If You Carry a Gun, These 3 Rules Decide Everything

If You Carry a Gun, You Only Need to Know 3 Things

When I take my young kids to the park, I am always watching.

Not in a paranoid way.
In a parent way.

I am watching who is nearby.
I am watching how fast kids are running.
I am watching how situations change in seconds.

Most of the time, nothing happens.

But once in a while, something starts to feel… off.

A kid shoves another kid.
Voices get louder.
Someone gets too close.

And every time, the same question runs through my head:

Do I need to step in right now?

That moment at the park taught me something important.

The way we decide when to act, how much to act, and how others see it is the same way self-defense decisions are judged.

Whether you are parenting…
or carrying a gun.

And it comes down to three things.

1. Immediately Necessary

At the park, kids argue all the time.

Someone takes a toy.
Someone yells.
Someone gets upset.

That does not mean I rush in.

I watch first.

Why?

Because not every uncomfortable moment requires action.

I only step in when something is about to happen right now.

Someone is about to get hurt.
Someone is already being hurt.
There is no time to wait.

That is what “immediately necessary” means.

Not fear.
Not irritation.
Not a bad feeling.

If I do nothing, will someone be hurt immediately?

If the answer is no, I stay back.

Self-defense works the same way.

Feeling scared is human.
But fear alone does not justify force.

Urgency does.

2. Proportionate Force

When I step in at the park, I do not explode.

I do not yell unless I need to.
I do not grab unless I have to.
I do not overreact.

I match what is happening.

If kids are arguing, I separate and talk.
If someone is pushing, I block and stop it.
If someone is in real danger, I act fast and firmly.

I use only what is needed to make it stop.

That is proportionate force.

Not punishment.
Not anger.
Not teaching a lesson.

Stopping the problem. Nothing more.

Self-defense is the same.

You are allowed to stop a threat.
You are not allowed to go beyond that.

And here is the part many people miss:

When the danger stops, your force must stop too.

That moment matters.

3. Reasonableness

After something happens at the park, other parents are watching.

They see:

• How I approached

• What I said

• How I acted

• How quickly things calmed down

They are quietly asking:

Did that make sense?

That is reasonableness.

Not perfection.
Not hindsight.
Just common sense.

Courts work the same way.

Jurors are ordinary people.
They ask whether your actions looked normal, measured, and human.

Reasonableness includes:

• What you did before things escalated

• Whether you tried to avoid trouble

• How you acted once the danger ended

You can be legally right and still look unreasonable.

That is a problem.

How the Three Fit Together

At the park, I do not think in legal terms.

But the rules are the same.

Immediately necessary decides when I act.
Proportionate force decides how much I act.
Reasonableness decides how others judge it.

All three matter.

Miss one, and the situation gets worse instead of better.

Why This Matters for Gun Owners

Most gun owners think about equipment.

Very few think about judgment.

But after an incident, no one cares what you carried.

They care what you chose to do.

Understanding these three ideas:

• Slows impulsive reactions

• Prevents overreaction

• Keeps good people out of legal trouble

This is not about fear.

It is about responsibility.

The same kind of responsibility you use when protecting your kids.

The Bottom Line

Whether you are at a park…
or carrying a gun…

Good decisions follow the same rules.

Remember the three:

• Immediately necessary

• Proportionate force

• Reasonableness

If you can explain your actions using those words, you are thinking clearly.

If you cannot, the consequences come later.

That is why I wrote Arizona Guide for Gun Owners. Not to hype fear. But to help people think clearly before a split-second decision changes everything.

Most gun owners never learn how prosecutors, juries, and judges actually look at self-defense cases until it is too late.

Arizona Guide for Gun Owners walks through these exact principles using real situations, real legal standards, and plain language. It is written for people who want to stay free, not just armed.

Know the rules before the worst day ever tests you.

👉 Get your copy of Arizona Guide for Gun Owners today.