Gil Smart of the Stuart News wrote two columns concerning the recent hold-up and subsequent shooting of one of the robbers by a store owner in Jensen Beach. The suspect was driving away when the store owner, a retired NYPD officer, fired one shot and hit him in the back of the head. Smart asked whether this was justified or vigilantism.

I don’t believe that is the right question to ask.

I am one of the 1.4 million Florida residents that have a concealed carry permit though I rarely have a weapon on my person. Because of my business, I even had a permit in New York City, which is no easy feat there. The carrying of a weapon for protection is something I have given a great deal of thought to over the years.

Further, unlike Mr. Smart, I don’t have the slightest question as to whether the store owner was within his legal rights to do what he did. Both Sheriff Snyder and State Attorney Colton would not hesitate to arrest and prosecute an individual if the law had been broken. However, if I had been the store owner, I probably would not have fired at the fleeing felon.

I read in the newspaper that the car was racing toward Federal Highway which is a busy road. I would not have considered the fleeing felon an imminent threat to me or someone else. I would have just been thinking how fortunate no one had been hurt. The retired NYPD store owner had the training and skills to fire one shot and hit the suspect.

A day or two before, a NYPD patrol officer fired 27 rounds at a fleeing suspect while pursuing him on foot. The suspect had fired at the officer. The officer did hit him but also 2 other innocent bystanders. Also last week, an NYPD officer confronted 5 homeless men in a subway station who had attacked him. He defended himself using his baton only. He later said that he never even thought of drawing his gun.

Because I am permitted to carry a weapon, I have thought about situations where I would use it, such as an intruder in my home. Though when that happened, I didn’t have a weapon close at hand. So, I chased him through the screen on the back porch until he was running into the night. Later, upon reflection, I was glad I didn’t have a gun close by because I would have shot him.

This store owner did not take the law into his own hands. It wasn’t a case of vigilantism. The fleeing felon took his chances when he decided to rob that jewelry store. The outcome in this case was shots being fired. In my intruder case, no shots were fired. In both instances, the use of force would have been justified.