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Have you ever...
- Thread starter wilkup
- Start date
erikrichard
New member
Correct me anytime, but I don't think one has a right to defend their yard with deadly force against non-deadly force. Wouldn't the best idea have been to call the police and guard your back door? Not trying to start an argument, I'm just not quite sure why you stepped outside. Dead or facing murder charges are two pretty likely outcomes had you fired your gun.
I've got a friend who lives on a few hundred acres with a long driveway, that ends at the road about 100 yards from his house.. One night recently he saw headlights at a trailer he had parked at the end of his driveway, so he called the police then went outside and fired a shot into the ground. Whoever was out there left in seconds. I think his actions were appropriate because he never actually confronted the would-be thieves, but left them guessing whether he was coming up to greet them. One thing they knew for sure, he had a gun. Action needed to be taken immediately to protect his property, and what he did was very effective without risk to him or them.
I've got a friend who lives on a few hundred acres with a long driveway, that ends at the road about 100 yards from his house.. One night recently he saw headlights at a trailer he had parked at the end of his driveway, so he called the police then went outside and fired a shot into the ground. Whoever was out there left in seconds. I think his actions were appropriate because he never actually confronted the would-be thieves, but left them guessing whether he was coming up to greet them. One thing they knew for sure, he had a gun. Action needed to be taken immediately to protect his property, and what he did was very effective without risk to him or them.
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To each his/her own. I chose the response that I did and it worked out the way it did. Hindsight is always 20/20 and others can monday morning quarterback my decision to confront these 4 all they want, I have no problem with that.
But let me touch on a few points I left out for the sake of length and ease of reading in my prior post. 1) I confronted these 4 in a civil and respectful way. My weapon was not visible as it was hidden behind my thigh which was out of view behind the corner of my house. 2) I did not escalate my manner until they advanced on me. I tried multiple times prior to revealing my weapon to get them to leave, without it coming to this type of conclusion, including threatening to call the police, to which I was laughed at. 3) My wife and children are normally home with me and I'm normally asleep at this time. So if that were the case where would these 4 have been had I not confronted them outside in the yard? In my basement or living room? I wasn't taking that chance, nor would I take that chance now.
Now, having gone through this and reviewed it and learned from it I can't say I would make all the same choices if confronted with the same situation today. With that being said I still stand by my actions and the decisions I made based on the information I had available at the time and I do not regret anything I said or did in regards to this incident.
But let me touch on a few points I left out for the sake of length and ease of reading in my prior post. 1) I confronted these 4 in a civil and respectful way. My weapon was not visible as it was hidden behind my thigh which was out of view behind the corner of my house. 2) I did not escalate my manner until they advanced on me. I tried multiple times prior to revealing my weapon to get them to leave, without it coming to this type of conclusion, including threatening to call the police, to which I was laughed at. 3) My wife and children are normally home with me and I'm normally asleep at this time. So if that were the case where would these 4 have been had I not confronted them outside in the yard? In my basement or living room? I wasn't taking that chance, nor would I take that chance now.
Now, having gone through this and reviewed it and learned from it I can't say I would make all the same choices if confronted with the same situation today. With that being said I still stand by my actions and the decisions I made based on the information I had available at the time and I do not regret anything I said or did in regards to this incident.
I've been gun-carry-legal since I moved out of Cali in 2005. Carried daily, never needed it. Reached for cutlery three times in Cali, once against a mugger coming after me with a large wrench, once against two dogs trying to eat somebody else, once against four lunatics (complete with a couple of hammers) trying to kill somebody else. Never had to cut/stab any of them, also never had a legal problem or a knife confiscated.
N.H. Yankee
New member
I posted my answer in the capacity of a civilian, and not my former career's, as I feel this post should reflect on the civilian side because in some career's drawing a weapon will happen.
I have had to draw my weapon as a civilian 5 times that were what I would call condition red. I had to draw on two of those occasions due to criminal intent, and three due to people that were armed paranoid schizophrenic's. One instance one of these was firing his Hi-power blinding in the night in about a 90 degree spread in my direction. I took solid cover and worked my way behind him and waited for the shooting to stop, which was eternity. Finally he was tackled to the ground and after a brief fight he was subdued.
A month later the same guy went to the door of a cop I know ( the guy was his landlord ) with a 44 in his hand and the cop met him at the door with a 12ga and told him to drop it or he would be talking to the buckshot, He was promptly arrested again. He got out of both incidents because he worked for the state liquor commissioner. He yet again threatened his wife and after a police chase hit a pole and was arrested, I don't know how that turned out.
I have had to draw my weapon as a civilian 5 times that were what I would call condition red. I had to draw on two of those occasions due to criminal intent, and three due to people that were armed paranoid schizophrenic's. One instance one of these was firing his Hi-power blinding in the night in about a 90 degree spread in my direction. I took solid cover and worked my way behind him and waited for the shooting to stop, which was eternity. Finally he was tackled to the ground and after a brief fight he was subdued.
A month later the same guy went to the door of a cop I know ( the guy was his landlord ) with a 44 in his hand and the cop met him at the door with a 12ga and told him to drop it or he would be talking to the buckshot, He was promptly arrested again. He got out of both incidents because he worked for the state liquor commissioner. He yet again threatened his wife and after a police chase hit a pole and was arrested, I don't know how that turned out.
On two occasions I've felt the need to be armed while confronting trespassers: Once, a fellow with an ax decided it was okay to cut trees in our wood lot (on a parcel adjacent to our home). The other time, coyotes were using the lot as a staging ground for the distribution of illegals. Apparently they'd ben delivered late the night before and camped over, to be ready for an early departure.
In the first case, it was pistol in hand, but behind my back. A local sheriff's deputy took custody of the ax man, without me ever displaying the pistol.
For the group of campers, I displayed an AR and it hastened their departure. I called the coyotes' tag numbers into the feds -- they couldn't have cared less. They even had the audacity to ask me what I thought they should do. When I suggested they forward the tag numbers to their area check points, they hung up.
In the first case, it was pistol in hand, but behind my back. A local sheriff's deputy took custody of the ax man, without me ever displaying the pistol.
For the group of campers, I displayed an AR and it hastened their departure. I called the coyotes' tag numbers into the feds -- they couldn't have cared less. They even had the audacity to ask me what I thought they should do. When I suggested they forward the tag numbers to their area check points, they hung up.