Bad: License holder opens up on SUV of teens in FL

[Sgt45]

I'd like to cut this guy as much slack as I can, BUT, no gun, he ran. IF he drove off a short distance and called the cops maybe, but dumping a magazine into a strange car and then fleeing does not bode well for him. I do expect to see jail time in this case. Opening his mouth to a carload of blacks over loud music was just plain stupid. Sounds a little like "I've got a gun and I ain't backing down from anybody" syndrome - not good.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Sandpiper]

I like to read Threads like this. It is a serious reminder that more often than not, the gun that is NOT pulled is the best gun. I'm new to carry and for many years, I really looked forward to the ability to do so. Now that I can, I take it more seriously than ever. I hope I never have to pull a gun, but hope never to be unprepared to do so.....Sandpiper

[suntzu]

Guy pulls a gun in TX from one punch, guy in FL shoots up an SUV after going over to teens and telling them to lower their music.....yup, folks really need to get a grip on how dangerous that hunk of metal (plastic for the Glock guys) can be. It is not a game.....My guess is this guy was drinking and that is why he took off. His lawyer is an idiot. I see her being replaced real quick also.

Ya know, I guess I am having a bad month or something but everytime I here a CC'er doing something stupid (or at least IMO) my blood boils. I just am having a hard time picturing myself pulling a gun on someone in all of these situations coming up.

Yes, I know, if you feel your life is in danger...you were not there...you do not know what was going through his/her head. But OMG...,my wife worked in a bad part of Baltimore for awhile on the night shift and she had run ins wiith vagrants, teens, drunks, what have you (she carries a P228) and she never once felt she needed to draw her weapon. Same with me, I had a huge dude threaten to kick my but because he thought I cut him off (I was running) and I just looked at him and as nice as I could in a very calm voice said that that would be a singurally bad idea. He left.

Sorry for my rant, I will go for my run now

[Ogien]

Guy pulls a gun in TX from one punch, guy in FL shoots up an SUV after going over to teens and telling them to lower their music.....yup, folks really need to get a grip on how dangerous that hunk of metal (plastic for the Glock guys) can be. It is not a game.....My guess is this guy was drinking and that is why he took off. His lawyer is an idiot. I see her being replaced real quick also.

Ya know, I guess I am having a bad month or something but everytime I here a CC'er doing something stupid (or at least IMO) my blood boils. I just am having a hard time picturing myself pulling a gun on someone in all of these situations coming up.

Yes, I know, if you feel your life is in danger...you were not there...you do not know what was going through his/her head. But OMG...,my wife worked in a bad part of Baltimore for awhile on the night shift and she had run ins wiith vagrants, teens, drunks, what have you (she carries a P228) and she never once felt she needed to draw her weapon. Same with me, I had a huge dude threaten to kick my but because he thought I cut him off (I was running) and I just looked at him and as nice as I could in a very calm voice said that that would be a singurally bad idea. He left.

Sorry for my rant, I will go for my run now

I think you nailed it right on the head.

When one OC's or CC's they have a much greater responsibility to the general public. You have to go out of your way to defuse situations that can end badly and that hunk of metal you're concealing is as an ABSOLUTE last resort. It does not leave it's holster unless there is absolutely no other way to get out of that situation. It really is a "Him or me" type of responsibility and have a weapon should never make one feel "empowered" in the sense of "anyone who F's with me they'll be sorry." type of attitude.

What's that old saying? " With great power comes great responsibility."

I personally don't care what they SAID to him, as intimidating as they might have been with their words that's really what it was, WORDS.

What this guy did is as follows:
1. He's irreparably destroyed one life and seriously altered the lives of at least one whole family.
2. He's permanently damaged his own life and the lives of his family.
3. He's forced a bright spotlight on Concealed Carry laws and who should and should not be allowed to get a permit.
4. He's forced the Gun Control topic into the spotlight and that's something that can possibly affect all of us.

I think the four points I made in this post are things that should be going through every responsible gun owners, OC or CC, mind whenever a situation presents itself.

For the record I also suspect that his judgment was seriously altered by either alcohol or drugs and that is the reason he left the scene and if he wasn't under the influence then that just makes it that much worse. No responsible gun owner entirely disappears after emptying a clip into another vehicle, full of people, at a gas station.

This guy should never have been granted a CC permit in my opinion. He certainly wasn't mentally mature enough to be able to handle carrying a firearm in public. If you decide to CC you had better be ready to accept some VERY serious responsibilities.

