It happened: I was forced to pull my firearm on someone for the first time

[danp]

The Story

I was walking to my girlfriends house. After about 2 blocks I noticed 3 people walking behind me (which is nothing unusual, it is a busy part of the city.) After 2 more blocks I had moved into a less trafficked area and they were still following me and getting closer. It became obvious they were speeding up so at that point I put my hand on my belt for quick access if necessary and sped up my pace.

About 1 block from my girlfriend's house I hear them start to jog/run at which point I turned around to see how far away they were. At this point one of the teenagers was about 5 feet away sparking a stun gun in a taunting matter. That is when I drew my Glock 26 (pointed more towards the ground than the kid.) This turn of events was more than enough for them to realize that continuing this encounter was a losing proposition and scatter like the cockroaches they were.

The Aftermath

Called 911 and reported the incident. They 911 operator was very nice about the whole situation and seemed most interested in making sure I didn't shoot anyone. I explained that my 2 reasons for calling were to

1. Get the incident on record (I'd rather be the first call in)
2. To make sure these kids don't find an easier victim who can't protect themselves.

The one thing I was very surprised was at no point did they ever send a police car to my girlfriends house. I was amazed at how little they seemed to care about the entire situation.

Final Thoughts

1. I am very, very glad I did not have to shoot a teenager.
2. I am very, very upset that these scumbags will probably hurt someone who, unlike me, will not have the means to protect themselves.
3. While the adrenaline was pumping, I was very surprised how clear my head stayed. I did not get tunnel vision, I remained very calm, and I felt in control of the situation 100%.
4. I strongly believe that the above is due to my situational awareness. I became aware that these people were behind me 3 blocks prior, and began to feel something was not right a good block and a half prior. I situated myself to be able to respond and I already had a course of action planned out in my head. When I saw the stun gun, I was not surprised and already had my hand in a position that would allow for quick access to my firearm. This enabled me to respond quickly and according to my preset plan.

Moving Forward

I am planning to write an editorial about this incident in the Philadelphia Inquirer if they will accept it. It will tie in nicely with the Heller decision about why handguns are important, especially for self-defense in urban environments. It will also illustrate the true problem in this city: Scumbags running around believing they can attack random people for no reason.

[PA Rifleman]

Glad to hear it went well for you, and no one was hurt. Sounds like you handled it well.

[Lycanthrope]

No blood...no foul.


Everyone learns something.



Lycancouldabeenworsethrope

[TonyF]

Good for you Dan.

Originally Posted by danp

While the adrenaline was pumping, I was very surprised how clear my head stayed. I did not get tunnel vision, I remained very calm, and I felt in control of the situation 100%.

I strongly believe that the above is due to my situational awareness. I became aware that these people were behind me 3 blocks prior, and began to feel something was not right a good block and a half prior. I situated myself to be able to respond and I already had a course of action planned out in my head. When I saw the stun gun, I was not surprised and already had my hand in a position that would allow for quick access to my firearm. This enabled me to respond quickly and according to my preset plan.

This is why "Mindset" is usually always the determining factor that wins gunfights.

Outstanding.

[Michele]

Wow!
Could have been much much worse!
In a strange way, you saved their lives tonight.
Good job keeping a cool head.

[Chevmeister]

Well handled, now someone can step in and say how you should have done it differently.

Just on the record, i think ya did good. Noone was attacked, and noone was killed. Only thing that could be better is if they get caught.

[danp]

Originally Posted by Chevmeister

Only thing that could be better is if they get caught.

I sincerely hope they do catch these kids, because eventually they are going to stalk someone who can't defend themselves. At that point we'll have another dead body like the guy who got beat to death in the subway and the college student who got shot in the neck for his iPod.

I still truly believe that for the average person not living in a drug infested neighborhood, this city is safe.

[headcase]

First, glad you are unharmed and ok with how you acted. Some people would be freaked that they were forced to pull their weapon. Second, damn fine job I hope the paper prints your article.

[knighthawk06699]

You where on point and did well. I am very proud of you just another situation where a handgun saved a life, in this instance 4. Always alert, always armed, cause you just never know. Now if those kids hurt someone else I would make damn sure that everyone knows about how the police were warned and had knowledge of these kids and still they did nothing.

[4XLT]

well hell Dan i'm glad everything turned out ok.

i agree with he situational awareness being key , it is something i am working on daily for myself and trying to teach my son and step girl..

hopefully these kids will either learn the lesson you taught them tonight or get apprehended quickly!