spacemanspiff
New member
i've been in a similar situation. been followed, and had my movements limited by traffic. the guy who 'just wanted to shake my hand' was far too close, but presented no weapon, nor was he verbally threatening. but my 'spidey sense' was going berserk so in my mind the situation just was wrong. i didnt draw down, but my hand was gripping my gun in its holster.At what point do you do more than wait for the person to attack you? If he follows you or blocks your path of retreat, do you strike pre-emtively or do you risk getting injured and count on your reflexes and reaction time to get you out of the situation?
to answer your question, seeing how you live in a state where the duty to retreat is nonexistant, doesnt mean that you have to stand your ground in each and every encounter you have. a pre-emptive strike, against someone who is verbally abusive/threatening, but has not yet provided a weapon that you can see, would in my humble opinion, be 'less-justifiable'.
now, if you are cornered, if the subject blocks you in, and it is provable there is no disparity of force (i.e. you are not a 280 lb bodybuilder and your attacker a 90 lb dwarf) then by all means defend yourself. the attacker is already within your comfort zone, and well within range to deploy a weapon of his own and has a good chance of getting the drop on you.
hand to hand combat, i would use a 'less lethal' option, the flashlight to blind, the spray to keep him occupied, while i retreat to a safer location and call 911.
all in all, you did good, and i commend you for having multiple options of defense on hand, even if you werent carrying the gun.