Response to Yesterday’s Post
June 24th, 2008
Dr. Piazza,
Congratulations for being “Right-On” again… I’m all for responsible and educated citizens having CCW permits for the protection of themselves and others. While we all may tend to applaud this man’s actions, things could have ended up very differently. Your analysis of what he should have done was spot-on and should be drilled into every person carrying a concealed weapon.
The “Dirty Harry” mentality doesn’t work in the real world, it’s only works in the movies where you can cut the action, retake the shot so the good guys win and no innocents get hurt. My one of my greatest fears during my 20 years of law enforcement was accidentally causing the injury or death of an innocent. It is a horrible burden to carry and typically a career ending event for law enforcement officers.
Citizens need to realize that they have much different responsibilities and legal/civil protections when intervening to stop a criminal activity. While they may have the best intentions, when things go badly, they will find themselves trying to justify their actions to criminal and/or civil juries.
Keep up the good work….
Tom Butler
Napa S.O. Ret.
Entry Filed under: From the Mail Bag,Front Sight.