Weapons, Guns, Firearms When is it okay to use a concealed weapon.

Hi. This is just a question that i've had and no it's not for me to go out and start shooting people.

Well i'm almost 6ft but i'm very skinny. I honestly, couldn't hurt a fly, they are just too fast for me. Well last week I was coming out of the movie theater with my girlfriend, trying to have a good time. It's abotu 1am when I get out of the movie, so there are very little cars in the parking lot. I like to park on the side where there are usually plenty of spots to park, I dont mind the exercise. Well when we were walking to my car we notice a group of men looking at me funny but I brush it off and pretend I dont see them. Well as we passed them by, I noticed that 3 of them were following me and my girlfriend. I could hear them walking behind us. Okay here is the crazy part.

I am about to let my girlfriend into the car, and
one of them says "hey, cute girlfriend".
I'm just like "thanks". By now my girlfriend gets in the car and i think its odd that i'm practically the only within a 30 ft radius of my car and theyre right next to me.
I ask the 3 men "Can I help you guys?".
One of the guys says, "yeah, you have a nice car, do you have any money I can borrow?"
and I say "sorry no, i'm in a hurry and i gott ago"
So one of the stockier black guys says, "Fuck that your lying."
I proceed to do the nice guy thing and say, "Look, I dont want any trouble"

This is when I felt someone punch me right in the neck. I stumbled to the ground and as I get up I went for one guys legs to put him on the ground and I get punched in the ribs by someone else. Really, I was so helpless. Each one of these guys were stocky and one of them was like 6'2. I punched one guy in the lip twice and then I got grabbed from the back in the full nelson and the two other guys just started beating on me real hard. This is when the other group of their friends come and watch. By then I just fell to the ground and they took my wallet and my watch. And they were laughing "We just wanted to borrow some money"

Well the cops came and I filed a report. I couldn't do anything about it though because they didn't drive there or anything. The thing that sucks is none of the people that were leaving the movies called the police, they were just watching also.

This incident has gotten me so frustrated. I want to know the laws of carrying a concealed weapon. I've been contemplating weather or not I need some way to protect myself. These guys could easily have killed me if they hit me in the wrong spot. I mean one of them looked like a body builder and i'm just a frail skinny guy. To make it worse it was in front of my girlfriend.

So
Question 1: Does washington state law allow concealed weapons and to what degree?

Question 2: If ever in a situation like being mugged or feeling threatened, am I allowed to use the concealed weapon. Not to kill. I dont want to kill anyone. But what if I tell them to back off with the gun and they charge at me, can I shoot them?

You're only allowed to use the same amout of force in self defense as that being used against you. That means if your attacker has a gun, you can shoot him with one. I think that even if there is a gang of huge guys attacking you, you can't use a weapon if they aren't. That sounds unfair, but I think that's how it goes. You're right, they could have killed you if they wanted, since they had the numbers advantage. I'd like to know what people can do to protect themselves in this situation, as well. We can't all be Bruce Lee. I'm sorry this happened to you. I hope those guys get what's coming to them.

Yea, well I guess I could go the mase route or taser. But the only thing about mase is I live in a state that is often windy and it wouldn't be pleasing to have the wind blow a mist of pepper juices into my eyes. And then the taser is only good enough to tase one person, and is basically useless in a 1 vs group situation.

I've just been really depressed since the incident, I feel so little and I feel real bad that my girlfriend had to see that all happen. I haven't really been able to go out because my face is pretty badly cut up and bruised.

If that is really the law, then it's pretty lame. Does anyone else have any knowledge they could shine on the subject?

Don't feel embarassed at all. You were both a brave and considerate person in that situation where others would just be ignoring those people and trying to get the hell away. The safest thing to have done was to just get in your car and lock the doors, but you acted in a way a person should in an ideal world (in a world where you don't get the crap beaten out of you by a gang of thugs for no reason).

First of all I want to say that I almost pissed myself when I read the part about being put in the Full Nelson; Get "R done. Anyway listen we've all got our asses kicked from time to time before and the great thing about it is that you get to wake up to live another day. Don't dwell on it so much because it's over now and you're safe. I'm gathering that you are probably a fairly young person being that it's so hard for you to let the incident go and you won't immediate revenge. In my opinion, just work hard, get a good job where you're in charge of hiring and don't employ any of these thug types that you were assaulted by. That should help you to feel better that you got your revenge in the end. That's definitely the route that I'd take.

just responding on the person who mentioned the law on self defense is only equal force, which is absolutly true. but when someone else uses an obviously larger amount of force to use then your able to (even if it is just there hands) your are entitled to other means, not a gun or knife because that would be considered deadly force. but something that would enable you to get them off of you and you to leave the situation. especially if your painfully out numbered.

IT's ashame things like that happen. It reminds me of when my cousin was assaulted in a simular manner. He isn't week or frail by any means, but they hit him with a pair of brass nuckles in the head which decopasitated him for the most part. I few years later, one of the assalants was arrested and convicted of murder. You never know if you try to pull a gun, they might have one and not be as hesitant as you to use it!