Charles Paul Lincoln
Regular Member
imported post
NavyLT wrote:
Let's look at this from a different perspective, and see if this line of thinking is consistent, or if the right to bear arms is the driving issue.
I was an EMT for many years, both paid and volunteer. In my travels, I stopped on many accident scenes to render aid, even when I was off duty. There was no requirement I do so, I was often placing myself in significant danger, and there was certainly a risk that any mistake would land me in a courtroom defending a lawsuit (I was licensed by the state, so good samaritan laws might not shield me, and the courts have now said good sams can be sued for negligence). Should I have not stopped? Just left those two ejected patients lying on the highway, one choking on his own blood? If it were your spouse or child, what would you want me to do?
Just last year, I stopped at 2-car rollover fatality to render aid. My certifications are lapsed, yet I cared for the one living patient the best I could until aid arrived. I had to crawl into an overturned car without gear. Hold her bloody head without gloves, and then they extricated her around me. Dangerous? Yes. Chance of lawsuit? Yes. (It was interesting that I too was carrying and nobody said a word.) Could I have been another of the sheep that were just standing around with thier thumb up their a$$es? Yes. But I'm not going to stand by and watch a woman suffocate because she can't protect her airway, even if it is because she is obviously on something. (which is why I have been subpoenaed to testify in the case)
I don't put my firearm rights above any of my other rights. Any time we intervene, there is a possibility it could go very wrong and we could lose our liberty, voting rights, etc. We count on the court system (imperfect as it is) for justice.
We are not the police. But, we are men and women who apparently believe in the founding principles of this country and the rights that go with citizenship. Part of the reason that crime is so prevalent now is that ordinary citizens don't stand up and say "stop." Too many people just stick their heads in the sand and figure that somebody else will do whatever needs doing -- whether it is stopping a drunk driver, intervening in a street assault, or telling a kid to stop vandalizing the mall.
SemperCarry, as a citizen, I appreciate you placing yourself at risk to do what is right, and I applaud your actions. I can find no fault in anything you did, and wish more had the fortitude to step forward in similar scenarios.
Well done!
Charles
NavyLT wrote:
The only thing I said was that if you want to risk your freedom and your ability to carry firearms by chasing down a drunk driver and stopping them by performing a blocking maneuver with your vehicle, you go right ahead, good for you. But in a situation like that, should you end up having to shoot said drunk driver, I wouldn't plan on a claim of self defense going very far with a jury.
Let's look at this from a different perspective, and see if this line of thinking is consistent, or if the right to bear arms is the driving issue.
I was an EMT for many years, both paid and volunteer. In my travels, I stopped on many accident scenes to render aid, even when I was off duty. There was no requirement I do so, I was often placing myself in significant danger, and there was certainly a risk that any mistake would land me in a courtroom defending a lawsuit (I was licensed by the state, so good samaritan laws might not shield me, and the courts have now said good sams can be sued for negligence). Should I have not stopped? Just left those two ejected patients lying on the highway, one choking on his own blood? If it were your spouse or child, what would you want me to do?
Just last year, I stopped at 2-car rollover fatality to render aid. My certifications are lapsed, yet I cared for the one living patient the best I could until aid arrived. I had to crawl into an overturned car without gear. Hold her bloody head without gloves, and then they extricated her around me. Dangerous? Yes. Chance of lawsuit? Yes. (It was interesting that I too was carrying and nobody said a word.) Could I have been another of the sheep that were just standing around with thier thumb up their a$$es? Yes. But I'm not going to stand by and watch a woman suffocate because she can't protect her airway, even if it is because she is obviously on something. (which is why I have been subpoenaed to testify in the case)
I don't put my firearm rights above any of my other rights. Any time we intervene, there is a possibility it could go very wrong and we could lose our liberty, voting rights, etc. We count on the court system (imperfect as it is) for justice.
We are not the police. But, we are men and women who apparently believe in the founding principles of this country and the rights that go with citizenship. Part of the reason that crime is so prevalent now is that ordinary citizens don't stand up and say "stop." Too many people just stick their heads in the sand and figure that somebody else will do whatever needs doing -- whether it is stopping a drunk driver, intervening in a street assault, or telling a kid to stop vandalizing the mall.
SemperCarry, as a citizen, I appreciate you placing yourself at risk to do what is right, and I applaud your actions. I can find no fault in anything you did, and wish more had the fortitude to step forward in similar scenarios.
Well done!
Charles