Subway Events as Viewed from a Concealed Carry Owner

We all look at events as they unfold in the media and can’t help but think, what would i do? Instinctively, it’s easy to view the Daniel Penny events as an unarmed subway rider and sympathize with his actions. However, if you are a concealed carry gun owner and you have trained and educated yourself on gun handling and defense with a weapon, you may, as I often do, see things differently.

I’m Glad Daniel Penny Was Found Not Guilty

Let’s be clear right up front…I am glad Daniel Penny was found Not Guilty. I’m thankful that the jurors had the common sense to vote accordingly, despite the District Attorney caving in to racial pressure and bringing this to a trial that never should have occurred. However, though it may be an unpopular opinion, it is my Boomer Opinion that maybe, just maybe, he should not have put himself in that position as early as he did. He acted on what might happen, not what did happen. The small difference between might and did had obvious and difficult repercussions for him.

A Gun Owners Perspective

Yes, the criminal was loud, threatening, and scary…but he hadn’t done anything yet. Most concealed carry gun owners receive training in order to get their carry license. You are taught that if you pull your gun, it is to shoot to kill…period. If you aren’t ready to do that, you don’t pull it. You don’t brandish your gun, you don’t wave it, and you don’t fire a warning shot. You shoot to kill. With that in mind then, you simply don’t pull your gun based on the possibility of a threat, you wait for the threat of harm or death to be eminent.

In the Daniel Penny case, he should have stayed alert, and stayed as close to the suspect as possible, but not act until actual harm became eminent. Yes, it’s a very fine line. Yes, someone might have gotten hurt…but those are the risks you take, knowing that your actions will likely lead to the person’s death. It must be crystal clear that you acted in life preserving self defense or you will end up in court, as he found out.

What Else Could Daniel Penny Have Done?

Frankly, I don’t know. He wasn’t expecting a common choke hold to end in the perp’s death. Daniel wasn’t trying to be a hero. He was a solid veteran with a concern for others. I’m not saying what he did was even wrong. I’m just pointing out that when viewed from a gun owners perspective, everything skews a little differently for me.

If someone is screaming and yelling and pounding on my front door, I’m calling 911 and getting my gun ready, yet still holstered and out of sight. I’m not blasting holes in my door to kill whoever is out there. Doing so will get you 25 years or more, as Susan Lorincz just found out.

In today’s litigious society, you simply cannot put your hands on someone unless your (or their) life depends on it. The consequences of what Daniel Penny had to go through will make it less likely now that someone on the subway will try to help others by subduing a criminal. Given that you can’t carry a gun on a New York subway, you have no good self defense options should you be attacked.