I've drawn but haven't had to fire. A man cut me off trying to make a left turn from the right hand lane and didn't make it. He proceeded to get out of his car with a souvenir baseball bat that you get at ball games. I remained in my car and unholstered my gun while looking for a way to drive off. I was blocked in by the car behind me and the attacker's car in front. Calling the police was one thought, but my immediate safety was at the forefront. As he approached the car I brought up my gun and aimed through the window. He saw the gun and proceeded to rush back to his car and drive off through the light.
Rage was my first response to being cut off. Natural reaction to get angry when someone nearly takes you out trying to make an illegal turn like that. Fear was my next when he got out of the car because I had no idea what he'd bring with him. After that it's hard to say. My pulse was racing, my mind was blank, and I was letting training take over. Once he left I realized I was crushing the grip on my gun and reholstered. I pulled over, took a deep breath to calm down, and let the adrenaline ease off. I called 911 to report the incident as best I could.
I have combat training but haven't been in a firefight, and I'm a pretty good shot by all accounts. I was definitely afraid at first for a number of reasons. Mainly because I didn't have a way out except through him and I didn't know what he'd do. After he presented himself as an actual threat fear wore off and my training took over. What I wasn't afraid of was pulling the trigger, if only because I had plenty of mental preparation on that through training. That being said, I was more relieved than anything that I didn't have to pull the trigger.
If I learned anything, it's train yourself for worst case scenarios, physically and mentally. Try and figure a way out of the situation if possible, but be prepared to draw and fire if you must. Get familiar with the what ifs and train your mind to respond accordingly. Be ready to pull the trigger if it's down to it, but also be ready to stop and deescalate if you're able to safely.