Hello again everyone. Welcome to watching Gun Law tv. I'm watching Gun Law President William Kirk. Thanks for joining us. Hey, we're going to spend a few minutes today. We're not going to talk about current events. We're actually going to talk about some self-defense laws, some things to consider in order to be the lawful and responsible gun owner, because being the lawful and responsible gun owner also requires you to be the mindful gun owner. Like I have said many a times when you're carrying on a daily basis, life is no longer a game of checkers where it's all just about the next move. No life is a game of chess. Now, you have to think 7, 8, 9 moves in advance. What we're going to talk about today is what happens if we are encountered with unlawful force and we decide to just merely display our firearm in self-defense? Because a lot of people, I think, don't realize the very dangerous tipping point that they're going over when they do that. And oftentimes when they do realize it, well, it's a little too late. So today, let's give you also a little food for thought and let's geek out on this for a bit and let's talk about the dangers no one recognizes by displaying their firearm.
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Good lawyers aren't cheap and cheap lawyers aren't good. So visit my friends today@protectwithbear.com. And if you use the promo code wgl, you'll receive 10% off. Listen, you need to protect yourself so that you can protect them. Visit my good friends@protectwithbear.com. Okay, so here's what we're talking about. We are talking about displaying a firearm in lawful self-defense. Now, anytime I'm talking about self-defense laws, couple caveats. Number one, I'm talking in a very general sense, you need to consult with local counsel because every state has its own unique self-defense laws. There are nuances to every single law, and that's where local counsel comes in. Now before we get into the hypothetical, let's go over our rules. Remember, we can use force to defend ourselves or others in our presence as long as there is an imminent threat against us. And the force we use has to be one necessary, two, reasonable, both objectively and subjectively, and three proportional.
Now, the hypothetical that we're going to operate on today is that you are in fact being encountered with true unlawful force. Therefore, there actually is an imminent threat against you. And because there is an imminent threat against you, you have decided now to display your firearm in a method and a manner which is meant to threaten or intimidate the other person. But since you are doing so in lawful self-defense, because you are now faced with a real true imminent threat, you are doing so lawfully. So for the purposes of this hypothetical, the display of a firearm is going to be legal. Now, let's make sure we get one other thing straight here. When I say display a firearm, I'm talking about letting the person know you are armed. This is displaying a firearm. I am not talking about aiming or pointing a firearm at a person.
That's a whole nother beast and a fantastic way to get yourself in trouble. But this is what I want you to remember, okay? Even if the display of that firearm is absolutely 100% lawfully justified, you as the lawful and responsible gun owner need to understand that you are going over a very dangerous tipping point. You are crossing a Rubicon that once crossed you will not be able to come back from, let me explain what's going to happen. If you have an unlawful perpetrator showing unlawful force against you and you now have chosen to display your firearm in self-defense, one of three things is going to happen. Unfortunately, two of 'em are bad, okay? The first thing that could happen is the perpetrator can go, oh crap, I picked on the wrong person. They take off. Everyone lives happily ever after. We truly do not know how many of these incidents ever really occur.
The CDC keeps track of lawful uses of firearms and self-defense, but it actually requires the discharge of a firearm. We know there are millions and millions of events where the mere threat or presentation of a firearm was enough to stop any unlawful threat. So while that is a possibility, and I have no doubt in my mind, it occurs with some frequency. We don't truly know how frequently that happens, but you see there's two other that can happen because the second thing that can happen is you display your firearm, the perpetrator displays their firearm, and now it's game on. Okay? And unlike that piece of paper that you shoot at the range all the time, yeah, this one's shooting back at you. And even though you may have lawful justification for shooting at the would-be perpetrator, remember, you will be responsible for anything else. Your rounds strike.
The third thing that can happen, and people think this sounds crazy, but take it from a defense attorney. This happens with a great deal of frequency, is is it's a hybrid of number one, where the perpetrator does in fact run away. But because you have displayed your firearm, thus giving the perpetrator a really, really good look at it, they do call 9 1 1 and they report you doing something far more than merely displaying your firearm even to the point where you pointed at their head and to blow their old brains out or anything like that. I have seen it all. Okay? And here's the problem, unless there's eyewitnesses, unless it's captured on video recordings, yeah, guess what? You now are in a credibility tug of war with the other person. And depending on the jurisdiction you're in, and some of you in blue jurisdictions, you know this, yeah, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
I can't tell you how many cases I have represented people where yes, they admitted to me they displayed a firearm. The person on the receiving end, however, described them doing something far, far greater than merely displaying. The bottom line is if you're going to be a lawful and responsible gun owner, you need to be a mindful gun owner. And yes, there can be times and hopefully you will never encounter one where you may have to display your weapon in self-defense. However, I always want you as the lawful and responsible gun owner to be mindful that if that point comes, understand that you'll be crossing a very dangerous tipping point, one that you may regret. Listen, if you've got any other questions about this, anything related to self-defense laws or what's left of our Second Amendment rights, you guys should know how to get ahold of Washington gun law by now. If you don't, that's okay. That information is down there in the description box. And then let's remember, the part of being the lawful and responsible gun owner, like we talk about all the time here on this channel, is to know what the law is in every situation, how it applies to you in any instance that you may find yourself. Until next time, thanks for watching and stay safe.
Credit: William Kirk, Esq., Washington Gun Law