It entirely depends on the law in each state. Here in WA they've got fairly sensible regs. You don't need a permit or license to own a firearm, you can carry at home or at work (if allowed by the company) without a CCP and the fee isn't completely horrific. Most CCP laws state you can not carry in certain areas, such as sporting events, churches, government buildings (city hall, courthouse) and the like. In certain states, they get a little anal about it. No carry on public transportation like buses or subways. In others, there's no trouble. About the only thing WA should add is a requirement for CCP class before getting the permit. As far as actually using your hog-leg, you can use lethal force to prevent a felony or bodily harm. That doesn't apply only to CCP holders, either; that's for everyone. If you have a firearm, you can use it at any time to prevent a felony you witness in progress or to protect someone from being injured or killed.
Car jacking? You're green to shoot only if the offender is armed and you've got a clear lane of fire. Say he's in the middle lane trying to jack someone else, with a school bus in the left turn lane. You can't fire until either you maneuver to clear the bus, or the bus moves out of the area. Say you're in a bank trying to get vacation cash and one of those "White Power" goobers tries robbing it. That's a felony (federal) so you can use your pocket cannon. Robber's armed with a Ak and wearing armor? Aim for the head. Home broken into? You can only fire if the perp is armed and is threatening you or another person in the house. You
can threaten him with your howitzer, however, even if he isn't armed. Should he snatch a knife from your kitchen, well, buckshot doesn't tickle. This advice isn't from a Legal Eagle, and generally only applies to WA, so don't take it as gospel!
Xargos,
Again it depends on state law and how gnarly the prosecutor is going to get. I seriously doubt shooting a rapist to stop a rape in progress will get you thrown in the hoosegow. Same goes for firing on someone who's shooting at a cop. However, I've read of a few cases where the legal CCP holder was charged and convicted of murder because he did something stupid after a perfectly clean shoot. In one instance, the idiot decided to let the air out of a coke-addict's tires and got caught by said addict. He fired when Coke-boy charged him from across the street with a 28-inch club. Did Smart Guy stick around? Nope, he pitched his weapon into a river and hid out of town for several days before turning himself in. Combine that with an ultra-yuppie prosecution staff and you get a real mess. In another instance, a man was defending his very pregnant wife from the neighborhood addict with lethal force. Meth-boy was armed with a 4-foot length of heavy chain, Joe Schmuck with a .38 Special, range was about 18 feet. Shot him twice right there in the couple's own driveway. However, the neighbors told police that neither one of them lifted a finger to help the bleeding junkie. They just stood there while he bled to death, for 15 minutes until officers arrived. He was charged with negligent homicide and convicted. If he'd gotten his wife into the house and called the cops, he probably would've been cleared. Both of these instances were described by Massad Ayoob in the '93 Handguns Annual, so they are far from recent examples. Still, it could happen.
You do have one thing bang-on, though, Xargos. Some families will sue if you kill the person who attacked. Should this happen it can be a real crap-shoot; you might be found not liable, you might be found liable for literally millions. It really can go either way.
If you're going to carry concealed, be smart. Take the classes (Thunder Ranch in Lakeview, OR is spendy but well worth it, same for Gunsite in AZ) educate yourself on the legal-end of things, even have a sit-down with one of the prosecutors to get the full skinny if you can. Some lawyers offer a "free consultation" you can use; take advantage of it! Call 'em up and ask to speak with them about the legal side of using a CCP. Talk to officers, get their take on it. Things vary so much from state to state you really need to get an attorney's take on it. Most states have their CCP laws online, so hit their legislative website and take a gander. WA, for example, has reciprocity with about a dozen other states. A CCP permit issued in WA is good in those states, and their CCPs are good here. Florida has a non-resident permit available. Legally, it's a mess, so check!
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Flakbait [Delta6]
