He didn't mess up anything except the floor.
Harsh, but true.
I actually had a long discussion with my former carpool buddy about this on the way to work one day. He had a CCW permit, and often kept his sidearm in his truck.
We were talking about it because a couple nights before a bunch of our co-workers had gone to a birthday party at a bar. There was some sort of altercation on the patio, and the next thing you know someone was shooting. Everyone we knew was inside the bar and weren't hurt, but one guy who was on the patio wound up bleeding out leaned up against a car that belonged to a friend of mine. He wasn't even involved in the fight. He just got hit by a random bullet in the chest. Poor guy.
So I asked my friend if he could have done anything. What was he trained and/or advised to do in his classes? He said had he been there with his gun, the first thing he'd do is "find a place to hide and keep my fucking head down until the cops arrive."
The thing is, if there's a BGWG on the scene, and you "stand your ground" with your own weapon, you instantly become more than just a passing bystander.
You become a target. A threat to the BGWG. If he's got his wits about him, you'll be the next thing he shoots at.
The guy that died at the bar where my co-workers were celebrating? Just a person in the wrong place at the wrong time. This Wilcox fellow? He's dead because he bought into the bullshit notion that having a license to carry a concealed weapon makes you responsible for "taking out the bad guy" should you find yourself amidst a crime in progress. Having a concealed weapon is for
self defense. If someone tries to carjack you and you've got a pistol under the seat, then by all means defend yourself. But if you're carrying and a shooting - mass or otherwise - starts to unfold around you then do the smart thing and find some cover and keep your fucking head down.
Your license to carry is not a license to fight crime.
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