How Concealed Carry Good Guys Don’t Get Shot By Responding Police

[Elderberry]

Concealed Carry By Jacob Paulsen | November 4, 2023

I have on several occasions ended up in long discussions with other professionals and law enforcement officers about the concept of CCWers getting OR NOT getting shot by responding officers after a shooting incident.

It isn't just a theory, it does happen. I have a number of recorded incidents of it happening, though I have a nearly endless number of incidents in which responding officers did NOT engage the good guy so we can safely consider the idea of cops shooting the good guy as an exception to the rule.

Regardless of how often it happens, it isn't a good thing. Nobody on either side of the situation goes home happy when the cop shoots the good guy so my intention today is to suggest a number of tangible ideas and tactics that can reduce your risk of being shot by the cops after or during your gunfight.

Doing all of these is unrealistic but considering each as a potential tool to reduce risk is the idea here.

Guns Don't Go Away Until The Threat is Over

The most common advice I hear is something to the effect of holstering or putting away your firearm while waiting for law enforcement to arrive. That has merit since law enforcement is far less likely to misinterpret you as the bad guy if you aren't holding a firearm.

However, we must emphasize that firearms shouldn't be put away or reholstered if you still face an active threat.

While it certainly is important to mitigate the risk of being shot at by police; it is a moot point if you lose the fight with your attacker so only put the firearm away if the threat is truly over.

Ready Positions

In the case that your firearm needs to stay on target as law enforcement is responding consider utilizing a ready position. In other words, instead of pointing the gun directly at your attacker you might direct the firearm slightly off target toward the ground or utilize any other commonly used ready position.

This article isn't meant to discuss ready positions at length but suffice to say they put you in a position in which you can get the gun onto target extremely quickly without actively pointing the gun at the target.

Furthermore, ready positions are good guy body language and actively communicate to any trained responder like a cop that you are unlikely the bad guy. Stay tuned for more “good guy body language.”

Create Distance and Retreat

As an innocent party, you are under no obligation to remain in a dangerous situation. If leaving the area or retreating from the fight or engagement can be done safely you are welcome to do so.

Disengaging from the fight can put you in a safer situation in which you can holster your firearm and contact authorities. Of course, this may not always be a viable option or may not be in line with your personal mission for whatever reason but if you have just put some holes in the bad guy and you aren't sure if the threat is over you might be able to safely retreat and create distance.

This is good for your objective of survival and good for minimizing the risk of being shot by cops.

More: https://www.concealedcarry.com/safety/how-concealed-carry-good-guys-dont-get-shot-by-responding-police/

[Cyber Liberty]

The fact is, the LEOs can tell who is belligerent and who is not.  We go to defensive positions as soon as we can, the enemy does not.