Explain to me how concealed carry protects against a mugging

[Brawndo]

My roommate carries everywhere he goes except class, citing the high frequency of robberies and muggings of students around our college campus (we get emails about 4-5 incidents a month). But I don't see how carrying a gun in a holster under your jacket is going to help you:

1) You can't legally draw your gun on someone first unless they pose legitimate threat to you or a third party. For example, if my roommate sees three young men walking behind him at night on his way home, and he whips out his gun, he can get arrested and lose his CC license

2) The mugger has the element of surprise. So long as he has a firearm and pulls it on you first, you're screwed. The average person cannot outdraw someone who has the jump on them, and any idiot who thinks he's John Wayne will likely end up on the pavement bleeding out.

3) Once the mugger takes your stuff and leaves the immediate area, you cannot follow him and legally shoot him. At this point, he is no longer a threat to your safety and you could be charged with second-degree murder.

So at what point in this crime is a CCW going to help you? If anything, its more likely to be taken from you along with your wallet and other valuables. CCWs are useful in that they could stop a mass shooting attempt where the shooter has many targets, but I don't see how they are useful in common street robberies or carjackings, unless someone with experience otherwise can enlighten me.

 

[yundex]

I've been assaulted when walking the streets of baltimore to my grandparents house about 5 years ago, they didn't have a gun at the time but if I did than that wouldn't have happened.

 

[moretimethansense]

My roommate carries everywhere he goes except class, citing the high frequency of robberies and muggings of students around our college campus (we get emails about 4-5 incidents a month). But I don't see how carrying a gun in a holster under your jacket is going to help you:

1) You can't legally draw your gun on someone first unless they pose legitimate threat to you or a third party. For example, if my roommate sees three young men walking behind him at night on his way home, and he whips out his gun, he can get arrested and lose his CC license

2) The mugger has the element of surprise. So long as he has a firearm and pulls it on you first, you're screwed. The average person cannot outdraw someone who has the jump on them, and any idiot who thinks he's John Wayne will likely end up on the pavement bleeding out.

3) Once the mugger takes your stuff and leaves the immediate area, you cannot follow him and legally shoot him. At this point, he is no longer a threat to your safety and you could be charged with second-degree murder.

So at what point in this crime is a CCW going to help you? If anything, its more likely to be taken from you along with your wallet and other valuables.

CCWs are useful in that they could stop a mass shooting attempt where the shooter has many targets, but I don't see how they are useful in common street robberies or carjackings, unless someone can enlighten me.

Mostly they're not, but if the mugger is using a knife, you have easy access to your gun AND you are ready to kill, then it is usefull.

Guns are illegal here but god knows if I were in a country like America where any twit can carry, I'd prefer to have a gun than not, if they come at me with intent to kill I'd rather have a slim chance than none.

Granted most muggers just want your money, rather than your life but things can go wrong.

 

[FalloutJack]

I think maybe you're putting too much worry into this.

 

[demoman_chaos]

I'd rather have it and not need it over needing it and not having it.

 

[FFHAuthor]

Concealed Carry laws operate on the principle of 'wolf in sheeps clothing'. Not everyone who can conceal carry does, but regions with easily obtained concealed carry liscences have lower rates of violent crime. Why? Because an attacker dosen't know who has a gun and who dosen't. They can't be sure that 60 year old grand mother dosen't have a .38 in her purse, and is willing to drop you if you try to mug her and her grand daughter. Assailants don't know wheither or not their target is really unarmed or not. The simple fact that even if one in a hundred people carries a gun, and is willing to use it, that complicates matters and has the effect of detering criminals.

Brawndo, I have to ask just what your state's laws are in regards to concealed carry, and wheither or not you have the Castle Doctrine in your state, and what the state laws are for use of lethal force. Those are all important in answering your question more specifically.

 

[Wadders]

I think carrying weapons is a little bit daft.

It just gives the mugger/ attacker something else to take off you and attack you with as they're probably gona get you off guard, like you say.

I'm aware that carrying a gun could be useful in circumstances (I remember watching a video of a lady who left her gun in the car when she went to the diner with her parents. Turned out some gunman killed everyone in there apart from her, and if she'd had her gun she may have prevented it) but on the whole I dont think its worth it.

I'd rather loose my wallet and phone than have taken a life.

 

[2fish]

While i do think it works off the idea that it will scare muggers away, I often wonder if it doesn't make the muggers move to easier targets aka places where one cannot carry a gun in that city. See schools and the like, these place have big signs saying no guns.

Also if I was a mugger as my job in a gun heavy area I would shoot you then rob you, one more step less risk of you shooting me.

 

[thedeathscythe]

You may not be alone when you are mugged. I have a switchblade on me at all times, and we were walking near downtown but not in a bad area by any means, and it was just me and my 2 friends coming back from this cyber cafe we used to go to (we stopped for unrelated reasons) and this car with 5 guys came by us 3 times, and when we were about 5 blocks from the main road (the rest was residential, the main road was pretty much awake all night) they told us to give them all our wallets. We said no, and the passenger pulled a baseball bat from the car and let it hang out the car. I kept my hand on my knife (not drawn) and we told them to suck our dicks and we ran away from them behind their car. They backed up a bit, but then just drove off straight.

