What to Do When It Is Too Dangerous to Deploy Your Pistol
Not even churches are immune to gun violence.
Author George Harris graphically details in his article “Defending Houses of Worship: What to Do Before Your Church Becomes a Target” on USConcealedcarry.com:
“One Sunday while services were being conducted, the bootlegger entered the church and fired a shot into the ceiling, proclaiming that he was going to kill the SOB that was ruining his business. As my Dad relayed the story, he and all of the rest of the occupants of the church bailed out of any opening available and left the building to the bootlegger. (Read more about this emergency situation and why a pistol wouldn't be wise here)”
One problem in these kinds of situations isn’t so much the lack of firepower in the hands of “good guys.” It begins with a complacent attitude and the thought that nothing could possibly happen.
Another issue is that the introduction of a firearm into a crowd by anyone other than uniformed police officers can be incredibly dangerous. Even if you’re the good guy, others may not perceive you as such while in a panicked state.
By default, if you are seen holding a gun you stand a very good chance of being mistaken for the bad guy. Especially if shots have been fired and there is a screaming crowd flattened against the ground.
You may be tackled, beaten, relieved of your weapon, or worse.
It is also important to consider that if you are in a large group of people that becomes threatened by an armed aggressor, chances are poor that you’ll be standing near enough to do anything about it. Even if you are only a few yards away bullets fired from your own gun stand a solid chance of killing innocent bystanders by mistake.
The good news is that what generally happens is that the crowd takes matters into their own hands. When a dangerous person gets out of hand, usually the most effective (and safe) way to deal with them is via a mass of people. The more people there are, the better their chances are of immobilizing the attacker.
In conclusion, if you choose to legally carry in areas with large groups of people, be ready to keep that gun holstered and resort to other means of defense. Use your head. Introducing a firearm is not always the right answer.