Reply #63: There are times when a person with a concealed carry permit ... [View All]

[spin]

has intervened in a violent attack on a third party successfully.

For example watch this video. In this case an individual with a carry permit saves the life of a woman. (Note: the announcer starts to narrate after 15 seconds.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soZT__WQKsM&feature=player_embedded

And had a student or teacher who was in one of the classroom at Virgina Tech, he could have quite possibly used his weapon to save lives.

In that situation, Cho was going from classroom to classroom shooting people. The students in some classrooms had time to attempt to barricade the door to the class. Is it unrealistic to believe that an armed student could not have taken cover with his firearm pointed at the barricaded door and waited until Cho forced the door open, made sure that he was the shooter and not a cop, and then shot him?

According to several students, before the shooting began Cho looked into several classrooms. Erin Sheehan, an eyewitness and survivor who had been in room 207, told reporters that the shooter "peeked in twice" earlier in the lesson and that "it was strange that someone at this point in the semester would be lost, looking for a class".<21> Cho's first attack after entering Norris occurred in an advanced hydrology engineering class taught by Professor G. V. Loganathan in room 206. Cho first shot and killed the professor, then continued shooting, killing nine of the 13 students in the room and injuring two others.<1> Next, Cho went across the hall to room 207, in which instructor Christopher James Bishop was teaching German. Cho killed Bishop and four students; six students were wounded.<1> Cho then moved on to Norris 211 and 204.<20> In both of these classrooms, Cho was initially prevented from entering the classroom by barricades erected by instructors and students. In room 204, Professor Liviu Librescu, a Holocaust survivor, forcibly prevented Cho from entering the room. Librescu was able to hold the door closed until most of his students escaped through the windows, but he died after being shot multiple times through the door. One student in his classroom was killed.<22> Instructor Jocelyne Couture-Nowak and student Henry Lee were killed in room 211 as they attempted to barricade the door.<23>emphasis added
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Tech_massacre

Of course, Cho may have never decided to try the massacre had the college not been a gun free zone.


People who have concealed carry licenses are well aware that they are not considered cops. That is emphasized in the courses required to get a carry license and in the literature published by the states on CCW. For example:

Use of Deadly Force for Lawful Self-Defense

***snip***

Q. When can I use deadly force in the defense of another person?

A. If you see someone who is being attacked, you can use deadly force to defend him/her if the circumstances would justify that person's use of deadly force in his/her own defense. In other words, you "stand in the shoes" of the person being attacked.

Q. What if I see a crime being committed?

A. A license to carry a concealed weapon does not make you a free-lance policeman. But, as stated earlier, deadly force is justified if you are trying to prevent the imminent commission of a forcible felony. The use of deadly force must be absolutely necessary to prevent the crime. Also, if the criminal runs away, you cannot use deadly force to stop him, because you would no longer be "preventing" a crime. If use of deadly force is not necessary, or you use deadly force after the crime has stopped, you could be convicted of manslaughter. emphasis added
http://licgweb.doacs.state.fl.us/weapons/self_defense.html

So yes, a person with a carry permit may be able to save the life or health of another individual. It can indeed be one of a number of arguments for firearms possession.