Really Dropped the Ball

S

Steelers252006

New member
Recently applied for my CCW license, recently purchased my CCW weapon, Glock 27. Been practicing with it around the house to get familiar and comfortable with the firearm and have taken it to the range, recently started carrying it in my vehicle.

Me and my wife went to Best Buy earlier today, were carrying several tvs back to my truck. I parked on the far side of the parking lot, and it was starting to get a little dark. I was thinking to myself we need to hurry and load the car for obvious reasons and said so to my wife when we got to the truck. Then we noticed two people, man and a woman, walking toward us, could tell it wasn't right. My wife asked me did I have the gun, and I did but in the car, not on me. So I go in the truck and have to dig it out of where I had it, which was in a compartment under the center console. Took me a minute, and I focused so hard on it that I lost track of where the two people approaching my vehicle were. So with my gun in my hand and not wanting anybody to see me with it exposed, I simply froze. I didn't know what to do. One of the tvs was still in the buggie as I simply went for my gun just in case, and then I just sat there. It was only a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity.

Luckily, they didn't steal the tv, just knocked on my window asking for some change. Still think of what could have happened. Had I had the gun in my pocket and didn't have to go digging for it, I would have never left my position and took my eyes off the possible bad guys. I'm so disapppointed in the way I reacted to this adverse situation. Honestly, I was more worried about the gun, what would happen if they saw me with it and had their own weapon, what if other people saw me pull it and it created a panic, that I lost track of the situation at hand. I would have been better off just standing out there continuing to load the tvs with my mace in my hand and just waited to see how it played out.

I'll learn from this and move forward, keep practicing and getting more and more familiar with my firearm, and wait until my CCW arrives. I made a mistake, but luckily it wasn't anything that led to me or my wife being harmed. I've been thinking about it steadily since it happened. Has anybody else experienced anything similar?
 
Hey don't be so hard on yourself buddy.I read posts in here all day about how i would do this and i would do that. It just goes to show when sh## hits the fan ,,you react the way you react. This That and The other thing go out the window when the situation arrives. No one knows(they always say they do ) how they will react when it happens,but you really don't know till it does,and then they all would be in your shoes. Glad all was ok for you and the wife.
 
I'm guessing that your reaction fits with the amount of time you've been in the "gun culture" and how much training you've had. The more you practice, the more you listen to those who've come before you, the better your responses will be. Another thing to consider ... once you're able to carry your gun legally, you'll have it with you and your focus can shift from getting it out from under a bunch of junk in your console to dealing with whatever threat you perceive. You did ok; you learned a lesson. Good luck ...
 
I have trained security officers in the distant past and train police officers now. One therory is we react as we train. You most likely never trained for such a situation. Don't beat yourself up over it, we can't train for every possible situation even though we try. One aspect to watch out for is tunnel vision. In an actual life or death situation you may focus on the immediate threat so much that you don't see the BG's partner. That is why I train officers to physically turn their heads to scan the area to see if there is another threat. It is difficult at times but when done correctly you may just survive multiple assailants. You have learned that you should have your gun on you whenever possible and to try to keep track of possible threats. The main thing is that you and your wife are safe. Good luck, enjoy those TVs and stay safe.
 
Nothing bad actually happened, so focus on taking away the positives. The best you can do is continually try to improve the way you do things.

Your learning and the way you do things will continue to evolve, even more so after you have the permit in hand.

Your mind is in the right place. You're better prepared than you were before, and that's never a bad thing.
 
Glad all was ok. But is it just me if people approached my car the last thing on my mind would be a gun. I would be thinking more where is my map in-case they needed directions.

Maybe its an American thing as i have asked before is it that bad that when someone approaches your car or house ect the first thing is where is my gun.

I live in N Ireland which is much better now. But in the past could be a very dangerous place to live. But even at the height of the terrorist murder campaign. If someone approached my car i would be more likely to go for my map than a gun.
 
manta49

In some places, yes it can be that bad.

In places where such an incident is not a concern, most folks have enough respect for your personal space to stay clear of you.

