Tuesday, September 30, 1997
Author provides tips for owning handguns
By JERRY DANIEL REED Senior Staff Writer
If you contemplate using a gun to protect yourself, there's
something Chuck Taylor thinks you should know.
Several things, actually. And you'll find a running start on
such knowledge in his latest book, Combat Handgunnery, Taylor
says. Such as information on laws governing use of deadly force
in self-defense, proper and safe use of your weapon, and its (and
your) limitations when you use it as a defensive weapon.
Taylor, who writes books and articles on weapons and trains
military, police and civilian personnel in the use of small arms,
spent three hours Monday afternoon selling and autographing his
book at Hastings. Bradshaw Pistol Academy co-sponsored his visit.
"The first thing he's gotta know is the law," Taylor
said of the civilian who keeps a handgun for self-defense. "There
are far too many myths about what happens if someone breaks into
your home."
For instance, don't count on shooting someone while he's still
outside and then drag him through your window, he warned.
Applicable statutory law and case law varies widely across
the country, he said, mainly because of political differences.
In many jurisdictions in the more liberal northeast and Southern
California, he said, it's almost guaranteed that you'll be sued
if you shoot someone in self-defense. And it doesn't matter that
you're cleared from criminal liability.
On the other hand, he said, it's best to keep priorities straight:
"Is it better to be killed or sued?"
Householders who keep guns in self defense "need to talk
to their own attorneys, so they'll have a good reading about what
to expect if they have to use a deadly weapon in the area they
live in."
Taylor said he de-mystified handguns for his daughters as soon
as they were capable of learning about them.
"The magic was gone; the mystery was gone. As a result,
they'd rather play with dolls." Prohibition, he said, just
makes guns more attractive to children.
"Like any other tool, it has its limits," Taylor
said. "You can't expect to wave a gun around" and take
command of the situation.
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Copyright ©1997,
Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications
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