MI Woman Facing Charges for Shooting at Home Depot Shoplifter, Despite CCW

While some Second Amendment advocates believe firearms in the hands of the average citizen can be useful in warding off criminal activity, recent reports show that in many cases, law enforcement are perusing criminal charges against self-appointed “heroes” who use their weapons in public.

One of these cases is taking place right now here in Michigan. According to a report by the New York Times, state prosecutors slapped a local woman with a charge of “reckless use, handing or discharge of a weapon” this week after she opened fire on a shoplifter fleeing a Home Deport in Auburn Hills.

The problem stems from the shooter’s eagerness to fire the weapon even though the shoplifter did not pose a threat to public safety.

“Once fired, the bullet could have easily ricocheted or fragmented and injured or killed someone else,” said Oakland County prosecutor Jessica Cooper.

Even national organizations that advocate for the right to carry concealed weapons says it is not the job of the gun owner to intervene with minor public dilemmas.

“You do not draw your firearm and fire at a fleeing suspect that is of no threat to yourself or others,” Concealed Nation, a firearm advocacy group, said in a statement. “Your job as a witness is to gather as much information as you can about the suspect, the vehicle and anything else that could help police.”

So, while it may seem to those with concealed carry permits a civic duty to use a legal firearm to stop crimes that occur outside the home, it appears doing so could result in substantial legal woes.

Police agencies typically frown on what they like to call “vigilantly justice,” and consider it a crime.