Consequences
Those who have taken my classes in the past know that I spend a good amount of time talking about the decision to take action in order to protect yourself or on behalf of another using your concealed pistol, and we discuss what is potentially at stake. There are many questions you begin to ask yourself in the split moment before you chose to act or not. Is my life in imminent danger? Is someone else's life in imminent danger? What is actually taking place? Is it obvious or not? Who is actually the good guy and who is the bad guy? Do they have a weapon or other means to cause grave harm? Are they close enough to cause harm? Are there others involved? Can I get to safety? If I choose to get involved, do I have the means, ability, training? And the questions go on.
In May of 2023, there was an incident on a New York subway car where a deranged man (Jordan Neely) who suffered from schizophrenia, and was high with synthetic marijuana in his system, began yelling at people how he was hungry and thirsty, he also allegedly threatened to kill other passengers and lunged at several. He also allegedly said he did not care if he lived or died and how he wanted to go back to jail. As passengers in the car were frightened by the event and some even mentioned they were concerned for their lives. One man, Daniel Penny, a former Marine, jumped into action. He put the deranged individual into a choke hold that lasted nearly 6 minutes. In the end, Jordan Neely died. Daniel Penny was charged and brought to trial for manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide The prosecution argued that his death was caused from the chokehold and excessive force, while the defense argued that Daniel Penny's actions were justified in order to protect others on the train.
As I write this, the jury is still out for deliberations, so we do not know the final outcome. However, the point that I want to share here, is that this is yet another example of the costs for taking actions on behalf of another as well as how crucial it is to know when the threat no longer requires the same level of response. In this example, a firearm was not used but rather an aggressive hold by a well trained individual. Daniel Penny is facing up to 15 years in prison and a huge financial burden to pay for his defense. If he is found guilty, there will no doubt be even more appeals and expenses.
I share all this not to suggest you do not take actions on behalf of others, but rather for you to deeply consider those actions. When you choose to carry a firearm, you are doing so first and foremost to protect yourself and loved ones. If you choose to take action, in a very split moment, you must determine the level of response that is warranted, you must know your own abilities, your own judgement, and once the threat has been reduced, you must reduce the level of response. There is certainly a lot to consider, that most people will have a difficult time processing quickly. If you make the wrong choice, you may find yourself in a situation similar or even worse than that of Daniel Penny. I was recently talking with a police officer friend, not about this event, but rather when should you come to the aid of another. It was his opinion, that unless it is obviously dire and people are about to die, it is best to get yourself and loved ones to safety because we live in a very litigious society. That is priority one. Each person needs to make these decisions for themselves while keeping in mind the potential consequences of your actions.
After I wrote this article, thankfully the more serious charge had been dropped, and Daniel was found not guilty on the second charge. This whole event should cause us all to pause and consider how our lives may be altered if we ever have to defend ourselves or someone else from life threatening harm.
If you do carry, I highly suggest you are also protecting yourself from serious financial ruin by joining an organization that will support you legally should you ever have to use your firearm for self defense. You can do your own research, but below are links to 2 organizations that I have some familiarity with.
CCW Safe - Home - Self-Defense Support & Expertise - CCW Safe
USCCA - USCCA Membership - Education, Training & Self-Defense Liability Insurance*
Podcast from CCW Safe after trial
Reference Articles:
https://www.foxnews.com/us/train-hero-alek-skarlatos-daniel-penny-trial-this-could-happen-you
https://www.newsweek.com/veteran-daniel-penny-nyc-subway-chokehold-jordan-neely-19950