Opinion: Florida Theater Shooting – Avoid Confrontations If You Have Poor People Skills

The latest Florida shooting highlights lack of conflict resolution skills.

Opinion: Florida Theater Shooting - Avoid Confrontations If You Have Poor People Skills
Opinion: Florida Theater Shooting – Avoid Confrontations If You Have Poor People Skills
Legally Armed In Detroit
Legally Armed In Detroit

Detroit, Michigan – -(Ammoland.com)- If you see a person engaging in what you perceive to be bad behavior, think twice before you go over there and start telling them how to behave.

Yes, it is legal to approach people and to talk to them BUT you may not be well received, especially if you have an “attitude.”

You see, your actions, words, and tone might offend the person you are trying to correct and he now may just be sufficiently motivated to teach you a lesson. Some people just do not know how to “talk” to people and should not do so until they learn how to do so. If nobody is being harmed and the only thing that is being trampled upon is your nerves and your feelings, take a chill pill and keep it moving. Otherwise, call the police. If the police aren’t coming, then maybe you need to check yourself.

I know that hindsight is 20/20, but if you find yourself in a theater and somebody is making noises which is disturbing your movie-watching experience, you have several options: politely talk to the person, tell an usher, or move to another seat. Versions of the story I have read suggest that the shooter only earnestly attempted one of the aforementioned options.

You can’t start a confrontation which then devolves into physical contact and THEN claim you are afraid and can now use lethal force to defend yourself. Most people understand the concept of “imminent danger” but many get lost on another term – reasonable. It is not reasonable to start a confrontation, participate in the escalation, and then decide to use lethal force because things are not going your way in the aftermath.

Trust me, I know how hard it is to let perceived trespasses and slights slide. At times, it seems that I am a magnet for weirdos, psychos, and idiots. If you know me well, you were probably with me when one of these incidents occurred.

However, at the end of the day, I truly understand that a firearm is a tool of last resort and that carrying a firearm is a grave responsibility. As such, I don’t have a need to teach people lessons unless they are trying to mug me, carjack me, home-invade me, or otherwise cause me great bodily harm.

Perhaps, the thing that bugs me most about this incident which did indeed occur in Florida a couple of days ago, is the arrogance and duplicity of anti-gun advocates once again attempting to mislead the public that “Stand Your Ground” laws are flawed. They are not – the logic of the gun-grabbers is intentionally misleading.

There is no sane reason why a person in a place he both legally has a right to be AND who is not committing a crime should attempt to run before defending himself when he is presented with BOTH a REASONABLE and an IMMINENT threat of great bodily harm, sexual assault, or death. Anybody suggesting that victims should get shot in the back before attempting a defense needs his head examined.

The focus legally should always be on the bad guy’s actions and NOT on what the victim did or didn’t do in the aftermath of a dangerous situation presenting itself.

About The Author

Rick Ector is a National Rifle Association credentialed Firearms Trainer, who provides Michigan CCW Class training in Detroit for students at his firearms school – Rick’s Firearm Academy of Detroit.

Ector is a recognized expert in firearm safety and has been featured extensively in the national and local media: Associated Press, NRAnews, Gun Digest, The Politics Daily, Fox News Detroit, The Detroit News, WJLB, WGPR and the UrbanShooterPodcast.

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Lou

This was avoidable! Hate to be either of those people but especially the retired LEO who has to live in shame and infamy with the stinging consequences of acting like a common thug. As for the not-so-innocent-victim he died stupidly asserting his right to disrespect other peoples rights to a pleasant movie going experience

Doubly sad for both family members and all responsible law abiding legally armed citizens including ex LEO’ brothers in uniform who are really good guys who put their life on the line to keep us safe from actors like retired LEO

Nutz40

COP attitude. Probably arrogant and able to get away with it for years trained thousands and we see more and more of this overstepping boundaries by unskilled laborers in uniform well he had his uniform off when he retired needs murder 2 for rest of his life.

BRIAN

I can get away with murder, the English accent!
Smile at most things, carry every day, good with guns (taught for 23 years) good scrapper, old but fit, 78 YOA.

Most of the times I am with my good looking Wife of 20 years.

Threat against said Wife, all bets are off.

Nothing much bothers me. The incident with the retired LE Officer, seems like he is still in uniform (in his mind) but retired is retired!

Jamie

If you think you might lose control even if you are right walk away let the management of the theater deal with it if they don’t then don’t go back to that theater ever again.

brian

I have walked away from many insults even though i cannot carry in nj. Would you walk away from someone calling you something vile because of your religion. I have.

don

I have a concealed carry permit. As such I really go out of my way to avoid confrontation because I don’t want to have to kill someone merely because he is an idiot. I once had a belligerant democrat approach me because he was offended by bumper stickers on my car. I just walked away to his taunts I didn’t have the courage to debate him. What he will never know is I walked away because I didn’t want to be placed in a situation where I had to draw my .45 and blow his lying communist arrogant head off.

Daniel G

What is not being mentioned in this article about “people skills” is that the shooter in Florida was a cop. A high ranking cop before he retired. If a police officer, one who “trained” to deal with people in many different situations, was not able to adequately assess and difuse this minor situation without the use of deadly force, then how reasonable would it be for the average Joe? The shooter in Florida was clearly a hot-head who should never have been given a CCW permit after he retired. He has contributed to the tarnishing of the image of us… Read more »

boots

The shooter was an idiot. The victim even more so.

skscci

Let’s remember, the shooter is an ex-police captain. This is a person who you would have a REASONABLE EXPECTATION to understand how to manage confrontation as well as the laws and behavior regarding firearms. Unfortunately, this person appears to be a bully and when he found someone who was not willing to be bullied, he forced an escalation and committed the ultimate act of a bully.

D.A. Moran

Its not even a real fight. It was a setup to put a scare in us!!!

Jim

After all this, just get on your knees and kiss his ass. This type of garbage is how all this crap got started….don’t say nothing you might make him angry…..don’t cause any problems….. give them all your money…..et cetra.