Jon Wayne Taylor and I were discussing the recent shooting at a Denver Walmart. When psycho killer Scott Ostrem opened fire, several armed innocents drew their gun. According to TTAG’s resident war hero, wrong answer . . .
JWT reckons that armed innocents should not remove their gun from their holster until they’re going to use it to shoot the bad guy or guys. Not warn or threaten them with deadly force, as in “Stop! Drop your weapon!” or “Don’t make me kill you!” Not to be ready to shoot should the situation degrade. Shoot.
“People are stupid in combat,” JWT told me. “The idea that you can move, acquire a target, assess or reassess a threat and communicate effectively all at the same time is dangerously naive . . . I’ll wait ’til the last possible second to draw my gun. But once I do, I’m shooting.”
Jon points out that giving the bad guy a chance to see your weapon is counterproductive. It’s more likely to enrage them, triggering deadly aggression. What’s more, a drawn gun creates the possibility that other armed innocents or responding police may mistake you for the bad guy. Not that that happened in Colorado, but it could.
I’m not so sure. While I understand the tactical advantages of drawandshoot, thousands of defensive gun uses end without a shot fired by the good guy (such as the Colorado crime). If I was facing an imminent, credible threat of grievous bodily harm or death, I’d rather not shoot anyone. What’s your plan?