Those who are close to me know that I would consider myself the strongest advocate for self-defense, concealed carry, and firearms in the world. I have encouraged many people to buy and to carry firearms for self-defense. No, I am not intoxicated or under the influence, and I am not suffering from a traumatic brain injury at the time of this writing. I am also not joking. So, why would I discourage people from carrying a pistol?
As you might have guessed, the current judicial model is to blame. Each year in the US, somewhere between two and six million Americans successfully use firearms to defend themselves. This includes cases which involve showing their firearm, firing it at their attacker and everything in between. This statistic is encouraging and empowering and it should make you want to carry every day. It’s what happens after the self-defense incident that might cause you to rethink whether you should carry.
From all of the information that I’ve learned on the matter, there is a nearly 100% chance that law enforcement will confiscate your firearm after ANY self-defense use. Just one such example took place in Manchester a few months ago when a man left his apartment with a pistol in his hand to protect his wife from the loud altercation that he heard involving two of his neighbors, both of which were much larger than his wife. Though he did nothing wrong – it was self-defense – and didn’t hurt anyone, his pistol was confiscated by police. The Manchester Police actually raided his home and confiscated every single one of his firearms. When a Florida citizen saved an officer’s life by shooting a man who was on top of him, beating him up, the shooter’s pistol was confiscated, despite no prosecutor even considering any charges for the shooter. When a man who fought for the freedom to defend himself (in Iraq and Afghanistan) was attacked in his own home by a burglar, was he treated with respect by law enforcement? Of course, he was not. His rifle was confiscated and he was charged with a crime for firing one warning shot at the ground in his home in Oregon, which does have the ‘Castle Doctrine‘.
Exact DGU confiscation statistics seem impossible to find online, but I have yet to come across any self-defense firearm use case that did not end in confiscation of the firearm that was used. If you look into the USCCA, NRA, or any other entity that is involved in self-defense, they will advise that you should expect to have your firearm confiscated in the event that you have to use it. In fact, the above USCCA article explains many other ridiculous justifications the police will make for taking firearms from people – and holding onto them indefinitely. Keep in mind that confiscating anything from any person is absolutely a punishment. Considering the cost and utility of a firearm, this is quite a serious punishment. It’s unfortunate that society allows police and the justice system to punish this specific population without any conviction. It is important to note that if you work FOR the government, defensive and offensive use of your firearm generally does not result in its confiscation.
Some people think that police are justified in confiscating all weapons when they respond to a scene and that getting your weapon back is probably quick and simple if you truly are innocent. That could not be further from the truth, though. Proving one’s innocence in a self-defense case could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in lawyer’s fees and it generally takes months to years. Imagine how difficult it would be for you to convince a judge and/or jury that they should return a firearm to a person charged with a firearm crime!
Considering that if someone does attack you, the chances of them actually successfully killing you are much lower than 100%, people should seriously weigh the risks of carrying with the risks of not carrying a firearm before doing so. Additionally, one should consider that poor luck or a poor lawyer could result in a prison sentence of years to decades. That being said, millions of Americans maintain that ‘it’s better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6’.
Despite what leftists might claim, even those who use their firearms in the clearest cases of defense are treated like criminals, which includes having their firearms confiscated. Even in states with ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws, this holds true. Even in the clearest cases of home invasion, police and government prosecutors find any excuse possible to imprison people who defend themselves with firearms. The solution is not to stop protecting ourselves, though. If you are a human who respects your life or the lives of those you love, you should carry a pistol every single moment that you can. The solution is to completely reform the justice system and the law enforcement system. If this seems like an impossible undertaking, think of it this way: All I ask is to be assumed innocent until proven guilty. Is that too much to ask?
