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Bank Question

VAman

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I have read all the posts concerning banks and their policies and they have been informative. I am a relativly new OC and CC person and I am learning the ropes. If you are OCing or CCing in your bank and the bank is being robbed at gun point, does that qualify as danger to you or a third party and allow you to defend yourself or others?

I am not sure I would take any action as I know the banks insurance would cover the money that is stolen. I just hate to sit there and take it like a chump from some punk.
 

VApatriot

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I think you will get different answers to this question, but I would take action. If someonewas robbing a bank at gun point while I was there, I would view that as a direct threat to my safety because the robber is liable to start shooting at any time. I would prefer to try to stop the guy before he had any chance toactually use his weapon.

Welcome to OpenCarry.org!
 

molonlabetn

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VAman wrote:
I have read all the posts concerning banks and their policies and they have been informative. I am a relativly new OC and CC person and I am learning the ropes. If you are OCing or CCing in your bank and the bank is being robbed at gun point, does that qualify as danger to you or a third party and allow you to defend yourself or others?

I am not sure I would take any action as I know the banks insurance would cover the money that is stolen. I just hate to sit there and take it like a chump from some punk.

Many people have been killed and injured in botched bank robberies. I personally would not wait longenoughto become the next victim or human-shield for any criminal scum...

So, yes, by any definition of 'danger' one would be justified in defending oneself from armed aggressors who are trying to rob a bank.

Another thing to consider is: If the robbers see that you are armed, there is an excellent chance that they would take action against you first. So, always be aware of your surroundings, who is eyeing you, and who is entering the room. Even when OCing, the first indication that a BG should ever get that you are armed is the pointed muzzle of your weapon. That means you must be more observant than them.

molonlabetn
 

presbyreformed

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I would have to evaluate the situation. For me there would be several factors to consider.

1) How many perps? If there is more than one, I am outgunned.

2) Are they shooting or acting as if they will open fire imminently? In this case you may have a moral obligation to interfere even if it means you give your own life to do so. If they appear to be only threatening and not shooting, I say stay out of it.

3) If it's only one punk and he has something other than a gun, I say that is up to you. There's not a lot of physical harm some guy that's high on crack can do with a knife. And if he starts slicing and dicing, then your moral obligation may kick in.

Remember, only in Hollywood do the bank robbers all have machine pistols and eagle eyes. When you read news stories of bank holdups, often it's one guy that's high, and is poking his finger through his coat pocket at the pretty teller and demands money. Not bright, but then no one has accused crooks of being intelligent.

I am not going to be too quick to draw my gun in public unless there is obvious danger of life being hurt or lost. I'm not a trained LE so I don't want to get in too many situations where I have to draw my gun.

I'm not carrying to be a superhero. I'm carrying because I have a God-given duty to care for myself and my family. My motto in this arena is as the British general said several centuries ago: "Pray hard, my boys, and keep your powder dry!" This is the place where faith and duty meet.
 

VApatriot

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I don't think thata guy robbing a bank with his hand in his pocket would give me enough reason to use lethal force, because I believe most of the time it is just a bluff,but as soon as a weapon capable of inflicting serious injury or deathwas brandished,I believe that myconscience would force me to act.
 

livitup

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presbyreformed wrote:
...
There's not a lot of physical harm some guy that's high on crack can do with a knife.  And if he starts slicing and dicing, then your moral obligation may kick in.
...

I don't know if the "not" was a typo or not, but back in my LEO Academy days we were taught to fear badguys with knives more than badguys with guns. The amount of time it takes to clear 6-8 feet is remarkably short, and the learning curve for causing injury with a knife is much lower than a gun. Badguys are notoriously bad shots, but a knife is much harder to miss with.

That said, the badguy in the bank with a knife would have to be acting as if he were about to start slicing and dicing before I would intervene. But that's just me. I would basically have to ask myself "is there someone's life at risk here, or is there the chance of great bodily harm?" If so, then I'm going to act to protect that life. But I wouldn't act until that point was reached.
 

ryanmerrell

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This is definitely a tough question. If you're an OC guy, this may be a kill or be killed type of scenario. If you're a CC guy, I think that it's a little more gray.

