get flamed. In CCW classes, they teach you can only meet force with equal force. If I have a knife, its deadly. If I have fists, you shouldnt pull a gun.
What ever happened to being a man, stepping out of the car and confronting the douche bag? Why is everyone so quick to pull a gun? I've even heard this from an old old OLD school crip, "We didnt need guns back then. We had these son. We had these." as he held up his fists.

Ummm wasn't it those same crips spraying down streets with lead too though? Assuming the old old school guy was banging back in the 80's.

[Maddog5150]

Ummm wasn't it those same crips spraying down streets with lead too though? Assuming the old old school guy was banging back in the 80's.

Meh, I wasnt there when he was bangin, either way its words of a man. If he was telling the truth than its sad that this old school banger was less likely to hide behind the gun than that samaritan which is sad.

[CalNRA]

There's no problem helping someone in need but come on now, just because you do have a firearm legally doesn't mean you can go and handle things like the wild wild west especially in San Mateo.

Want to be a hero call 9-1-1, write down or remember a description of suspect.( tattoos/license plate/ clothing)
Sucks if the they released the guy that started the assault and charges the "hero" with some serious felony charges.

Can you provide photos of your female relatives so if I ever see them being attacked I'll do as you described.

[rjh4758]

im 23. so i shouldnt stop to try and help some one being assualted with my gun? Even though i prob shot more often than most of the PD and train more with my weapon. i have talked to police officers who didnt even know the make of their handgun. the guy already pushed an older woman how am i supposed to know if he does not have a weapon or not. Im going to go into the situation with the best scenario to make sure i am safe.

same thing the police would do if they saw an assault and the guy ran they would draw their weapon in cause they needed to defend them self.

so i shouldnt stop to try and help some one being assualted with my gun?
Not unless you want to give up your gun rights and have lots of money for legal fees and don't mind possible spending the next few years in a cage.

Even though i prob shot more often than most of the PD and train more with my weapon.

They have a badge and legal training, you don't so you are not allowed to try being one.

the guy already pushed an older woman how am i supposed to know if he does not have a weapon or not. Im going to go into the situation with the best scenario to make sure i am safe.


If you want to step up and stop the crime, fine. But you need to use equal force not greater force. There are ramifications for doing this. You could be sued by the criminal, or arrested yourself. I know this sucks but this is what it is. You just have to think it through. If you are worried about your safety then you need to dial 911 and keep a safe distance.

Gun is a last resort and you should only draw it when there are no other options and you have no other choice but to shoot or be killed. I was instructed that if the situation is bad enough that you need to draw your weapon, its bad enough that you need to shoot it when you do. Never brandish a weapon.

[DaveFJ80]

Reserving judgement until more details come in. The article doesn't specify exactly what he was charged with or exactly why the author and police thought it necessary to point out that he doesn't have a ccw.

Even if he did have a CCW, there was still no reason for him to drive up on a confrontation, get out of his car, and go chasing after the other person (escalating the situation) and drawing his firearm on him if no threat towards him was presented.

The cops showed up did their thing and (getting to the point of the story) one of the cops told me "you should have shot that bastard if you saw him going through the window".

Even though you said your story happened 20 years ago, I would hope that most people these days would have more common sense than to believe a statement like that coming out of a LEO's mouth. It doesn't matter what the cops think you should or shouldn't have done. It only matters what the judge or jury thinks, and that your attorney knows the laws to aid you through this.

[vmwerks]

im 23. so i shouldnt stop to try and help some one being assualted with my gun? Even though i prob shot more often than most of the PD and train more with my weapon. i have talked to police officers who didnt even know the make of their handgun. the guy already pushed an older woman how am i supposed to know if he does not have a weapon or not. Im going to go into the situation with the best scenario to make sure i am safe.

same thing the police would do if they saw an assualt and the guy ran they would draw their weapon in cause they needed to defend them self.

No you shouldn't, or you'll end up in jail too. Shooting more than LEO's doesn't give you the skills or maturity to handle a real gunfight, leave it to the professionals and only pull when a LIFE THREATENING SITUATION is in play. Because, as stated earlier, if you pull it, USE it.

[fiddletown]

...Shooting more than LEO's doesn't give you the skills or maturity to handle a real gunfight,...

Exactly.

...only pull when a LIFE THREATENING SITUATION is in play. Because, as stated earlier, if you pull it, USE it.

Well, pull it only when you'd be justified in using it. But if the situation immediately changes, as they sometimes do, you need to stand down.

Learning how to assess when you'd be justified in using lethal force, exercising good judgment, and, if you deployed your gun, being able to articulate why you were justified in doing so, are all important skills for anyone who keeps a gun for self defense. You don't acquire those skills by shooting.

[LazyDog]

What ever happened to being a man, stepping out of the car and confronting the douche bag? Why is everyone so quick to pull a gun? I've even heard this from an old old OLD school crip, "We didnt need guns back then. We had these son. We had these." as he held up his fists.



Awesome Friday reference!!! Respect.....