Hernandez,
What I'm honestly trying to do is prompt some caution, and get people to plan for the aftermath. I don't have a problem with appropriately-trained people carrying weapons for their own defense... I've done it myself, and I wish more people did it. What I want people to do is
plan for the worst case. Think about this: surviving the incident on the street, only to die in prison after years of confinement and regular sodomy. Failing to anticipate the legal fallout could land you in that latter circumstance
A person who carries a weapon needs to have a specific plan for the moments and days immediately after the shooting. This list is not all-inclusive... all of us have the financial means to consult an attorney, and there's no excuse for not doing so. I am not an attorney, so don't take this as legal advice.
- They should know what to say, not only to bystanders to create solid witnesses for their own defense, but what not to say. Ayoob's courses come highly recommended in this regard.
- They should consider that they may be arrested, and could even spend the night/weekend in jail. Getting put in cuffs and placed in the back of a cruiser is a new, frightening, and humiliating experience if one has never been there. They'll be fingerprinted, and depending on the police department, may be treated just like a criminal. That's a very disconcerting and intimidating experience for most physicians. Don't crack... it's only temporary.
- They should otherwise immediately shut up, lawyer-up, and only discuss the incident with people who cannot be compelled to testify against them (this varies by state, but "priviledged communications" generally includes their lawyer, and can include psychiatrist, spouse, minister, etc). The police may or may not use various ploys to loosen them up and get them to talk about it, but while heresay is generally not admissable, "spontaneous utterances" are. When given the option to "remain silent," always take it.
- They should have a personal attorney they can call 24/7, and they should have sufficient "disaster funds" to be able to post bail (if necessary) and retain specialty counsel if needed.
- They should have an exact duplicate of their carry pistol in their safe at home, complete with carry rigs (remember, the police will have confiscated the one used in the shooting). When vengeful relatives or fellow gang members are skulking about looking for revenge, that's not the time to be learning a new pistol... it pays to have a duplicate of that with which one is most expert.
- They should expect some psychological effects after the shooting. Unless one has some underlying sociopathy, killing another human being at close range is going to shake them up. I'd recommend two books to help understand. This one, and this one. If your state "privileges" psychologists or psychiatrists, consider consulting one if you're having problems.
- They should expect to be smeared in the press. If the local bird-cage liner is anti-gun in any way (most metropolitan newspapers), expect the paper to splash lurid details of any bad things in the shooter's past across their pages, and they may even write sympathetic portrayals of the deceased. Ex-wives may come crawling out of the woodwork for TV interviews... one should not count on being perrmitted, either by the paper or their attorney, to tell their side of the story.
- They should expect job difficulties. As we're all painfully aware, hospitals in general are very sensitive to bad publicity. If one is a contract physician or independent contractor, that physician basically works "at will," and can be terminated very easily. Even if partners in a democratic group, the hospital may come to that group and force the partners to buy out the shooter and invoke their "60 day clause" or lose their contract. As ED physicians, the bottom line is that there we have very little job security.
In short, a person who shoots another in self-defense should expect to be attacked in every possible way, particularly if they're a high-profile public figure like a physician. The likelihood that
ANY of us are going to find ourselves in that circumstance is vanishly small... but you'd hate to be that fraction of a percent, and not have planned for it. You'll be stressed enough after the incident itself without having improvise all of this on-the-fly.
If, after considering all of this, you decide to carry... by all means do so, but know what you're doing, and take steps to prepare.
