Thanks, clerk. You just let an armed robber escape to rob again. And maybe murder. You have not made society better, you have maybe made it worse. If the robber kills someone next time, it will be your fault.
Thanks for nothing.
So, you saved yourself the hassle of cleaning up after. You didn’t feel like protecting society that night. You didn’t want a sense of guilt for killing. You didn’t want the risk that some stupid prosecutor would try to prosecute you for something.
Blah, blah. Excuses are easy, and everybody can come up with one. But you didn’t do your duty as a citizen, to stop an armed violent crime and a violent, dangerous criminal. You let a rabid dog go.
The clerk was not carrying the weapon to protect the store or the community. That is the job of the police department. He was carrying the weapon for SELF-PROTECTION which is the same reason I carry. My weapon is to protect my wife and myself, not someone else’s property or someone else’s life.
Would you be willing to pay all legal costs involved had the clerk, shot and wounded or killed the robber? If not, why not?