Article: What Is Brandishing A Firearm

Defensive display of a Redhawk revolver, from "Men In Black" (Source)

This past weekend I posted about a video from Active Self Protection on the dangers of displaying a weapon in self defense. In that same vein is this article from Concealed Nation: "Brandishing a Firearm: What Concealed Carry Holders Need to Know." The author notes that "[b]randishing a firearm generally refers to displaying, showing, waving, or exhibiting a gun in a threatening, aggressive, or intimidating manner," and "includes displaying a firearm in a way that causes fear or alarm in others, using a gun to intimidate or threaten another person, unnecessarily revealing or drawing attention to a concealed firearm, or pointing or waving a firearm in the presence of others." (Underline added). So, yeah, you do not even need to draw the weapon to place yourself in legal jeopardy. As the author explains:

While unintentional “printing” (when the outline of a concealed firearm is visible through clothing) is generally not brandishing, deliberately allowing your firearm to become visible to intimidate others could cross the line. 

He goes into more detail about brandishing, including when it might be justified (but also noting that only a few states recognize a right to defensively display a weapon), but the whole process is fraught with legal perils. The author has a list of best practices at the end of his article, but the key one, I believe, is this: "Never use your firearm as a threat: Your concealed firearm is a last-resort self-defense tool, not a means of winning arguments or asserting dominance." (Bold in original). 

    Read the whole thing.