Captain Jack Sparrow and concealed carry

[1-DAB]

ah, yes, you've heard of him!

as played by Johnny Depp in the series of Pirates of the Caribbean movies, has an ongoing approach to life that is still applicable today.

namely: only fight when you absolutely have to. can he run? he runs. can he talk his way out of some jam? he talks. the last thing he does is get into a fight.

you can apply this same approach to concealed carry - your last option. can you run away and avoid a confrontation? run. can you avoid an area that is sketchy? go elsewhere. can you talk/lie your way out of a jam? start talking.

the last thing you want to do is start shooting. it's messy, it's uncertain, it involves lots of paperwork, and we all hate paperwork.

[Limnophile]

Generally I agree. However, to make things more interesting I shall point out a few flaws in the Jack Sparrow strategy.

can you run away and avoid a confrontation? run.

Running from trouble involves turning your back to the source of danger, which could make you vulnerable. It may also result in abandoning helpless people. You have no legal obligation to come to the aid of the helpless, but unless you are a sociopath you're going to have a moral dilemma.

can you avoid an area that is sketchy? go elsewhere.

I think avoidance is by far the best strategy, but modern liberal-progressives don't like you using it and will find ways to punish you for doing so. One example -- When criminal elements move into a neighborhood many wisely opt to move out, even though doing so means selling at a loss. The resulting acceleration of community decline is, in the minds of the MLPs, the fault of the law-abiding who left. Sheer idiocy, but that doesn't stop the MLPs from creating policies, funded by the law-abiding, that further accelerate community degradation.

can you talk/lie your way out of a jam? start talking.

More power to anyone who can do this. I suspect, however, that the criminal personality is either likely to be a better talker than you or long ago developed immunity to any BS you plan to spew in an attempt to remain unharmed.

the last thing you want to do is start shooting. it's messy, it's uncertain, it involves lots of paperwork, and we all hate paperwork.

I can't find a flaw here. Drawing one's weapon has to be a measure of last resort. Not only is anyone doing so facing a lot of paperwork, you are also very likely to see your financial assets dwindle or disappear, and you put your liberty and even your life at risk.

[leadcounsel]

Doesn't his character go looking for trouble throughout the series? Not a good model for "self defense."

[Tom Servo]

has an ongoing approach to life that is still applicable today.

If by that, you mean participating in piracy, which is a criminal enterprise by definition. There are no practical lessons to be gleaned from his character.