Reasonable Actions
At a local event, I had the opportunity to attend a Q & A session by C. D. Michel, an attorney and  writer of the book California Gun Laws: A Guide to State and Federal Firearm Regulations. In the forum Mr. Michel was asked several questions about concealed carry regulations within California but he did not answer them directly.
Instead, he began by asking the question, “What are the qualifications to be on a jury in the state of California?”Â
There is a legal answer that is a bit more involved and which many members of the audience gave. But the simple answer he gave was, you only need a driver’s license.
He then said, "With that in mind, before you use a gun, whether it is concealed or in any other circumstance, would a jury, whose only qualification is that they have a driver’s license, find your actions reasonable or not?"
Unfortunately, in most circumstances, there isn’t time to answer that question in the moment. Are my actions reasonable or not? Events move too quickly. But he wanted the audience to think about gun use in terms of the final outcome and maybe make better decisions about how they view responsible gun ownership.
 My husband was actually faced with such a decision years ago. He had a concealed carry permit. His work at the time involved moving large sums of cash and he had been robbed before. So, he decided to get the permit. He also installed additional alarm systems in his car, including a “silent alarm” that isn’t typically used, because it seemed prudent.Â
My husband was staying at a motel for the night, when he was awakened by the “silent alarm” that alerted him to an intruder inside of his car. The potential car thief had obviously bypassed all the other alarms on the car. In the moments before my husband went out to confront this intruder, he asked himself, if the person resists, was that person’s life worth more than the about two thousand dollars his car was worth? My husband decided that he would not shoot the intruder and risk that person’s life to save a two-thousand-dollar car.
On the other hand, my husband is a pretty intimidating individual. And the car thief wasn’t sure whether or not the man holding the gun on him would actually shoot. Before the thief had time to decide to run, the police arrived to take him into custody.
I found Mr. Michel’s observation about the qualifications of jurors enlightening. It reminded me of another observation I once heard, I think on a television show or in a movie. Would you want to put your life in the hands of twelve people who aren’t smart enough to figure out how to get out of jury duty?
