I'm not sure this is the place for this post but I had a very close call today. I work for a school district where I'm not allowed to carry my gun. My son had a game and I decided that I was going to go home before the game and get my gun. I decided that I just didn't feel comfortable being without it today. I even unloaded my gun with my target ammo and replaced it with hollow points chambered it and put if on safety. After the game I walked to my car and took my gun out of the holster and placed in the side pocket of my purse and left it open because I was going to stop and eat and I didn't feel safe with it in the holster. I went to Sonic and placed my order and received my food. My window was still down. I noticed a young man walking up to my car at which time I placed my hand in my purse on my gun over the safety ready to draw. He stuck his head in my car which was covered as much as he could get it covered with his hoodie and said hey I'm in high school do you want to donate to the school? I looked him in the eyes and said not hardly. At which point he turn and started walking fastly away from my car and down the street. This all happened in about the blink of two eyes. I'm pretty sure he didn't see my gun. He might have noticed my sites glowing but I'm sure he couldn't have seen it. I'm not sure what made him move on. Maybe the look in my eyes who knows. I do know I was not scared for one second. I knew my beloved Sig wouldn't fail me. It was worth every penny I paid for it. It was worth every one of those practice rounds I've shot. I hope that's the closest I ever have to come to using it. But I do know I am prepared to use it should I have to.
Close call today
- Thread starter Scatcatt
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I'm happy you found a pistol that works for you. Maybe this man meant trouble, maybe he didn't. Most here carry a firearm for the unfortunate possibilities out there.
That said, there is a danger in reading more into actions than is actually there. Even with excellent shooting ability, the legal battle and emotional trauma from actually having to use a firearm in self defense is very real. You'll often hear "I'd rather be judged by 12, than carried by 6" from some very "tough" individuals. I have no intention of allowing myself or my family to come to harm. That said to me the most important aspect of owning a firearm is knowing when not to use it and doing everything you can to avoid using it. I'm not trying to rain on your parade, merely making sure that now that you have a hammer you don't see every problem as a nail.
That said, there is a danger in reading more into actions than is actually there. Even with excellent shooting ability, the legal battle and emotional trauma from actually having to use a firearm in self defense is very real. You'll often hear "I'd rather be judged by 12, than carried by 6" from some very "tough" individuals. I have no intention of allowing myself or my family to come to harm. That said to me the most important aspect of owning a firearm is knowing when not to use it and doing everything you can to avoid using it. I'm not trying to rain on your parade, merely making sure that now that you have a hammer you don't see every problem as a nail.
Glad everything ended up OK and you didn't even have to draw it. You got lucky. I know a guy who doesn't carry, and got shot in the leg at a gas station because he wouldn't give up his last 20 dollar bill to some low life. He wouldn't give it up so the perp pulled out his gun, and the guy says "what are you going to shoot me". Had a .45 fmj travel through his calf. Luckily it wasn't a hollow point and luckily it hit him in the leg and not elsewhere, and missed the bone.
They say only draw your gun if your life is at serious risk, or someone innocents is, also I have been told if its worth shooting, shoot till down and dead
They say only draw your gun if your life is at serious risk, or someone innocents is, also I have been told if its worth shooting, shoot till down and dead
I wanted to add as someone that has taken a course specifically based on shooting into, out of, and around vehicles (and doing those actions) the most powerful weapon at your disposal in those cases is the ability to get away at speed. This doesn't remotely make me any kind of expert nor am I claiming to be. My point is that I've learned more in day long classes than I did from years of weekends at the range. Having a firearm is great, instruction to go with it is even better.
Glad things worked out for the best. My late mother carried a S&W "Lady Smith" revolver with her on nightly walks. One night she noticed two scruffy looking guys walking behind her. She made certain to stay on well lit sidewalks, and didn't go home for fear they would find out where she lived. The two guys slowly kept getting closer. Close enough so she could hear them talking, and from what she heard, their intentions were not good. She drew the S&W from her purse, turned and pointed. All she could see was four eyes get very large, then they turned and ran. Not a shot fired. I now have that revolver, even though it says "Lady Smith" on the side, it's mine forever.
I didn't start out shooting out of vehicles lol. I went through a series of handgun courses covering basics like draw and sight picture up to more advanced courses of fire as would be the qualifier for certain agencies. It's not always easy to find good instructors or institutions and there is an added cost but I do think it's the best way to improve your skills. As long as that's something you're considering that's all I would expect of any newer person with concealed carry. Build on your abilities over time.
