Duty to retreat

[Steve in PA]

How does one "almost get sued"?

Who is going to say you could have prevented something?

You have a higher chance of getting sued by jumping in and making matters worse.

[bradjc72]

with so many money hungry lawyers these days, its a catch 22, your sued if you help, but theyll also sue you if you run and don't help. You just can't win when it comes to lawyers that only care about the fee, and not good law

[Nate]

Originally Posted by bradjc72

with so many money hungry lawyers these days, its a catch 22, your sued if you help, but theyll also sue you if you run and don't help. You just can't win when it comes to lawyers that only care about the fee, and not good law

I highly doubt you'll be sued for not getting involved.

[Chevmeister]

My .02 As far as the law goes You have no duty to protect anyone, therefore any third person you are protecting IMHO should be someone known to you personally. However back to the OP if i was at the scene of a rampage killing, I would attempt to retreat. My family is my first priority, if i am dead or in jail, i let my family down. Bash me if you want, noone is as important to me as my family. Depending on the situation i may have my gun drawn and be facing the threat, but i would be trying to put distance and cover between my family and the threat. If the moment presented itself and I couldnt get my family in the clear, I would stay and fight to provide cover for them to get away. If i draw the agressors fire prior to makign the shot, I may in the same move protect innocent lives, but it would not be my first priority.
The only time I would stay and fight without trying to retreat would be a convience store, with the all glass store front, I would have serious doubts of retreating without being shot. I would try to get to a corner of the store, and take cover there. If the attack was brought to me I would be ready to end it there.
Hero or not the psychological effects of killing another human will be with you long after the criminal and civil proceedings are over.

[bradjc72]

Chev,

I couldnt agree more to a degree. My family is the MOST important thing in my life as well, but I have a problem when running this scenario through my head. I think that I would also let my family down if I would be in that position of having 15 in the clip and an opportunity to stop it instead of running because of the laws. If I don't do something then I have just let that killer take from another family what I don't want taken from mine.

I have a HUGE issue with just letting people die. Maybe I am too kind of a person, but in that scenario, the only way that it plays out in my mind that I feel is right is to step up, and kill that mother f'r and save as many people that I possibly can. Why should other people die because I am scared of the law?

If I am completely wrong with my train of thought, I need someone to give me a kick then because I couldnt think, or live with myself, if I just walked away.

[bogey1]

Originally Posted by Steve in PA

How does one "almost get sued"?

Who is going to say you could have prevented something?

You have a higher chance of getting sued by jumping in and making matters worse.

in this day and age, anything is possible. at the very least you will dragged to court. how much money will that cost?

[bradjc72]

if everyone seems to be afraid of being dragged to court here, why are you carrying a weapon in the first place? You have to be sure when hearing a scenario, immediately what your instincts will guide you to do. You have to be able to trust them, and if in this scenario anyone who reads this or has responded to it you say you would run away, why carry? You would have the opportunity to help save lives, and take a BG while your at it. If that isnt the right thing to do, then I dont' know what is.

Even if and when you would be dragged to court, I cannot see that playing out to where they are dragging you out in shackles and cuffs. It just cannot happen, and I canot see a D.A. or other lawyer want to tackle that one, I just don't

[icp4life162005]

oK I HAVEN't read this all the way through but is there not a law (good samaritin?) that says if you have the ABILITY to help in a given situation but CHOOSE not to then you can be held accountable? But SHOULD you CHOOSE to help you will not be held accountable for your attempts? And for the record, if this EVER happened to me, I would go with my gut feeling and do what I think is right and just.

[bogey1]

Originally Posted by bradjc72

if everyone seems to be afraid of being dragged to court here, why are you carrying a weapon in the first place? You have to be sure when hearing a scenario, immediately what your instincts will guide you to do. You have to be able to trust them, and if in this scenario anyone who reads this or has responded to it you say you would run away, why carry? You would have the opportunity to help save lives, and take a BG while your at it. If that isnt the right thing to do, then I dont' know what is.

Even if and when you would be dragged to court, I cannot see that playing out to where they are dragging you out in shackles and cuffs. It just cannot happen, and I canot see a D.A. or other lawyer want to tackle that one, I just don't

im with ya on that one.....