Michigan Permit Holder Erred In Bank Robbery Foil

Recently, a holder of a concealed gun permit foiled a bank robbery in Michigan. The facts: Suspect walked into a bank and told the teller he wants money and he has a bomb. Another teller communicated to the permit holder that there is a robbery in progress. The permit holder pulled his gun and confronted the suspect. The permit holder told the suspect he is a cop, after the suspect had asked. The permit holder held the suspect until the police arrived.

My reading is that this was not a case in which it was justified to pull a gun. There was no danger to the permit holder and others in the bank. Of course, there could have been a bomb, and the suspect could have detonated it deliberately or accidentally. The action taken by the permit holder seemed to me that it could have caused the man to detonate the bomb accidentally or deliberately. A conclusion is that the permit holder escalated a situation of which he could have lost control, and the result could have been deaths or injuries. The permit holder appeared on FOX on June 19, and said he would not have shot the suspect. Conventional wisdom has been that one must not pull a gun unless one is prepared to shoot.

The permit holder should not have taken any action, other than make mental notes of the suspect in terms of description, but be ready to pull his gun to protect his life, or if he chooses, the lives of others in the bank.