Reciprocal of Parking Lot Thread

threegun said:
It is however not my duty to make anyone feel comfortable by changing my walk to accommodate their fear or concerns.
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I understand what you're saying, but let me give you another perspective.

From a long-ago post on another forum (http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=339247&postcount=52)

vertigo7 said:
An older lady (I'd guess 70's +) drew down on me at the local mall in broad daylight. I was walking out to my car after spending way too much in Sears, and she was about 40 feet in front of me. Suddenly she spun around with a snubnose revolver in her hands, yelled "I am in fear for my life, get back or I'll blast ya!" I looked around for the threat, found the lot empty except for the two of us and realized she meant me, then froze. She yelled at me (quite a good distance apart, mind) "Why are you following me?!" I pointed to the little red sportscar parked beside the older-model Cadillac she'd been walking towards, identified it as mine, and told her I'd be happy to grab some curb and sit motionless while she got into her car and went on her way. She decided it was a good deal, so I sat and waited. She put the gun into her bag, got into the car and slooowly drove off.

I reported it later, and the officer on duty groaned as soon as I described the situation.. apparently this lady is well-known in the department for similar misunderstandings.
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It sure seems to me that it's not a good thing to have a loaded gun pointed at you by a nervous or paranoid person, and that any little thing you can do to help avoid that happenstance might be worth doing.

It's not about babying them, or accommodating their fears. It's just about keeping yourself safe. Sure, if some twitchy old lady shoots you just for making her nervous, she'll end up in jail. But is that really going to fix your sucking chest wound?

pax
 
Pax, I agree but how do you know who is in fear? It seems that maintaining my own situational awareness is more important than the rare old bag with a gun and a misguided understanding of the law. Besides in keeping me and mine safe I rarely get close to others.

P.S. She should have been arrested. Especially since she is a repeat offender.
 
This may be an urban legend.

Happened in South Africa, an old lady goes to the parking lot and sees three young men in her car. She pulls her gun and orders them out of the car. They flee. She gets in and tries to start it. It won't start. She realizes that it is another car but the same model as hers.

She goes to the police station, feeling so bad, to confess. The Sarge cracks up as in another room, the three young men are reporting they were carjacked by a crazed old lady.
 
It seems that maintaining my own situational awareness is more important than the rare old bag with a gun and a misguided understanding of the law.
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Understood.

But I submit to you that maintaining your own situational awareness includes watching out for the rare old bag with a gun and a twitchy trigger finger. :)

YMMV of course!

pax
 
It's just about keeping yourself safe.
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Good point, I'd never thought of it like that before.

Now that I am, it surprises me that it didn't click sooner. After all, I was just reading a TFL thread not too long ago where a member recounted drawing on a person who approached too closely with a hand in a pocket. I sometimes walk with my hand in my pocket--I'll bet that others here do as well...
 
oh 'ell

If I'm walking late at night I will intentionally cross a street so as not to freak out a single woman walking toward me on my side.

Chicks are FAR better at situational awareness than men.
 
"Now that I am, it surprises me that it didn't click sooner. After all, I was just reading a TFL thread not too long ago where a member recounted drawing on a person who approached too closely with a hand in a pocket. I sometimes walk with my hand in my pocket--I'll bet that others here do as well..."

I had that happen to me walking into a gun shop. clerk drew his gun when I walked into the store with my hands in my pockets.

Apparently, the store was closed and anyone walking in 20 min. before the store opened without their hands visible is perceived as a threat. I didn't mean to scare the poor old guy, but it would help if the store didn't have the door open, all the lights on, and the "yes, we're OPEN" sign in the window...
 
I sometimes walk with my hand in my pocket--I'll bet that others here do as well...
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*sheepishly raises hand*

Yes, I walk around all the time with my hands in my pockets. Usually that means that the right one is resting on a .380 and the left one on a CRKT folder.

I can see it now, Twitchy grandma holes me in the chest and I go down. Hands flop loosely out of pockets with gun in one and knife in the other.

My luck it gets written up as a good shoot........:eek:
 
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