And again I'm not trying to be discouraging. The hardest part of carrying a pistol is determining when to draw it and use it and even good instructors will tell you that rarely is there a clear answer. The way your post was worded made it seem like going for the gun was your first instinct just because a man with a hoodie approached your car, which may not have been your intent (reading intent in text is a losing battle
). By all means be observant and keep track of what's going on around you that's the right thing to do, I just don't want to see people getting itchy on the trigger.I can see where it would have. Trust me I have no unscratched itches. I feel safer having my gun but I also know it is the last resort. I hope I am never in the situation to have to pull the trigger. But I do know if I do I have a gun I trust to do it with. Hopefully tonight is the closest I'll ever come to actually being put in the situation. Probably my biggest point I missed to make was I don't feel like the money I spent on my gun or the ammo I have wasted has been money wasted. Any classes I pay for will also be worth whatever I pay for them.
I don't know who told you this, but I can't think of an instructor I've had that would endorse it. I've even had an instructor explicitly address this mentality in a class. The reality is that after a shooting you're most likely going to end up in court, even if not for a criminal charge but a civil suit. Most instructors will advise shooting until the threat stops. What does that mean? It's not a clear cut answer. Some would interpret it as forward motion of your assailant or the loss of his/her ability to cause you harm. You don't just keep firing until the individual is dead. The question will always come up in court if you had to kill the assailant. If you shoot twice and the assailant stops moving towards you or drops to the ground, you shouldn't just proceed to execute him/her. At some point you might need to assess if continuing shooting is required and that will depend on the situation (are you cornered, do you have access to an escape route, etc).
This isn't meant to encourage any kind of "shoot them in the leg" nonsense. You aim upper thorax for the greatest chance of both hitting the assailant and ending the fight sooner (the longer you keep shooting the greater the chance of someone else being hurt as even with hollow points pass through still happens). Anytime you shoot someone you face the risk of that person dying as even a leg shot to the femoral would kill a person. Pressing that trigger will likely be the most consequence filled decision you make and it's important to remember that. This must be balanced with the reality that emptying a magazine into an assailant is not permitted even for police involved shootings if the assailant was already out of the fight.
An instructor I once had told me that every few months they have a lawyer specializing in self defense cases give a lecture that's open to others to attend. He says many people walk out even more concerned about using their carry weapons than when they went in. The goal isn't to paralyze people with fear, but make them realize that the shooting itself is only part of the battle. The legal battle will be much longer and more involved. That's why I advise avoiding confrontation and walking away from aggressors whenever possible.
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I get that you were merely trying to convey how having a firearm gave you an ability to defend yourself that you didn't have before. It's a realization that gun owners do like to share with each other as those that aren't gun owners often don't understand it or are dismissive of it. You seem like a responsible person (you've put a lot more thought and effort into shooting in the past weeks than people I know that have been shooting for years, and I mean that as a positive
). Keep us updated as to how your pistol carrying experience goes.Great post Scatcatt. It seems as likely as anything else that your confident reply to the potential threat dissuaded any bad intentions he may have had. Complements on your awareness, preparedness and intuition to have your gun with you Posts like this one remind me that I should carry more often.
You got lucky as you situational awareness needs work. You will be thinking about this incident for a long while.
TunnelRat your statement about driving quickly away shows that you simply did NOT read her post. She was parked eating at Sonic with her window down. There simply is NO driving away quickly in that situation.
"shoot till down dead" is the correct meaning just not the politically correct way to state it. Shooting until there is no threat is simply more PC.
TunnelRat your statement about driving quickly away shows that you simply did NOT read her post. She was parked eating at Sonic with her window down. There simply is NO driving away quickly in that situation.
"shoot till down dead" is the correct meaning just not the politically correct way to state it. Shooting until there is no threat is simply more PC.
I don't know about you, but I can turn an ignition key pretty fast (assuming the car was off). I can also shift into reverse pretty fast. Before I reached for a firearm I would try those actions, that was my point. Being rude and intrusive doesn't pass my threshold for drawing a pistol. Do as you will.
There are a number of officers in court that would disagree. Like it or not, it is a PC world.
Don't be afraid to shop around for good deals on ammo. The prices can vary a lot.
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