I think if they would have pursued us, and if there was a fight (assuming they didn't also have a gun), the knife would have helped a bit. It definitely would be intimidating if you know they're a threat (because they are a threat if they threaten you. You seem to think they have to attack you first. If you have a reason to feel threatened, it's not like the cops will say "Well they told you to give them your money but they never attacked you, so you attacked first. You're going to jail for life, buddy,") you can defend yourself. Now a gun may be different (Canadian, no right to bear arms *insert joke about having arms like a grizzly bear*), but I would think that if someone pulled a knife on you and said "Your money or your life," that you would be justified in then removing your fire arm and saying "Where do you want some fresh lead surgery?"

 

[Paksenarrion]

You know what should be made legal? Lightsabers. Isn't there a real version that can blind an assailant instantly?

 

[crudus]

A lot of people aren't ready to kill another person. A weapon in a mugger's hand is often a bluff(one you really can't afford to call). Also, I personally prefer to be proficient with the weapon I carry. That includes drawing the damn thing and using it.

You know what should be made legal? Lightsabers. Isn't there a real version that can blind an assailant instantly?

Yes. <a href=http://www.wickedlasers.com/laser-tech/blue_light_hazard.html#_blank>Yes there is.

 

[Blindswordmaster]

You need to remember that there aren't police everywhere, if you pull a gun on some who is about to mug you, or in the process of doing so, who's he going to tell to get you arrested? "Hello, 911? Listen, some guy just pulled a gun on me as I tried to rob him."

 

[SimuLord]

Concealed carry is an excellent crime deterrent, because the mugger doesn't want to get shot any more than you do, and unless he shoots you in the head or the heart, chances are very good that his prize for shooting you will be you having the several seconds required to shoot back. If you think bullets are an instant way to drop someone, either you're trying to conceal a Browning .50 caliber or you've seen too many movies and cop shows.

It's not what happens when the mugger shows up---it's the muggings that don't happen because someone's like "y'know what, maybe I won't try to rob someone who might be armed."

(of note, I live in Nevada, a concealed-carry and full Castle Doctrine state.)

 

[JenSeven]

I can understand how it can work in theory.

It's a preventive measure.
If a mugger knows people are unarmed, they would go all-out, since nothing would effectively stop them.
However if there is an uncertainty about that, as in people possibly being armed, they would think twice about doing anything if they could get shot or otherwise harmed.

So it's a measure that could potentially protect people since muggers could potentially show some restraint and not bother.

Realistically, a mugger almost always has the element of surprise, they could realistically be done or in power before their target could reach for their possible weapon. So a smart mugger would know how to handle the situation of attacking an armed target, a dumb mugger wouldn't initially think twice, they would be too dumb to think of the possibility.

So does it work?
Not really, the smart ones think of a way around it and the dumb ones don't think at all.
But it makes people feel a bit safer.
So it's a confidence booster for the general public, but wouldn't realistically decrease crime.

 

[no oneder]

I was mugged once, but as soon as the robber turned around and and away I threw an empty beer bottle and dropped him unconscious, then I recovered my valuables. [Lie.]

 

[numbersix1979]

My roommate carries everywhere he goes except class, citing the high frequency of robberies and muggings of students around our college campus (we get emails about 4-5 incidents a month). But I don't see how carrying a gun in a holster under your jacket is going to help you:

1) You can't legally draw your gun on someone first unless they pose legitimate threat to you or a third party. For example, if my roommate sees three young men walking behind him at night on his way home, and he whips out his gun, he can get arrested and lose his CC license

2) The mugger has the element of surprise. So long as he has a firearm and pulls it on you first, you're screwed. The average person cannot outdraw someone who has the jump on them, and any idiot who thinks he's John Wayne will likely end up on the pavement bleeding out.

3) Once the mugger takes your stuff and leaves the immediate area, you cannot follow him and legally shoot him. At this point, he is no longer a threat to your safety and you could be charged with second-degree murder.

So at what point in this crime is a CCW going to help you? If anything, its more likely to be taken from you along with your wallet and other valuables. CCWs are useful in that they could stop a mass shooting attempt where the shooter has many targets, but I don't see how they are useful in common street robberies or carjackings, unless someone with experience otherwise can enlighten me.

I believe that your difficultly in understanding this subject stems from a lack of experience in the films Death Wish, The Punisher, and/or The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Vigilante justice is not only fun and exciting, it's stimulating in all kinds of ways! Please review the suggested material and get back to me.

 

[Bad Jim]

1) A mugger cannot be sure that those carrying guns will act in strict accordance with the law. It's a rather stressful situation

2) In order to shoot you first, a mugger must make an extremely loud noise, which makes it likely that a few armed citizens will come to see what the fuss is about.

 

[Anarchemitis]

"I don't need to be careful, I have a gun!"

 

[Housebroken Lunatic]

I've been subjected to mugging attempts while carrying a concealed bladed weapon. Suffice to say that I got to keep my wallet and cellphone and the muggers ran away bleeding and injured.

Then again, if you are to carry a weapn you have to have the will to use it without hesitation. A brandished weapon is likely to get you killed if your opponent gets the slightest hint that you won't even have the guts to use it on him.

I'd prefer a gun over a bladed weapon any day of the week though. Blades demands a fair amount of skill to be able to use properly (i.e when you need to control how much damage you are to inflict on an opponent, as well as successfully emploing at all). A gun is easier to use and far more intimidating.