I definitely appreciate the devil's advocacy and understand where you're coming from. I know I can never convey every detail especially over a reddit post, but I'll add 1) camera footage would show him brandishing first because he was basically openly carrying in a state that doesn't allow it and on our premises, 2) he already threatened the lives of other customers with his disregard for safety as well as of my RSO by saying he'll "catch up with him later", 3) even while exiting, he kept his jacket way more open than when he first entered and considering what just transpired, it definitely didn't look good, and 4) when debriefing with everyone, including my boss who comes from a family of lawyers and our concealed carry class instructor who's been teaching for decades, everyone was saying that there were multiple moments where shooting him would have been justified.

Though I also agree with you about my assistant manager. I knew the moment the customer said "bitch", this was gonna be ugly. I'm really glad the GM stepped in and stopped that.

Still though, I definitely do hear you. That's something I've been really thinking about lately too. My workplace is in a decent area, but it's also really close to a rough part of town. Everyone at work is a bit on edge as of late because crime is on the rise, our customers are growing more stupid and dangerous as the weeks go on, and we're all being really cautious. Sometimes that caution may ride the line between legal and illegal, but we can only react to what's around us. Whatever that reaction may be, prosecution will put it under a microscope I know. But if someone with a gun is getting extremely hostile, me not doing anything may be more legal, but it could also lead to someone getting the upper hand and killing me. Nothing about this is easy.