It is a sad fact that civil unrest in America and mob violence are now a normal part of American life. For the past two years, peaceful protests have dominated the news cycle and are not slowing down. Professional protestors are always looking for new things to outrage at every day, so they can incite yet another riot. How can you protect yourself and your family from mob violence legally and safely?
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Protect Yourself and Your Family from Mob Violence
We must first understand what a mob is. Dictionary.com defines a mob as “a disorderly or riotous group of people or a crowd bent upon or engaged in lawless violence.” Black’s Law Dictionary also defines a mob as “an assemblage or threat of people committing depredations on property or violence to persons.”
Historical precedent held that every member of a mob was equally responsible to the actions of the entire mob. If they attacked an innocent party, they were all justified targets. This is because the mob often created fear through their collective malignence. Clarence Darrow, a lawyer in 1920, successfully argued that citizens had the right to shoot if a mob tried to harm them illegally.
Today’s protest culture is characterized by criminal elements of the mob infiltrating legitimate protests to use them as camouflage and shields. In this way, violent malcontents mix with decent people who are legitimately protesting injustice. This fundamentally changes the rules for engagement.
Spencer Blue, an officer who writes under the pseudonym Spencer Blue, explained that protesters are the ocean in the which sharks (rioters), swim.
Differentiating between Protester and Rioter
Perception is everything in this life. One person may perceive things one way and another may see them differently. Reginald Denny, a truck driver, was severely beaten during the 1992 Los Angeles riots. He is now permanently disabled. Many people still remember the attack but only see a violent, unruly mob that beat and stomped him. Reginald, however, sees it differently.
Reginald recalls the attack and says, “People seem not to remember it was Black people that saved my life.”
If you are surrounded by people who are not familiar to you, and some of them are hostile, it is impossible to assume that everyone in that mob is a legitimate target of defensive deadly force. Some might be trying to stop violent agitators.
You can distinguish between a protester from a violent rioter by looking at the “totality” of the circumstances. In other words, each person must be judged by their actions. They are not considered a threat if they wave a sign and raise their fist in solidarity, No matter what your opinion is, they are not a threat. If a member of the mob assaults you, they can make you a legitimate target of opportunity.
This is why you need to be selective about your target. This is the time to use rule number 4 in gun safety. Be sure to know your target and what lies beyond it. Even if you have a valid reason to use deadly force against your attacker, the people behind him may not be.
This is why it is so important to choose the right ammo. It is important to avoid ammo that will pass through the target. It is better to use low grain hollow point ammunition that will stop at the target. Thus, mitigating collateral damage.
Vehicle Safety
Avoidance is the best strategy in self-defense situations. Sun Tsu once stated, “A battle cannot be lost.”
Get the Waze app for your phone if you don’t already have it. It will alert you to any traffic jams and obstructions so you can avoid them. You should also practice situational awareness. You should always leave enough space in front of your vehicle to allow you to turn around and leave the area. Keep an eye out for potential dangers up to 100 yards away so you can spot them before you get there.
Don’t fire your gun if you are surrounded. You don’t know who is innocent or who is trying to cause you harm. Your insurance will cover them even if they bang on your car while you drive. If they begin to break through the windows, it escalates the situation.
Check your state laws to see if your vehicle is considered an extension of your house. If it is, the Castle Doctrine covers you if someone attempts to violently enter your car.
Avoidance is key, as we have already said. Avoidance of any type of protest or riot will reduce your chances of being involved in a defensive shooting. You won’t have to defend against mob violence if you keep your distance from it.
Keep it real and you’ll be safe.
The post How do you defend yourself and your family against mob violence? Personal Defense World was the first to publish this article.
