Didn't even consider my gun

Not sure who you're referring to as a "troll." Everything here seems to be on the up-and-up.

I'd say it's obvious that brandishing a firearm would have been a poor choice. You did good to maintain awareness of the situation without being overtly confrontational. A driver who is not constantly scanning and checking mirrors is, IMHO, NOT a very good driver. That includes maintaining awareness of other vehicles, and if need be, other drivers.
 
They don't teach single hand racking the slide anymore. In the Navy or Army. I went to Army basic training in 1984 with the 1911. Navy training from 1988 to present with the M-9, including an active weapons issuance card from 2004 to 2007. Then prior to deploying Iraq, Army combat training again at Ft. Dix in 2008. I would be curious to know what it is, though, and wonder if it was actually a procedure specified in the manuals or just an instructors "extra knowledge" :D
 
Carrying a firearm has certainly calmed me down. Before, I would play along with road ragers for my own personal enjoyment. The best is waving at them with a big smile. They HATE that :p... Using the rear windshield cleaner is a good one too...
But now, I just ignore them... No sense getting myself in trouble at the same time...

I am curious about the law behind threatening to ram someones car with your own, and whether it is considered assault or the like... Either way, if someone did that, the police would be called and their plate number given asap.
 
I am curious about the law behind threatening to ram someones car with your own, and whether it is considered assault or the like...
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It is considered assault in most jurisdictions, however, starting a rolling firefight in rush-hour traffic would be frowned upon by the same courts.

I think evasive action is the first order of business. Try to outrun/outdrive him first. If the other driver blocks your escape and is attempting to harm you, only then should the use of firearms be considered.

Remember, a vehicle can be just as powerful a weapon as a gun. It can provide cover, concealment, and a means of escape. In a road rage situation, I would use my car first, my gun last.
 
IMHO (which probably isn't worth too much ;) ... ), you probably didn't think of it since you just got your CC that day. There's no telling whether the road-rager was carrying, either, and although clam and collected is far better than enraged, you never know. The guy might have had nothing to lose, and showing may have just worsened everything.

I don't know how LEOs down there handle driving down in NC, but if that happened here in WI, the driver in your position probably would have caught the plate numbers and made a call to the cops (I've been on both ends of that one!).
 
Try to outrun/outdrive him first.
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If I was sure the road rager was trying to ram me and that was the only viable option due to the positions of other vehicles, that may be the only course of action. Letting him get past you may give you the tactical advantage though. Lots of options in this situation.

They don't teach single hand racking the slide anymore...........................I would be curious to know what it is, though, and wonder if it was actually a procedure specified in the manuals or just an instructors "extra knowledge" :D
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I guess for a lot of instructors it would just be extra knowledge, depending on the level of instruction they are trained to administer. The liability involved in teaching concealed carry presentation, much less one handed weapons manipulation, requires a somewhat advanced combat pistol instructor.

I believe the earliest use of one handed racking started out with the old M1917 holster with personnel carrying cond 3. The pistol is partially drawn and the grip is turned 90 degrees with the top of the slide towards the body. The pistol is then pushed in toward the body then downward. The rear sight digs into the flap of the holster, holding the slide captive as the grip frame moves downward. The pistol is then quickly drawn upward effectively chambering a round and the presentation to the target is continued.

This method was further modified by using anything available that could capture the rear sight with enough of a purchase to cycle the pistol.

All the Gunners Mates I have talked to that were active during the era of the .45 in standard service knew this technique, but I do not believe I ever asked them where they learned it.

Kind of long winded on this, but you asked and I felt the least I could do was provide a reasonable explanation of the technique.
 
Try to outrun/outdrive him first.
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I have to question the logic of outrunning someone with road rage. First off, that means you end up breaking traffic laws. Second, there is no guarantee you will end up being able to evade said person. Thirdly, add more speed with someone trying to potentially drive you off the road, and you could end up in a bad accident.
I think it would almost be better to pull over to the side of the road. If they were just angry, they would just drive on. If they intended you harm, it just seems that being stationary with a gun is safer than speeding in a car around innocents.
Now if you can loose the person by, like the OP did, taking an exit or what not, running away is always the better option. I just dont feel like speeding away is the best move...
 
You guys are right; it was entirely the OP's fault for
1. Being a courteous driver
2. Watching to make sure the other driver didn't escalate things more than they already were
3. Keeping a cool head

The OP was simply sharing a story, and you guys try to flip it on him like he made some kind of mistake. You are reading too much into this story. I've seen this happen on TFL before. Everybody needs to relax.
 
The OP was simply sharing a story, and you guys try to flip it on him like he made some kind of mistake.
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If there has been a mistake, it lies in his having posted this on a gun forum. Antis have for years expressed concern about road rage resulting in gunfire. Didn't happen here, but if it hadn't been within the realm of possibility, what was the point of posting this in the first place?

Guns aside--had there been an accident, how might the OP's actions be judged in terms of contributing negligence, or worse?

