PK...
... I agree more with your revamped answer.
I'm not advocating going violent early, or initiating. If you can back away while not behaving in a way that makes them think they have you cowed, great. Not shooting is preferable.
Dealing with bullies is kind of like dealing with aggressive dogs. If you let them think they're in charge, they can become much more dangerous. Controlled tactical retreat vs rout, if you will, would be fine.
The one concern I have with the cell phone would be whether there would be time to actually use it, vs whether it would just be a distraction.
Given the yardwork scenario, it's entirely feasible they could get fairly close before you ever knew it - assuming your mower is as loud as mine, for instance. Phones are great, and I always have one, but with two aggressive guys at close range, tying one hand up with reaching for that pocket might be a bad move.
You're right to ask what sort of tough/bad are these guys supposed to be? If they play mailbox baseball, etc, that's different than if they routinely beat down the neighborhood teenagers, which is different from they've done time for agg assault.
... I agree more with your revamped answer.
I'm not advocating going violent early, or initiating. If you can back away while not behaving in a way that makes them think they have you cowed, great. Not shooting is preferable.
Dealing with bullies is kind of like dealing with aggressive dogs. If you let them think they're in charge, they can become much more dangerous. Controlled tactical retreat vs rout, if you will, would be fine.
The one concern I have with the cell phone would be whether there would be time to actually use it, vs whether it would just be a distraction.
Given the yardwork scenario, it's entirely feasible they could get fairly close before you ever knew it - assuming your mower is as loud as mine, for instance. Phones are great, and I always have one, but with two aggressive guys at close range, tying one hand up with reaching for that pocket might be a bad move.
You're right to ask what sort of tough/bad are these guys supposed to be? If they play mailbox baseball, etc, that's different than if they routinely beat down the neighborhood teenagers, which is different from they've done time for agg assault.