Shooting incidents in the news.

[HCM]

Definitely this...

When I posted earlier, I was thinking about whether it was a good idea to confront a theft in progress or just call the PD... Not only would a confrontation run the risk of getting shot over property, or having to live with shooting someone else over property, but you'd run the risk, even in TX, of an overzealous DA running up a legal bill for you, even though deadly force is justified by Texas code.

So... "Long guns from the rooftop", FTW.?

It’s a personal debate, whether you consider armed car burglars coming onto your property and breaking into your vehicles to be mere property crime, or the fact that they’re doing this while armed rises to the level of moral insult making it more akin to an armed robbery. By choosing to be armed to commit a property crime, they are making an affirmative statement that they are willing to kill anyone who gets in their way. One can argue that makes them a threat rather than a mere thief.

Given such an incident could involve confronting two or more armed suspects I’m a big fan of a long gun with a light and a sling as a something tripped the driveway camera response gun.

I would also give some thought to tactics like not running straight out the front door, hitting your garage door remote as a distraction, going out a side or rear door, flanking them and confronting from cover or concealment etc. etc..

[CleverNickname]

For decades prior to concealed carry licenses Texas had a weird loophole that let people carry guns in their cars but not on their person.

I wouldn't say "decades." It was only 16 years, from 2005-2021. There had been a "traveling" exception since the post-civil war era, but apparently courts had limited it to traveling outside your home county(?). I got a CHL two months after I got my first handgun so I didn't pay all that much attention to the legal minutiae. The CHL law was passed in the 90's, but nothing changed as far as unlicensed carry until 2005 when there was another exception added to allow unlicensed concealed carry in private vehicles.

But yeah, too many people leave their gun in their cars. I have to wonder how much of that is due to people going to places where they can't legally carry though.

[RoyGBiv]

But yeah, too many people leave their gun in their cars. I have to wonder how much of that is due to people going to places where they can't legally carry though.

Given the number of people with carry permits, and now permitless, who just don't want to carry on body... I bet the reason for guns in cars is sheer laziness, primarily.

Who the heck WANTS to live that lifestyle when the chances of needing a gun are so slim? /sarc

[OldRunner/CSAT Neighbor]

“But yeah, too many people leave their gun in their cars. I have to wonder how much of that is due to people going to places where they can't legally carry though.”

A swerve but reminded me of a convo. Sun w/ a Stoeger attendee about carrying a blaster, said something about not going into NPEs & he said what?

[HeavyDuty]

“But yeah, too many people leave their gun in their cars. I have to wonder how much of that is due to people going to places where they can't legally carry though.”

A swerve but reminded me of a convo. Sun w/ a Stoeger attendee about carrying a blaster, said something about not going into NPEs & he said what?

This was a big issue in Illinois due to all of the no-fly zones. Most carriers just stashed the gun, only some of us went the vault route.

[HCM]

I wouldn't say "decades." It was only 16 years, from 2005-2021. There had been a "traveling" exception since the post-civil war era, but apparently courts had limited it to traveling outside your home county(?). I got a CHL two months after I got my first handgun so I didn't pay all that much attention to the legal minutiae. The CHL law was passed in the 90's, but nothing changed as far as unlicensed carry until 2005 when there was another exception added to allow unlicensed concealed carry in private vehicles.

But yeah, too many people leave their gun in their cars. I have to wonder how much of that is due to people going to places where they can't legally carry though.

In practice the “traveling exception” was broadly applied outside major urban areas long before CHLs were a thing. You may recall the medical doctor whose testimony about surviving the Luby cafeteria shooting in Killeen Texas which helped get the CHL bill passed testified about being frustrated because her gun was in her car rather than with her when she needed it. That was prior to the CHL law being passed in the 1990s and long before 2005.

Having to temporarily stash a gun due to needing to go into a restricted place is a whole different conversation. That is temporary and the risk should be mitigated via a lock box or a cable lock.

I’m in the 3rd or 4th largest city in TX and outside of mandatory no go zones few places are posted vs concealed carry. Most places here that are posted are only posted against open carry. Many of the places which are posted don’t have legally sufficient signage.

I’m talking about people who permanently leave a loaded handgun unsecured in their glove compartment or center console full time. In many cases, they double down on stupid by intentionally choosing (and often bragging about) how their car gun is cheap so that they won’t be “out much money” when (not if) it gets stolen. Of course, the idea of what the stolen gun will be used for doesn’t even enter their thoughts.

I’m personally familiar with the case where someone left their unlocked car running with a loaded handgun the center console. The homeless Tweaker, who hopped in the car and stole it then use that handgun to shoot and kill a good Samaritan who called 911 and was following the vehicle. It occurred near my office and we had contacted the suspect a few days prior outside our office as a “suspicious person.”

We also had a case here within the past year in which an off-duty border patrol agent from Uvalde living in San Antonio, confronted and shot a car burglar at his apartment complex. The car burglar showed up unarmed, but the BPAs neighbor had left a loaded handgun in his unlocked car overnight. The car burglar pointed his newly acquired handgun at the board of patrol agent and got shot for his trouble.

I recently assisted with a training class for our local police department which included an officer who had just returned to work after having his eye shot out by a felon, using a rifle stolen after being left in a vehicle overnight.

I could go on, but suffice to say there's objective reasons I get Forest Whitaker eye when I hear some lazy f***ing slob talking about leaving cheap guns in their car full-time.

[DDTSGM]

I would also give some thought to tactics like not running straight out the front door, hitting your garage door remote as a distraction, going out a side or rear door, flanking them and confronting from cover or concealment etc. etc..

It's amazing to me how some folks think of a firearm as some sort of talisman and go head first into potential conflict without any tactical thought.

[HCM]

It's amazing to me how some folks think of a firearm as some sort of talisman and go head first into potential conflict without any tactical thought.

Eh, people do that without guns too.

The unarmed homeowner I referenced who was shot in the stomach charged out the front door unarmed and in his underwear.

Too many people in modern society have no real concept of danger.

[Hambo]

Eh, people do that without guns too.

The unarmed homeowner I referenced who was shot in the stomach charged out the front door unarmed and in his underwear.

Too many people in modern society have no real concept of danger.

And no concept of real shootings/gunfiights. They think they'll John Wick BGs in the driveway. I chose not to investigate a car on my property, because my thought was, "What if there are four dudes in that car? Hambo dies outnumbered on the lawn, that's what happens." Turned out that there were four dudes in that car, two of them with guns. They gave up without a fight because they met seven deputies and a K9.

[blues]

And no concept of real shootings/gunfiights. They think they'll John Wick BGs in the driveway. I chose not to investigate a car on my property, because my thought was, "What if there are four dudes in that car? Hambo dies outnumbered on the lawn, that's what happens." Turned out that there were four dudes in that car, two of them with guns. They gave up without a fight because they met seven deputies and a K9.

It's early days...but I'm putting that in the running for post of the year so far. (Well, slightly behind my "giving up yard work" post. )

Well said, brother.