Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
A cup of coffee, a political hat and an angry crowd. What could possibly go wrong?
Quite a bit, apparently.
Video from a California Starbucks shows several men wearing MAGA gear surrounded by hostile protesters. According to the Daily Beltway’s report, people poured paint on the men, shouted profanities and physically interfered as they tried to leave.
Voices in the video can be heard saying, “Stop” and “Leave them alone.” At one point, someone appears to call for police. The confrontation continued as the men attempted to get out of the building.
The Daily Beltway reported that Starbucks employees took no visible action during the incident. The outlet also said no arrests had been announced when it published its report.
Now add another variable to this mess.
What if you were one of those men, and you were carrying a concealed handgun?
Table of contents
Your First Job Is Getting Out
The smartest move is also the least dramatic: leave.
That sounds simple until people start crowding you, dumping paint on you and blocking your path. Even then, your priority should remain the same. Create distance, find an exit and get your family or friends out with you.
Do not trade insults. Do not defend your political position. And, do not worry about looking weak in front of a crowd or camera.
Your goal is to go home.
If the main exit is blocked, look for another route. Move toward employees, a back door or an area with fewer people. Call 911 as soon as you safely can. Clearly describe yourself, your clothing and the fact that you are legally armed.
That last detail could become very important when officers arrive.
The Gun Changes Everything
Carrying a firearm does not give you another way to win an argument. It gives you another responsibility during an already chaotic situation.
Paint, shouting and offensive language may constitute harassment or assault, but they do not automatically justify pulling a gun. Even being shoved or blocked may not meet the legal standard for deadly force.
Generally, a firearm should enter the equation only when you reasonably believe you face an immediate threat of death or serious bodily harm. State laws differ, and every incident depends on its specific facts.
A crowd can complicate that calculation. One person throwing paint is different from several attackers knocking someone down and continuing to kick or strike him. Age, physical ability, escape routes, weapons and the number of attackers can all change the threat.
Still, reaching for the gun too early could instantly transform you from the apparent victim into the person everyone believes is the threat.
Keep it concealed unless the danger truly reaches that level.
Don’t Let Someone Take Your Gun
A physical confrontation presents another serious problem for concealed carriers.
Someone could discover your firearm during the struggle and attempt to grab it. Keeping the gun properly concealed and using a quality retention holster matters.
Protect the firearm without unnecessarily displaying it. Avoid wrestling with people if an escape route remains available. If you are knocked down or surrounded, protecting the gun may become as important as protecting your head.
The attackers may not know you are armed. Keeping it that way can prevent the situation from escalating further.
Expect Confusion When Police Arrive
Responding officers will not know who started the confrontation.
They may see people covered in paint, several witnesses shouting different stories and a person with a gun. If your firearm becomes visible, officers may initially treat you as the primary threat.
Follow commands immediately. Keep your hands visible. Do not make sudden movements or attempt to explain everything while officers are securing the scene.
Once things settle, identify witnesses and point out available video. Photograph injuries and damaged property. Preserve your clothing and any recordings. Then contact an attorney before providing a detailed statement.
What Would You Do?
The Starbucks video offers concealed carriers a useful thought exercise.
Would you immediately leave when the crowd began forming? Would you call police and wait inside? What if protesters blocked every exit? At what point would you believe the confrontation had crossed from harassment into a threat of serious bodily harm?
There is no clean answer for every situation.
The best outcome is getting yourself and your companions out without touching the gun. That may not feel heroic, but it is usually the safest play.
Political disagreements should never become physical attacks. At the same time, an armed citizen cannot afford to let anger, pride or embarrassment dictate what happens next.
So, how would you handle it?
*** Buy and Sell on GunsAmerica! ***
Available on GunsAmerica Now
is a seasoned outdoorsman, lifelong hunter, and the kind of guy who’d rather track whitetails than scroll social media. As an editor for GunsAmerica, he’s got a sharp eye for spotting both solid gear and bad gun laws. Whether he’s deep in the woods or deep in editorial deadlines, Larry brings a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is approach to firearms, hunting, and the great American tradition of self-reliance. If there’s a hot debate on gun rights or the latest in hunting tech, you can bet Larry’s got an opinion—and it’s probably backed up with both facts and field experience.
Experience:
– Licensed Bowhunter, Hunter, and Trapper – Experienced in ethical hunting and wildlife conservation.
– Concealed Carry Permit Holder (NYS & AZ) – Trained and licensed to carry in multiple states.
– 2A Journalist – Covering firearms legislation, Second Amendment issues, and gun rights for over a decade.
– Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) – Certified to provide emergency medical care in the field.
– Field-Tested Gear Reviewer – Hands-on experience with firearms, optics, and hunting tech.
At what point would you believe the confrontation had crossed from harassment into a threat of serious bodily harm?