The OP's post is indelible and as the saying goes, "can and will be used against you." Or us, as the case may be.

Sorry, but that's the way it is.

We need to consider what we say here--beforehand.
 
Good to see another instructor around here! Do you drive a Spec E30 in NASA-MA?

Not sure what everyone's getting so worked up about, it sounds like everything turned out alright. No bent up sheetmetal, no holes in you (or the other person), and no police involvement.. I've had worse days!
 
You teach teenagers to ignore road ragers, yet you looked at the Mercedes driver three times?
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I'm not sure that completely ignoring someone who pulls up next to you is a wise thing. He's already escalated things whether you look at him or not. Can't speak for everyone, but looking to see what he's up to seems like common sense to me. Maybe check things out and then ignore him.

We've all got stories like that. A gun shouldn't be an issue. Can't tell you how many times a driver got impatient with me when I was going just as fast as the car in front of me. Some people get mad when you leave a safe cushion and aren't tailgating the car in front of you like he's doing to you. I've been running into some pretty agressive gals lately, also.

I agree, that guns shouldn't be part of the discussion. However, things have escalated to something serious over less.

I too, have changed lanes in what I thought was plenty of time, only to have the driver behind me indicate his displeasure by coming up fast behind and tailgating---just like happened to BMW.

Nothing usually comes of it because the driver probably does that all the time to many people---but you never know.:cool:
 
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CCW Helped me mature

Carrying a firearm has certainly calmed me down. Before, I would play along with road ragers for my own personal enjoyment.
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That's Perfect.... I can't describe how many times i've had someone road bully me. And it would always end in either a Freeway race (once you rode my bumper, i'd floor it and let my turbo spool to it's content when you try to pass... Which has resulted in a $1100 ticket for going 141mph), or a Fist fight at the nearest light(which i've won and lost countless times). But NOW those things don't even enter my mind. I'm no longer on a quest to prove that i'm the toughest or the fastest... If someone flies up on my bumper, i'll just pull over. They flip me off, or call me names... But I know that if i get out or encourage them, the odds of them pulling a weapon and putting me into a self inflicted defense situation sky-rocket. And i'll shoot to defend myself, but only if theres no other way out. I may get hot headed but I when think about having my USP in my posession I immediately feel sobered and humble. Period.
 
I agree with Glock Fan, you guys are acting like he actually shot the guy trying to ram him off the road. I wouldn't think a bunch of guys who own guns (who I hope are level headed) would be so aggressive to a person just posting a story. We are supposed to be the cool heads of society, not the furry fingered internet bullies that torment forums.

I think the rule "If you have nothing nice to say then don't say anything at all" should be applied here.
 
I'm not sure that completely ignoring someone who pulls up next to you is a wise thing. He's already escalated things whether you look at him or not. Can't speak for everyone, but looking to see what he's up to seems like common sense to me. Maybe check things out and then ignore him.
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Thank you. That's exactly what I was trying to say, and Glockfan speaks the truth. We tend to flame a lot of people on their stories and this was his first post that wasn't a "gun for sale" post! Welcome to the forum.
 
I agree with Glock Fan, you guys are acting like he actually shot the guy trying to ram him off the road. I wouldn't think a bunch of guys who own guns (who I hope are level headed) would be so aggressive to a person just posting a story. We are supposed to be the cool heads of society, not the furry fingered internet bullies that torment forums.

I think the rule "If you have nothing nice to say then don't say anything at all" should be applied here.
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I would characterize many of the responses as constructive criticism, not aggression. No one has resorted to name-calling, threats, or personal attacks. How can you correlate a critical post with gun ownership? I'm certainly not going to shoot someone just because I disagree with him.

When you post a story on a forum, you solicit responses from the entire world. Not everyone will give you a big high five. The beauty of this forum is the opportunity it gives us to evaluate the actions of others, and to learn from their experiences. Conversely, we can learn from how others evaluate our stories.

You can be nice and still disagree with someone.

-T
 
If I was sure the road rager was trying to ram me and that was the only viable option due to the positions of other vehicles, that may be the only course of action. Letting him get past you may give you the tactical advantage though. Lots of options in this situation.
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Exactly. You don't have to be in front of someone to out drive them.
 
While traveling through Wisconsin many years back we pulled into a rest area and were almost immediately blocked in by another car. The three passengers jumped out and starting yelling for us to get out of our car. We didn't have our CCW's back then...but I did have a really cherry M1 carbine... :D

My wife turned on the inside light as I locked and loaded a 30 round magazine. When last seen the other folks were exiting the rest area at high speed, leaving us with a new tire iron and a ratty aluminum baseball bat. Sometimes it's just handy to have a gun in the car... :)

Milspec
 
"this is looking like a troll post to me..."

Not at all. I've been away for a couple of days. I tried to get on last night, a couple of times, but couldn't. Was the site down for maintenance?

ps I looked for a "quote" button and couldn't find it so I did the cut-paste thing.
 
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