I am convinced that a .32 Auto Davis Derringer once saved me from getting mugged. I was in my company parking lot in a bad section of town. To give you an idea, our parking lot was surrounded by a six foot tall, barbed wire topped chain link fence. I was transferring some material from my company vehicle to my personal vehicle. It was a little after quitting time and I was alone in the parking lot.
All I had on me was my derringer because it simply disappeared in my pocket. I couldn't take a chance on being "made" because it would have meant my job. Anyway I looked up and saw this rough looking character walking toward our gate which was open. Something told me that he had me targeted. At that point I pulled the derringer out of my pocket, pushed off the crossbolt safety, and with my thumb curled around the already half cocked hammer, concealed it in my hand. Sure enough he came through our gate and started toward me. At this point I faced him squarely and stared him in the eye the whole time with both hands on my hips. He couldn't see the derringer concealed in my right hand.
As he approached me, he said in a gruff, demanding voice, "You know what I want!" I answered him just as gruffly, "No, what!" At this point he must have decided that his victim selection process may have failed him. His whole demeanor changed. He stuttered a little as if he were deciding what to do or say now. He said, "Uh, could you please give me 50 cents to get something to eat?" I said I had no change or something like that. I kept staring him in the eye the whole time.
He started talking then. He said he could tell where a car was going by looking at its license plate. He said the government was paying him a thousand dollars a month to spot drug cars for them. The immediate thought that came to my mind was, "If the government is paying you all that money, why do you need 50 cents from me?"
Anyway three times during his ramblings, he turned around and acted like he was going to leave, but almost immediately turned back around. I am convinced he was wanting me to drop my guard or turn my back on him. If I had I think he would have carried through with his plan, whatever it was. If he had attacked me or pulled a weapon, knife or gun, he would have instantly caught two .32 slugs in the face. It would have taken me about a half a second to whip my arm up, finishing cocking the hammer as I did it, and squeeze the trigger with the derringer in his face. It would have been at essentially contact distance. And unless he would have been down and out after the first shot, he would have gotten the second.
Those people are predators as much as any wild animal. As such they prey on the weak and vulnerable. I am convinced that if I had shown weakness or backed up from him, he would have carried through with his plan. But knowing I had the gun instantly ready gave me the confidence that came through to him. Even though I never brandished the gun, he never saw it, but he could tell that somehow, someway, I was prepared for him.
When he finally left, I stood there staring at his back till he was out of our parking lot and out of sight down the street. Only then did I finish loading the material while checking every few seconds to make sure he wasn't coming back.
. I just wanted her to see the responses so she wasn't hearing from just me and the Gun store owner who wants to make a sale. Thanks