At the point where they block all the exits and refuse to allow me to leave, the confrontation crossed from harassment into a threat of serious bodily harm. At that point where they refuse to allow me to leave peacefully, it potentially becomes kidnapping, or at least unlawful detention, and it constitutes a forcible felony, as it uses force and/or the threat of force to prevent you from lawfully going where you have a right to go, to include preventing you from retreating, regardless of whether you have a duty to retreat under the law.
Additionally, the attempt to pour an unknown substance on me is physical assault, which might also constitute a forcible felony. Given the completely unknown nature of the substance, I would view that substance as a potentially deadly threat. What are they attempting to pour? It might look like paint, but is it really paint? Is it ONLY paint? Does it contain acid or some other caustic liquid? Acid attacks are not uncommon in some circles. Does it contain human waste or infectious substances? Is it flammable? Does it contain any toxins? (And if it is California, paint is likely a known carcinogen, like pretty much everything else.) If I did not personally watch them mix it, I do not know what it is, and will assume that it it harmful or deadly.
At either point, I would probably bring my firearm into play, or at the very least, be seriously considering it, particularly if I had my wife and or kids with me. Once a forcible felony happens, deadly force becomes legally justified.
I typically avoid wearing anything with a political statement for the very reason that I do not want to make myself a target, however, I have gotten unwelcome attention for wearing a ballcap with my military insignia on it. And I have known of cases where people have gotten unwelcome attention for wearing the “wrong” sports team’s logo. There are a lot of batshit crazy people out there, and you can’t be expected to live a completely sterile life or even give up your right of free expression just to accommodate them.
What a shit story, shit writing and shit Reporting. Go on YouTube and watch the video. Nobody stopped these two from walking out they stayed inside the Starbucks and took it. There was one guy spraying them with paint and he didn’t even block their exit when he left the building. Those two pussies stayed there and took it and didn’t fight back. And they really didn’t even try to leave. If this was in any other state, I would think this was all a set up.
If you’re gonna have the balls to wear the gear, have the balls to defend it!
Exactly! Actions and controversy have consequences….Always….
IF you are 100% minding your own business and keeping to yourselves and an angry mob of strangers approach and begin assaulting you and pouring unknown chemicals on you, I would display the weapon and if there is not immediate retreat by the attackers, light their asses up. No one not intending to commit crimes against strangers or others carries around paint and dumps it on such strangers 100% minding their own business.
Anyone who touches you in an aggressive manner constitutes “Assault “ and should be instantly met with incapacitative force to stop that assault, either physical, chemical , or kinetic. The attackers’ escalatjon of force by spraying a chemical on you should be met with overwhelming force to stop that immediately, as You have no idea what they are spraying on you. Blocking your exit is kidnapping/unlawful detention. Pepper spray would be my start, followed by kinetic should they bar my exit. The employees are not obligated to intervene on your behalf. It’s up to you. This will only stop when the crazies suffer real consequences.
California’s ” democratic socialists ” getting more
bold , are we ?
It would probably be a good idea to stop now ,
before someone gets hurt .
This just raises a bunch of questions for me. If the crowd refuses to let you leave, and you are being assaulted, you are totally surrounded, with no escape route, and you aren’t young enough to be that steady on your feet anymore, what is the most reasonable action you could take? I would automatically assume that without clear video proving your side of the story is correct, the people who surrounded you and participated in the assault are all going to tell a very different version of events. What then? Do you have to wait until just before you yourself are harmed badly enough to maybe lose consciousness? A crowd is a very different thing than one or two people. As soon as a crowd of people proves that they are willing to assault you, it “should “ be taken as fact that your life is in danger, because you cannot possibly win that fight.-but is it? Maybe that business has a “ no firearms “ sign on the door, but you carried it in anyway (I do that daily) does it change anything? I have alot of questions.
It is not the responsibility of the employees to put themselves in harm’s way to assist the victims. They should have called the police. That does not mean that the Left’s violence is OK. They should be caught and charged with assault.
Fake video – note camera man. BS maga crap.
“Paint, shouting and offensive language may constitute harassment or assault, but they do not automatically justify pulling a gun.” – Larry Z
Yeah, just wait for a lab report to confirm that the blue liquid is merely paint and if any burning sets in consult a physician as soon as possible.
I’m pretty sure that if you drop the first thug coming at you with paint, the others will run like hell….especially if you’re in a “stand your ground” state or you have plenty of witnesses with you that can justify the perception of a threat to your safety
well this was planned, and the “don’t do anything but run” sends the message that it is okay to do it again, and possibly escalate the harm, if you have a gun use it! there is no way to know what is being poured on you??? letting this continue is just advantage criminal nothing more!
That was both a verbal and physical attack with an unknown substance that could be a corrosive substance. That unstable lefty (redundant) prepared to attack someone well in advance. Hope they are all caught sent to a terrible prison and Starbucks has to settle for million$$$$$.