With the violence directed against cops in Dallas and a few other locations recently, a few people have asked me to re-post this article.  If you want to help a cop in trouble, read it.  And be sure to read PART TWO, how you can help a cop even if you aren’t carrying a weapon.

I recently received a very interesting question from a friend and fellow blogger.  He asked the following:

“How should an armed citizen best help a police officer if that officer is under violent attack from another individual or group of individuals?”

It’s a great question.  I think many folks with CCW licenses would be willing to help a cop in trouble.  As a cop, I welcome all the help I can get if I’m in a bad situation.  Two recent incidents (here andhere) demonstrate examples where armed citizens saved police officers’ lives.

Here are some guidelines for folks who want to help an officer in trouble….

Carry your damn gun!  You can’t easily help a cop in a deadly force scenario without your gun.  In my experience, many CCW licensees don’t regularly carry their firearm.

When I stop a person for a traffic violation, I get an automatic alert if they have a carry permit when I run their license on my in-car computer. If they haven’t informed me that they are carrying a weapon, out of curiosity, I ask them if they are carrying when I re-approach the car.

The most common answer I get when I ask that question is: “Yes, I have a permit, but I’m not carrying my gun right now.”  I would estimate that 75% of the permit holders that I stop for traffic violations aren’t carrying their guns at the time of the stop.

You aren’t likely to help a cop in a gunfight if you aren’t carrying your gun.

Read the Remainder at Active Response Training