BTW what she did, and your imaginary woman who "accidentally" shows her weapon is exactly the same if you are the guys in the truck...
Today 06:41 PM
I feel strongly it is not. One is very clearly indicating you are on the verge of pulling and firing. The other merely indicates you are in possession of a firearm without clearly expressing any immediate intent to use it.
I was recently in a situation where some guys were causing me some concern. It was a hot day and I needed to use my off hand to pull my shirt tail up and wipe the sweat off the portion of my face below my eyes. For some reason they were suddenly very polite. I don't know of any training schools or organizations that train to shoot if someone has a visible gun in a holster and is not touching it(in normal situations). You just shoot anyone who open carries on sight? There is a huge difference between being in possession of a firearm and gripping it.
...some guys pulled in front of my running path
That is the only part of her writing that portrays any sort of fact that I can construe as an actual threat. The rest is just her interpreting normal things, like a redneck driving around in his truck shirtless, as an immediate threat to her safety. Considering she describes it as a country road, it was probably two lane with a shoulder she was running on. If going the opposite direction they probably were by her before they had time to react, stopped, discussed whether they should go back, then turned around. If going the same direction and they pass her then pull onto the shoulder, which would be normal, that would also be in her running path. A smart person simply yells 'I'm fine, out for a late run' waits a second for the truck to speed away and if it doesn't turns around and runs the other direction(assuming they weren't smart enough to not be there in the first place). If they turn the truck around and follow, you have more to be worried about.
Having grown up in something of a Midwestern farm town, I can tell you if you are traveling the road on foot at night there, most any guy passing will stop to check on you. It's the sort of thing where, if on Sunday morning at church you mention your brother had car trouble and walked two miles home Friday night and one of the people says "oh I passed somebody on that road coming home I didn't know it was him," everyone would look at them with their jaw dropped('city folks moving out here and putting up 200 motion sensor lights around their entire property that light up six square miles every time a skunk takes a dump'). I was actually witness to this social reaction once in regard to a city person who moved out to the country passing one of their new neighbors sons who had car trouble. Everyone knows you don't want to approach a farmhouse at night unannounced. By the time you get within shouting range the dogs will have woken everyone up and at least one member of the family will have a shotgun loaded and pointed in your direction. So someone passing is one of your best shots at help. Also your best chance of getting hit since the shoulder is all of four inches. The only time a smart person travels far on thin country lanes in the middle of the night is if they are in trouble or up to no good. If up to no good, you get off the road into the ditch long before a car gets close enough to see you.
just because you saw a weapon you did not have to act on it.
The point isn't whether one chooses to act or not. Many police officers have chosen not to shoot after someone has pulled a gun and pointed it at someone. It doesn't mean the person didn't give them clear justification to do so. When you grip a gun you effectively start a ?cold? gunfight.
Further, where was her attempt to retreat? In a public roadway, not in her home or even on private property. Or was she planning on dragging the guys down the roads back into her home? I love it when I hear that one.
In my case the guy was an idiot. He went from a situation where we probably would have agreed to almost whatever he wanted, because none of his concerns had anything to do with our concerns, to one where he ended up beating a hasty retreat.
Last post. Had enough fun on this one.