I never had an issue with someone approaching me at my vehicle in Alaska, from Kodiak to Valdez, Fairbanks, Ketchikan, Juneau, to Los Anchorage and everywhere in between. Never one issue in 4 years.

After 4 months in Michigan, I have confronted people approaching me with apparent ill-intent 5 times. Most were gas stations, a couple in major retailer parking lots. All ended without incident after using my company-commander bellow and aiming a hard look towards them. Alert people are not easy targets, most would-be evil-doers will move on to a weaker, easier threat.

Regardless of anything else, I carry everywhere I go. I'm too young to die, too old to take a beating; I'll just shoot you and let my lawyer settle it.
 
Some people aren't "hard wired" to go to the gun. It takes some time to become accustomed to having the resource and keeping it where it is accessible. I may not know where my cell phone is or which pocket it's in but I ALWAYS know where my pistol is(and it's usually within reach).
 
Lessons Learned

1) Not everyone is out to kill you. In fact, most people aren't. I know it's easy to forget that these days.

2) Learn to avoid sketchy situations, instead of reacting to them. You might have been better off leaving your wife inside Best Buy while you pulled the truck up to the front of the store. This way you'd avoid hauling expensive TVs through a darkening parking lot.
 
1) Not everyone is out to kill you. In fact, most people aren't. I know it's easy to forget that these days.

2) Learn to avoid sketchy situations, instead of reacting to them. You might have been better off leaving your wife inside Best Buy while you pulled the truck up to the front of the store. This way you'd avoid hauling expensive TVs through a darkening parking lot.

^this.

When I was stationed on the submarine, we drilled constantly for the worst-case scenarios. I left the military with the ability to keep my sh!t together in panic situations better than the average dude. But the training is what counts. Drill, drill, drill. Hope for the best, expect the worst.
 
Agreed, next time will leave the wife at the front of the store, go get the truck, pull it to the front, and load the merchandise. I thought of that immediately actually, even while we were walking to the truck with the merchandise...
 
How was I to know the difference between mendicant and armed assailant perhaps unitl they actually beat on my window asking for some change and even then???
 
I commend you for acknowledging you did not handle the situation in the best way. That part is good.

If you do not yet have your concealed carry permit, did you violate any laws by having a firearm on you or in your vehicle in the manner you described?

Where was your wife when you went to get out your firearm? IMO, you are putting too much security/emphasis on the firearm vs. avoiding possible situations when possible. If you are walking to a dark area of a parking lot with as you said "several TV's", you are not in a good situation. IMO, it would be better for your wife to to have stayed inside Best Buy with your TV's while you went out and drove your vehicle up the the loading/unloading area in front of the store to load your purchases.

I would suggest more training on how and when to draw/use a firearm and learn how to avoid possible situations when possible. Drawing or using a firearm when not necessary can be a very costly move.
 
Steelers,

Till your CCW comes in, carry pepper spray if it's legal. That and one of the new 'tactical' lights that are powerful enough to blind an assailant (like a Surefire G2X.)

And once your CCW is there, carry the weapon as much as you legally can. It's like a fire extinguisher or a first aid kit. Hope don't need it but it's there WHEN you need it.

Deaf
 
Steelers, everything you do is a learning experience. Take the lessons learned and carry on. You were in a situation that you felt could call for the need for self-defense, so you wanted your tool. When you found your tool, you realized the situation didn't call for you presenting it. Having your CCW and having the pistol concealed on your person would've automatically solved your situation. Then you could continue to load your TVs and "act cool", but have a plan to go to your self defense option if things went bad.

The most important thing to take away is this. Don't focus on the mistake you made. Look at it this way.

#1 I assume the gentlemen approaching you gave you a feeling that they could be up to no good. Turns out they were just trying to bum money, but you recognized that A: they were approaching you and B: they could have bad intention.

#2 I think this is by far the most important thing. You realized that you MAY be in a situation that would lead to you needing your firearm, but you recognized that it was inappropriate to present it or let anyone know that you had it at that time.

Carry that pistola everywhere you legally can when you get your permit. I wish every law abiding citizen in America CCW'd everywhere they went. My job would be much easier.
 
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