Front Sight’s Monday Blog: Worrying About Trayvon Martin Will Get You Killed

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This week, I have a very interesting security camera video as a follow-up to the Trayvon Martin versus George Zimmerman incident which was sent to Front Sight by one of the people actually in the video!

The man in the video, wearing the purple shirt, sent us this video and thanked me for last week’s blog because he said that after seeing my blog post, it helped him set his head straight.

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As we explain in our classroom lectures Problems 2 and 3, Criminal and Civil Liability Following a Shooting, even when justified, there is a very high price to be paid any time you shoot another human being.

The Zimmerman versus Martin incident is a very good example, although grossly amplified by the media and people who should know better, of what can happen to YOU should you ever press the trigger in defense of your life.

Still, solving Problem 1 (saving your own life or the lives of others around you) only to face Problems 2 and 3 is still FAR BETTER than failing to solve Problem 1.

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Also keep in mind that this incident confirms why we say you should only shoot if you have NO OTHER CHOICE but to shoot to save your life or the lives of those around you.

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Believe it or not, the revelation the man in the purple shirt shared with us is that both he and the shirtless man have .25 caliber automatic pocket pistols in their back pockets! If you look closely you can see the guns in their pockets.

Comment number 1: Decide ahead of time what you are willing to shoot, kill, or die for.

Unless you are truly willing to kill or die for property, don’t step up to confront an armed man or try stop him from stealing a motorcycle because you will likely be dealing with a criminal who HAS made the decision to shoot, kill or die for a motorcycle and he WILL try to kill you.

Comment number 2: Don’t carry a gun unless you are mentally ready, willing and able to use it.

In order to be mentally ready to use a gun, you must have combat mindset training, and you must know when you are in a situation where your opponent has the ability, opportunity and intent to seriously injure or kill you.

At that moment when you recognize that your opponent is close enough to use what he has at his disposal to seriously injure or kill you and is demonstrating he has the intent to do so, you need to be willing to shoot to defend yourself. You must have the skills to quickly present your weapon and deliver accurate fire to the area of your target, appropriate to the caliber of your weapon, that will immediately stop your attacker.

If carrying a 9mm or larger, shoot two rounds to the thoracic cavity of your opponent and then be ready to immediately deliver a shot to the cranio-ocular cavity (between eyebrows and moustache) should the two rounds to the chest fail to stop the attack.

If carrying a .380, .32, .25, or .22, then you should not count on two rounds to the chest to stop a dedicated opponent. Your standard response when carrying a pocket pistol is two to three rounds to the cranio-ocular cavity. Yes, this is harder to accomplish. If you are going to carry a pocket pistol, then you must train MORE than if you carry a larger gun.

In this video, the moment the bad guy points his long barreled revolver at the two good guys, the bad guy has demonstrated the ability, opportunity, and intent to immediately injure or kill. THE BAD GUY SHOULD HAVE BEEN SHOT BY THE GOOD GUYS, WITHOUT HESITATION. Both men carrying .25 caliber automatic pocket pistols should have already been behind cover, presented their weapons and fired. Instead they hesitated, and it would have cost them their lives had the bad guy had any gun handling skills, or used any sight alignment or trigger control.

Why did they hesitate? Are you ready for this… Because they say, the criminal was black and wearing a hoodie! They feared they would be subjected to the same media abuse as George Zimmerman!

Even after the bad guy shoots at the shirtless man, yanking the trigger so badly that the shot literally hits the ground — which causes a rock, not a bullet, to strike the shirtless man — both good guys carrying weapons hesitate to shoot the bad guy, due to fear of another Trayvon Martin fiasco. Don’t YOU ever make the same mistake. You may not be as lucky as the two men in this video!

Comment number 3: Solving Problem 1 (saving your own life or the lives of others around you) only to face Problems 2 and 3 (potential criminal and civil liability or media hysteria) is still FAR BETTER than failing to solve Problem 1.

The saddest part of the good guys’ hesitation is that their black, hooded opponent left NO DOUBT in anyone’s mind (except the minds of the two good guys) that he is a criminal, bent on seriously injuring or killing innocent people to steal a motorcycle. THERE IS NO COMPARISON between this incident and the Trayvon Martin incident, yet these two Good Samaritans almost lost their lives from fear that they would be subjected to the lynch mob fervor that has been fanned irresponsibly by the media, gun grabbers, racists, and political opportunists.

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Comment number 5: Once the threat ends, don’t shoot!

Near the end of the video well after the bad guy has driven away, now the shirtless man decides to present his gun and fire at the fleeing felon. Yes, in some jurisdictions this may be legal, but it is bad choice in any jurisdiction from a civil liability standpoint. You will never convince a jury AFTER your opponent left your immediate presence, with his back to you, that you were in any danger of immediate, serious bodily injury or death. SO WHEN THE THREAT LEAVES, SO DOES YOUR JUSTIFICATION TO SHOOT.

What is even worse is the fact that you are responsible for wherever those shots may end up, whether they be in your neighbor’s car, house or in your neighbor!

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