You guys probably know that one of my favorite questions to ask is… 

Why do you want to carry a gun? 

I love the crazy stories that I hear from my students… 

Recently I asked this question to a young guy named Nick…

Nick had a very interesting story…

On Saturday my brother sent me a text…

His car battery was dead…

And he needed a jump… 

When I arrived I pulled up in front of his car, popped the hood, and began connecting the cables…

That’s when some guy…

Jumped in my car and drove away…

What is Nick legally allowed to do according to Florida Concealed Carry Law? 

Let’s ask ourselves the big questions… 

The Big Questions

How Could This Situation Have Been Avoided? 

In this situation, I think Nick and his brother were not aware of their surroundings…

The wolves are looking for an opportunity to strike… Besides an increased level of awareness, I don’t think this situation could have been avoided… 

What Level Of Force Would You Use? 

I call this a high emotional moment… No one is going to allow someone to steal their vehicle without a fight… 

However, If you carry a firearm concealed this is a situation where MASSIVE MISTAKES can easily be made… 

Does this Scenario Fall Under the Castle Doctrine? 

F.S. 776.013 (4) A person who unlawfully and by force enters or attempts to enter a person's dwelling, residence or occupied vehicle is presumed to be doing so with the intent to commit an unlawful act involving force or violence. 

Was the attacker entering or attempting to enter an occupied vehicle? 

NO… This is the part that confuses a lot of people… Yes, we have a right to use deadly force if an attacker is attempting to enter an occupied vehicle…

But we do not have a right to use deadly force to defend a vehicle that is empty… 

Is the attacker entering or attempting to enter unlawfully? 

YES… The thief does not have a right to enter Nicks’s vehicle… 

Is the attacker entering or attempting to enter by force? 

NO… The door to NIck’s vehicle was wide open… So the thief did not enter by force...

Based on the answers to these questions the use of deadly force would NOT BE JUSTIFIED under the Florida Castle Doctrine law…

But would deadly force be legal according to the Justifiable Use of Force Statutes? 

Does This Scenario Fall Under the Justifiable Use of Force statutes?

F.S. 776.012 (2) A person is justified in using or threatening to use deadly force if he or she reasonably believes that using or threatening to use such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the imminent commission of a forcible felony. A person who uses or threatens to use deadly force in accordance with this subsection does not have a duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground if the person using or threatening to use the deadly force is not engaged in a criminal activity and is in a place where he or she has a right to be.

Is Nick or someone around him going to die within seconds? No 

Is Nick in fear of the imminent commission of a forcible felony? The only forcible felony that could apply to this situation would be carjacking… 

However, I don’t think carjacking would apply because Nick was outside of the vehicle when the thief jumped in...

Is the use of deadly force reasonable? No 

Is the use of deadly force necessary? No 

Is Nick in a place that he has a right to be? Yes 

Is the Nick engaged in criminal activity? No 

Again based on these answers I don’t think that the use or threatened use of deadly force…

Would be justified in this situation… However, that could easily change… 

Where Is The Line In The Sand? 

The line in the sand is the point at which you would have no other option but to pull out your firearm and shoot the threat. 

My line in the sand would be if one of my kids was in the vehicle when a thief attempted to steal it…

Or…

If the thief threatened me with a deadly weapon…

Like a knife or a gun… 

In both of these situations, I would no other option but to use deadly force...

What Would You Do If? 

What would you have done in this situation? 

Would you attack the thief with physical force?

Would you pull your gun? 

Are you aware of your surroundings and the people around you? 

Respond to this email and tell me what you would have done in this situation? 

The Rest Of The Story 

I asked Nick what he would have done if he would have had a gun that day…

“I would have shot him” Nick responded 

Personally, I don’t think this would be a justified shooting…

If Nick would have used a gun…

I think he would be in a LOT OF TROUBLE… 

Anyways…    I’m so excited… 

I just received notice that my new book  “Florida Concealed Carry | Shoot or Don’t Shoot” 

Is going to arrive This Thursday… December 16th… 

Tiff and I are going to spend the day packaging, audio graphing, and shipping each book… 

Plus I have a secret surprise I’m putting in each package… 

I’m so excited… 

Get Florida Concealed Carry Shoot or Don’t Shoot RIGHT NOW >> 

But you have to act fast… as you know there are supply chain issues all around the world right now, and so printing books has been REALLY HARD… 

We were only able to get 200 of them printed this month… 

So, the fact that this email is going out to 60,000 of my students… means that there is a REAL urgency to get signed up ASAP. 

So even though this book doesn’t cost much… your chance of getting a copy is actually really small… 

So, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Get Your Copy Right Now!!!

Thanks, 
Ryan “The Legend” Thomas 

P.S. The only person that can protect your loved ones is you…