How do you handle yourself when you become hurt, afraid, or angry? Are you a hot head? Are you the milquetoast type? Even the most level person can become irrational when faced with severe emotional distress. Being able to think clearly and make critical decisions through the fog of mental stress is just as important for concealed carriers to manage as the mechanics of how to carry. There are times when carrying a firearm may not be a wise decision.
Consider, for example, the case of Curtis Edmonds of Brighton Heights, PA. One night, around three in the morning, Edmonds appeared at the home of his ex-girlfriend. When she refused him entry into her home, Edmonds punched her in the face and struck her with his pistol. He then forced his way into the home, only to encounter the woman’s new boyfriend at the top of a set of stairs within the home. Seeing Edmonds with his pistol drawn, the boyfriend drew his own concealed carry handgun on Edmonds, and shot him. Edmonds didn’t survive the confrontation.
I’m not writing this article to say that anyone was “in the right” or “in the wrong” in this situation. I bring it up to discuss the circumstances and reflect on how extreme emotional stress can impact a concealed carrier. In this instance, we have a distressed ex-boyfriend becoming involved in a confrontation with his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend, and not surviving the ordeal. This leads me to wonder whether or not he was in the best frame of mind to be carrying a gun. I cannot predict how the situation would have unfolded had he not forced his way into a home, in which he didn’t reside, with a drawn firearm. However, had Edmonds taken extra time to approach the situation more calmly with less emotional stress, it isn’t unreasonable to imagine it may not have taken the lethal turn it did.
The old advice to “think before you act” takes on a new weight for those who own and carry firearms. A concealed carry license isn’t a “get out of jail free card.” Those of us who legally carry firearms are not immune to the consequences of using them. The two men referenced above are both dealing with the consequences of drawing their firearms: Edmonds is dead and his shooter is facing murder charges in court. As humans, we are prone to changes of mood, especially when we find ourselves in situations that incite our passions, for better or worse. Those of us who choose to carry firearms should also have the foresight to determine how to deal with our guns when we find ourselves in times of extreme emotional stress. If someone is upset to the point of rash aggression, should they carry a gun?
Featured image still from WPXI News broadcast.
FateofDestinee parameters change from person to person.. from education background to education background. You have some reactions associated with certain stimuly, such as emotional state, and certain visual or temporal stimuls and so on. If u train gunhandling in specific situations your emotions only change some uncertain decisions, wich doesnt mean shit, because uncertain means it has a luck component. On the other hand emotions can influence performance. Problem is when there is not good enough training and instead of decisions in uncertain situations, decisions in routine situations would be altered to be irrational instead of rational.
You just picked the wrong incident to highlight your thoughts that all of us that carry daily need to be aware of that there may be a specific incident when carrying is not a great idea but even then you have to temper your actions.
This article is absurd. It compares us to a woman beating POS animal. What does this story have to do with any decent human being with a CCW?
Focus on what you are trying to say Savage; such insanely bad examples as this do nothing to educate the average, law-abiding concealed carrier on the importance of anger management while armed.