Brandishing Weapons To Cut In Line For Gas

[Kublid]

Hi all. First, I'm new to the world of CC and fairly new to this forum. I've been reading and trying to take in all the different viewpoints for weeks and wanted to thank all the members here for really providing a great place to gather information and different perspectives.

My wife asked my thoughts on a scenario last night and I wanted to get some different schools of thought on how to handle this situation. I'll provide my thoughts at the end of my post.

My wife was just told about an incident that happened somewhere I'm NJ in relation to the gas shortages. Basically, people are waiting hours in line and all of a sudden a person pulls up in a SUV and cuts in line. People began to yell, complain, etc. Person in SUV gets out and lifts his shirt to reveal two firearms and insists he will be cutting the line and getting gas. What do you do?

Sorry if any important details are left out, I don't know them.

Here's where the conversation got interesting between my wife and I deciding on what to do in this situation.

First thought, if I was multiple vehicles away and not in imm danger, my thought is to stay out of the line of fire, and draw on the man if he begins to escalate to the point of brandishing his firearm. Also, call 911.

Then we talk about if we are right near this threat. At what point do his actions justify use of deadly force? Do I wait for him to pull out his firearm and take the risk of being fired upon? By him lifting and showing his weapons in a threatening manor justify action?

I know that it would be stupid and reckless to shoot someone over cutting in line for gas, hurricane disaster or not, but I was curious on people's thoughts on this. Also, the possible lack of police availability in the wake of a disaster also tossed indecision into the equation.

Also, keep in mind the tons of innocent bystanders that are probably very close by and open gas containers.

Every time I think about it, I just let the guy cut, get gas, and be gone. Too many bad things that could happen. Only thing that worries me is if I'm directly behind this guy, close, first in line to get shot if the situation gets out of hand.

Thx all! Looking forward to the thoughts.

Dan

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Alex_C]

I would, if possible, stay out of the situation and call 911.

I would not draw my pistol unless he pulls a gun, then I would take defensive measures.

Your firearm is the last resort.

[Brad426]

I would buy gas BEFORE the storm.

[pgrass101]

I would call 911 with his description and tag number and wait for the cavalry. I would loosen my pistol in its holster and be prepared to handle the threat if the situation escalates.

[ghost tracker]

Let him cut & fill-up. Remain quiet, calm & in your car. Call 911, report a man brandishing two firearms, give description of the man, the vehicle & the license plate number. Let the pros (LE) decide the details. I, personally, am not drawing my gun to stop an ass from being an ass. He's already violated the law or (at least) is very deep into a legal gray area. I do NOT want to join him to make my point.

[Rawah]

Call the police. Give a description of the guy and his vehicle and especially his liscense plate info. Unless he threatens you directly... I would stay put and not confront the guy unless he threatens you or starts shooting people.

[pir8fan]

I'm with the rest of the posters. Call the police and give them the particulars. Put your vehicle between you and the jerk. Pay close attention to the situation as it develops. Your gun is a last resort. You are always better off escaping from a threat if possible.

[steffen]

As soon as the guy shows his gun, I think I would be moving away from him. In this situation I'm probably not drawing on him unless he's pointing the gun in my direction or already firing shots at others. I think no matter how I explain myself, it would probably look like I'm fighting over gas, so I'm going to end up being a bad guy buy default if I draw and fire on him.

This is a tough one.

[Mike1956]

Depends on how long ago the shtf. If it was yesterday, I'm not even in the gas line. If it was three weeks ago, I might very well be the guy you are talking about. People change in life-and-death situations.

[SHTFGearLLC]

None of what you described in the scenario justifies lethal force against the line cutter, stand down, be a good witness, and call the cops. If you can move away do so, and if not, then get behind cover and wait for him to leave. There is no reason to start a shootout over gas.

[Rawah]

How long/far would it be for people in the hard hit areas to drive to an area that has gas? In south Florida.... We just drove an hour or two out somewhere it wasn't as crazy to get gas to avoid that madness. But you had to have planned ahead and filled your tank up before the storm.

[OldVet]

In your scenerio the only option is calling 911. To do otherwise would be using deadly force to settle a dispute.

[matthew03]

I would smile and wave him on, make a MWAG call to LEO as soon as his attention turned from me and calmly wait my place in line.

[JDE101]

Just because he brandishes his guns does NOT justify taking any action other than calling 911, being a good witness, and taking cover.

[ccw9mm]

My wife was just told about an incident that happened somewhere I'm NJ in relation to the gas shortages. Basically, people are waiting hours in line and all of a sudden a person pulls up in a SUV and cuts in line. People began to yell, complain, etc. Person in SUV gets out and lifts his shirt to reveal two firearms and insists he will be cutting the line and getting gas. What do you do?

That's criminal brandishing/menacing, no matter how you slice it, utterly unjustifiable. Whether and to what degree it's unlawful will depend on state statutes, but most have a suitable legal statute that covers such criminal stupidity.

IMO, particularly in stressful situations like post-Frankenstorm it's incumbent upon all of us to realize that not everyone is going to be as respectable and charitable as each of us. Some might well lash out violently to "defend" their taking from others, even if only a place in a queue. The question we need to ask ourselves in such situations is: is it worth loss of your life? Each person needs to determine where to draw the line in resisting predation from others, even the milder forms such as cutting in line.

The real tricky variant of this scenario is: if some resistance is offered and the situation quickly evolves through escalating measures to something truly ugly and violent, what are you prepared to do to (a) disengage if possible, or (b) stop the violence being committed against you? Certainly, at the moment of a person cutting in, having everyone nearby utter their displeasure is certainly justifiable and warranted; it just might not be smart.