If You Draw The Gun, Be Prepared to Use it—Video

This video has tons of lessons we can learn from. I just want to mention one of the more obvious take-aways and encourage you to study the clip to extract all you can. Now the main point I want to focus on, taken the wrong way, leads to some bad advice on defensive handgun tactics and self defense law.

Setting up the Defensive Gun Use Video—

I’m not quite sure from where or when this video comes, but a good guess would be central or south America. I’m not sure about the country, but one person—the guy in the blue shirt—is openly carrying a handgun on his right hip. So wherever it is, civilians must be able to carry firearms openly, or this guy has a military or law enforcement occupation.

It appears the incident happens in a street-side store. The shop keeper is behind a counter and there is a customer wearing a red shirt who is standing at the counter. When the video begins, the shopkeeper is pointing outside the shop, and it appears he is speaking to the armed man wearing the blue t-shirt. Because the video has no audio, I am speculating, but it seems that maybe he is pointing at the man in blue and telling him to go away and not come into the store.

The man in blue enters the store and walks up to the counter a few feet away from the man in red. Both men face each other and begin talking or arguing. Perhaps—again I’m speculating—the argument started outside the shop, the man in red came into the store, the shopkeeper told the man in blue to stay away, but the man wearing the blue shirt came in to argue with the man in red.

Regardless of the exact reason, the men argue. The man in red reaches into his waistband and pulls out a handgun. Now here is the part I want to focus on.

The Purpose Behind Drawing Your Gun Matters—

The man in red drew his firearm, pointed it at the man in blue. Almost immediately the man in blue blades his body and starts drawing his gun. This might have caught the man in red off-guard as he seems to pull the gun back deliberately, and point it straight upward away from the man in blue.

The man in blue responded quickly, but still, because the men stand roughly 6 feet apart, he could point the gun directly at the man in blue before he can respond.

Now certainly people use force unjustifiably, but it doesn’t appear as though the guy in red had a legally justified reason to shoot the guy in blue. Based on what I see in the video, I think he drew and pointed the gun at the man in blue to scare him, and not to use it. This is an incredibly bad idea.

We see that the man in blue didn’t give up and run away. He reasonably perceived the man in red, posed a deadly threat, and used his firearm to stop him. I can’t say for sure how many shots the man in blue fired, nor how many hit the target, but the initial group caused the man in red to drop his gun.

Yes, quite often the display of a firearm CAN be a deterrent, but it doesn’t happen all the time. And if you’re not justified in using the gun, it can amplify the problem, and give the other person a reasonable justification to use deadly force against you.

I don’t know if the guy in red saw the man in blue had a handgun on his hip and thought he wouldn’t use it, or if he just didn’t see the gun and thought he had the only gun in the equation. Either way, drawing it without actually intending to use it was a fatal mistake.

Have the Right Mindset—

If you draw your gun, you better be justified in using it, and prepared to press the trigger. Don’t ever draw the gun as a tool for intimidation only.

Now I also want to touch on some bad information I’ve heard circulated on social media and from students in classes. Maybe you’ve even heard this said.

“If you draw your gun, you have no choice but to use it, because if not, you’ll get charged for brandishing, assault, attempted murder, etc.”

That is bad info.

Now I know I just got done saying if you draw your gun you better be ready to press the trigger, and just showed a video of what happens when you draw your gun and don’t use it. But there is a difference between drawing the gun because you’re justified and ready to use it, and drawing the gun and pressing the trigger just because you drew it.

If you only draw the gun when you are legally justified in using deadly force, then you are also justified in drawing the gun and NOT using deadly force. The only problem is when you draw the gun and you’re NOT justified in using deadly force. It’s not just a matter of semantics. For this guy, it cost him his life. For someone else, it could cost them their freedom.

See the Video For Yourself—

That is just one of the many lessons to pull from this video. Take a look at the video below and leave a comment on something you noticed.