Can I shoot a perpetrator to stop a mass murder?

[nightmare69]

Is this a serious question? Of course you can.

[Skiprr]

Someone in the process of committing mass-murder? You shoot him in the back of the head, no warning, and you put him/them down; it's not a game.

Amazing to see Police Chiefs of anti-gun cities like DC and Detroit coming out and saying, basically, "in an active shooter situation, if you have a shot, take it."

This is Texas. Almost one million of us are licensed to carry a concealed firearm. And a lot of us carry rifles/carbines in our cars.

Like Andy said, someone attempting to commit mass murder in our state will be put down.

Put down hard and fast.

[The Annoyed Man]

Someone in the process of committing mass-murder? You shoot him in the back of the head, no warning, and you put him/them down; it's not a game.

Amazing to see Police Chiefs of anti-gun cities like DC and Detroit coming out and saying, basically, "in an active shooter situation, if you have a shot, take it."

This is Texas. Almost one million of us are licensed to carry a concealed firearm. And a lot of us carry rifles/carbines in our cars.

Like Andy said, someone attempting to commit mass murder in our state will be put down.

Put down hard and fast.

Like the dogs they are.

[SewTexas]

Is it legal, in Texas, for a CHL holder to shoot a perpetrator who is in the act of committing mass murder? And, if it is legal, would it be legal to go so far as to shoot him or her in the back to stop the murders?

Crash

if you weren't taught the history of our CHL law in your class, your instructor did you an incredible disservice.
Luby's and Suzanna Hupp is why we have CHL look it up on YouTube, it's there.

[CleverNickname]

Is it legal, in Texas, for a CHL holder to shoot a perpetrator who is in the act of committing mass murder? And, if it is legal, would it be legal to go so far as to shoot him or her in the back to stop the murders?

What exactly do you think a CHL is for, if not to allow carry of a firearm to prevent a violent felony from occurring or to stop one in progress?

[philip964]

My suggestion would be after the threat is neutralized, you immediately reconseal your gun in its holster. Otherwise the police arriving on the scene may consider you to be the BG.

[carlson1]

Back of the head or spine - sometimes going for center mass is good if you aren't up close and personal.

Personally I look at center mass on a regular silhouette target is the upper stomach. I like upper chest and head shots.

I really like head shots because you may not get another shot and if they are wearing a bulletproof vest it may turn ugly as it did in the Courthouse shooting in Tyler where a CHL Instructor lost his life because the shooter was wearing a vest and did not go down. He turned his AK-47 on the Instructor.

[carlson1]

The reason TexasCHLForum was put into existence was to be able to ask questions.
STOP the attack on the OP's questions now.

[Crash]

carlson1,

Thanks for the support. I've had a CHL since 1998 and, no, I don't remember any of my instructors talking about events that led up to the issuance of CHLs. However, I knew about them from magazine and newspaper articles and internet sources. Just in the last couple of days, I was asked if it was OK to shoot someone to stop a murder and, more specifically, if it was OK to shoot a shooter in the back. Since I'd never seen that particular question addressed, I thought I'd ask on what I consider to be the best source on the internet.

Crash

[o b juan]

In every class I have held since sept 95' I have given the history of why, how and who is and was repsonsible for Texas geting the CHL.

And who vetoed it when it first passed (Maw Richards) and it opened the way for GW to be Gov and then president.
HAd she not vetoed on the demand of the dnc he would have never made it to the top.

Funny how small things in History were changed by The dnc move..

I think we will see more changes because of the dnc's idiocy

[gdanaher]

Warning shots only occur in movies. Warning shots have the potential to kill innocent folks. If you need to shoot someone in this situation, you shoot to kill on the first bullet and if you can't do this, sell your gun and mail the license back.

[olafpfj]

Honestly I think this type of question exposes the projection we see in many others. Can you shoot a mass murdering suspect? Of course you can...but your decision will ultimately be questioned and could, God forbid, be wrong. You might misidentify the person and accidentally shoot someone defending themselves from the real aggressor. Only you can decide and own your decision good or bad. This scares lesser men (or women) who don't have the cajones to own their decisions and actions.

I have no idea what I would do in a situation. I will analyze the info and scenario and make a decision that I think is the best for all concerned and may have precious little time and info to make that call. I am a good person and will act accordingly. I may ultimately make the wrong decision in hindsight but I will hopefully have the opportunity to plead my case in an unbiased court of law.

I have some experience in life and death situations (not firearm related) and I have made good and bad decisions. I have made decisions that have clearly saved peoples lives and I've made some that came uncomfortably close to costing some. I have owned them all. It's what makes me a man (not to be confused with recent "modern man" published tripe) and I will continue to do what I think is right when I have to make a call whether it be slow and methodical or a snap decision.

To each their own...

"Selfishness in not living your life as you see fit. It is forcing others to live their lives as you see fit."

[stingeragent]

i'll +1 to the above. The hard part is doing the right thing, and then having your firearm still out when the LEO shows up, and hoping you don't get shot in the process. I've never been in this situation, but I would eliminate the threat and then provided the area looks secure immediately holster my weapon. I have done 3 tours in Iraq but have little experience in a domestic situation such as this. My CHL instructor went over this and provided a scenario. You get out of your car in a parking garage. Someone approaches you and draws a weapon on you. You shoot them. Another CHL holder across the way hears the gun shots and looks over to see you standing over someone with gun shot wounds and decides a murder just happened and draws his weapon at you to prevent any further "murder"