Edit: I can't remember whether it was Wild Bill or Wyatt Earp who said (about gun fights) "You have to hurry up slowly." Which means you have to keep calm and really identify what's going on at the moment and I think that those are words to live by for everyone, not just gun owners.

[Pythius]

oh, it won't be long before the Defendent will be demanding the school records of these guys, their Facebook & Twitter posts will be searched for stupid comments, etc etc.

pretty sad.

[StevePVB]

I wasn't there either. But...this part makes no sense. He had to get his unloaded gun out of the glove compartment and load it. Obviously, he could have just as easily driven away. Nobody is hurt and he doesn't go to prison or have to listen to that loud music.

[dben002]

Like I always say

[dukalmighty]

In Todays society a car full of Teens gets asked to turn down there music which was probably Hip Hop laced with numerous profanities etc.and from the mentality I've witnessed in the Country there is no doubt in my mind they felt"Disrespected" and started throwing around threats at the WHITE man.
I would have put some cover between me and the threat as I called 911 to report that I was being verbally threatened,anyone of the little darlings decide to step out of the vehicle to escalate,then that's another story

[Chevy-SS]

Problem is that the teens did NOT have a firearm of any sort. ....

How do you know this FOR SURE? If the "teens" had a gun, they certainly would have known to get rid of it before the 'po-po' arrived on scene.

I cannot believe the guy would shoot into a car full of "teens" unless he was truly fearing for his life.

[steffen]

Problem is that the teens did NOT have a firearm of any sort. He could have driven away, he could have run into the gas station kiosk, he could have done any number of things first before pulling a weapon and firing into a car full of kids. Ones firearm is not the first line of defense it's the LAST form of defense.

He didn't know what he was doing, had no business (apparently) carrying a firearm and definitely did NOT identify the target. He just started shooting into a car with no clearly defined target.

Who is to say that the teens didn't ditch the gun? Stories like this tend to be told in a way that is bad for the shooter, especially when the shooter is an idiot.

The lawyer is right about this case being different than the Trayvon case... Zimmerman might actually get off without any charges.

[oneshot]

I have a feeling things are NOT going to go this guys way.

[rigel42]

How do you know this FOR SURE? If the "teens" had a gun, they certainly would have known to get rid of it before the 'po-po' arrived on scene.

I cannot believe the guy would shoot into a car full of "teens" unless he was truly fearing for his life.

Then he should have stuck around. The official evidence is "there was no gun". IMO this wasn't a self-defense case. This was a "Get in your car and drive away" case, he wasn't local and would have never seen these "teens" again. Now Mr. Dunn will see jail time.

[Lish]

What I read yesterday wasn't only that the man fled the scene - but when he saw something about the shooting on the news he left Jacksonville altogether and went back home to Brevard County. That right there was enough for me... You don't have a justifiable self defense case when you don't feel like you can stick around... Not that the rest of the story with "feeling threatened after complaining about loud music" and 8 or 9 shots into the car wasn't bad enough.
Florida man charged with killing teen over loud music - FOX 35 News Orlando

[Sig35seven]

I'm sure there are many more just like him out there. Our gun rights will be jeopardized due to people like this.

[Ogien]

Then he should have stuck around. The official evidence is "there was no gun". IMO this wasn't a self-defense case. This was a "Get in your car and drive away" case, he wasn't local and would have never seen these "teens" again. Now Mr. Dunn will see jail time.

100% This^^^^^

I know that they didn't have a gun because the Police searched the vehicle and didn't find one and if Mr. "Shoot Up an SUV" had any working braincells he would not have left the scene.

Whatever they said to him or didn't say to him, the fact remains that the only shots fired were from his weapon, indiscriminately into an SUV full of people. Unless he thought EVERYONE in that SUV was brandishing a firearm then he is still in the wrong.

Anyway you slice this story this guy F'ed up big time and killed a kid.

I'm not saying the kids were Angels and I'm sure they said all sorts of horrible things to him. However WORDS don't kill and they didn't SHOOT at him. Kids are stupid and have raging hormones that really causes their decision making to be very "juvenile" but none of them fired a weapon at this guy.

We were all teenagers at one point or another and we've all done things and said thing for which we likely should have gotten our butts whooped so we ALL know how it is. I don't think anyone deserved to get shot over what they said as a idiot teenager yet that is what happened in this case. This is the long and short of it.