If you have an opportunity to intervene, and that opportunity has a reasonable chance for success, here are the possible outcomes:

1. The guy gets away or gets caught by the police. Either way, the bank is insured, and no one got hurt.

2. Someone does get hurt, and you'll have to live knowing that you had the opportunity to change the outcome. That doesn't mean that it would have worked out for you. It just means you'll have something to think about for a long time.

3. You intervene. It may work out for you, and it may not. There's a good chance you'll face a lawsuit of some type, but having the option is why we are all here, isn't it?

We all know the risks when we put our guns in our holsters and head out. To do so requires you to be capable of using good judgement when such a situation arises. Obviously, option two is something to avoid. Neither option 1 or option 3 will be right every time. It's very difficult to use sound judgement in a heated situation like this one, but it is that to which we subject ourselves.
 

gsh341

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Jul 3, 2006
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Ryan is correct in my opinion.

But VAman, I am also of the opinion that banks are just like any other place you carry whether it's your home, the grocery store, the mall or whatever. You can use lethal force to prevent serious bodily harm or death of yourself or another, but don't try to be a hero and protect the bank's money.
 

Smurfologist

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Don't even get me started about bank robberies. As some of you may already know, I got ripped by "people" about this subject on another post. So, I will only say that if one was in this situation, one would have to make a good decision based on all of the circumstances thatwere evident. Backstops are very important with any of the scenarios that were mentioned. I do agree that a bank robber with a knife is more dangerous than one with a gun. I also agree that if one is OCing in any bank, you have the potential of being a hero, victim, litigant, murderer, and anything else that one can imagine. Also, in the scenarios that were mentioned, OCers have taken away the element of surprise that wouldput a bank robberat a disadvantage. CCers would have the advantage because it may not be apparent to the bank robber who, in fact, has a weapon. Just a thought.

2nd Amendment.........Use it...........Or, lose it!!!:X
 

jimwyant

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Smurfologist wrote:
... if one is OCing in any bank, you have the potential of being a hero, victim, litigant, murderer, and anything else that one can imagine ....
The same statement would be equally true if the bank reference was deleted. The concerns you brought up are very valid, and must be considered any time one chooses to carry, OC or CC, regardless of location. My $0.02.
 

John Pierce

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Smurfologist wrote:
Don't even get me started about bank robberies. As some of you may already know, I got ripped by "people" about this subject on another post.

I think that was largely a little bit of a misunderstanding on both sides and I thik all parties were very mature in the way that post ending up being resolved.

That is one of the things I love about the members we have here at OCDO. We have people with a variety of knowledge, skills and beliefs; and yet, we can discuss and resolve even controversial issues in a way that is very rare in a public forum.

Smurfologist, keep giving us your valued opinions and I am sure occasionally others will disagree. As long as the entire debate is civil, we will ultimately all be the better for having read it or participated in it.
 

Smurfologist

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jimwyant wrote:
Smurfologist wrote:
... if one is OCing in any bank, you have the potential of being a hero, victim, litigant, murderer, and anything else that one can imagine ....
The same statement would be equally true if the bank reference was deleted. The concerns you brought up are very valid, and must be considered any time one chooses to carry, OC or CC, regardless of location. My $0.02.

I concur!!

2nd Amendment..........Use it..........Or, lose it!!:X
 

Smurfologist

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jpierce wrote:
Smurfologist wrote:
Don't even get me started about bank robberies. As some of you may already know, I got ripped by "people" about this subject on another post.

I think that was largely a little bit of a misunderstanding on both sides and I thik all parties were very mature in the way that post ending up being resolved.

That is one of the things I love about the members we have here at OCDO. We have people with a variety of knowledge, skills and beliefs; and yet, we can discuss and resolve even controversial issues in a way that is very rare in a public forum.

Smurfologist, keep giving us your valued opinions and I am sure occasionally others will disagree. As long as the entire debate is civil, we will ultimately all be the better for having read it or participated in it.
Ahhh, you remember!! I appreciate what you said. I love this board as well. I have learned so much about the law and guns since I have been a member of this board. I gain more confidence everyday when it comes to OCing and CCing. Again, thanks for your kind words!!!

2nd Amendment............Use it..................Or, lose it!!!:X
 
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