gunsfreak4791 wrote:
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I carry handcuffs for a few reasons
1st) It is a option I can use if a firearm is not warranted. In the event I have a individual who trespassed on my property. I also can think of a few times where the option of a citizens arrest is a better option then the person leaving the situation.
2) It puts people minds at ease when they see the Mag/Handcuff combo accompanied by my firearm.
3) I have sufficient training to carry handcuffs and have been taught to carry how I was train.
4) It is a great option then lethal force when the sight of a firearm was enough to stop the threat. IE Robbery, Assault the examples could go on
5) I was taught once a suspect was shot you handcuffed the suspect till you can verify the threat is stopped.
Zach,
To each his own. But as swillden points out, it seems pretty risky to needlessly get close enough to cuff someone, especially if you are alone.
#1, I'd want to be VERY up on the laws and rules for "citizens' arrest" before risking an aggravated kidnapping charge. If you hold someone against his will, and it was not justified, and you had a firearm in plain sight, that is aggravated kidnapping which is a felony. It is one thing to risk a felony when I sincerely believe my life is at risk and deadly force is necessary and justified to protect that life or limb. It is quite another to risk a felony over something like simple trespassing.
#2, Looks like you may be willing to give people the impression you are a cop. Not technically impersonating, but a little closer to that than I care to be.
#3,4, and 5 all seem to have the risk of trying to cuff a potentially non-compliant person. I just don't see any advantage to closing the distance. And since I'm not a cop, I don't see "suspects," just "bad guys who pose an immediate and grave threat to my life or limb." If a bad guy wants to run away, great. The threat is over and nobody got shot. If he's been shot and can't (or won't) move, I intend to seek cover and keep him in my sights until the pros arrive.
I mean to each his own, but if a "non-lethal" option is to be carried, and one has training, I should think a baton, pepper-spray, etc would all be far better uses of the weight and space on the belt than would cuffs. But then, each of those items is actually a weapon designed to end a threat rather than a restraint designed to hold someone captive.
Charles