Ever had a self defense encounter?

[SCBaldr]

"Sir, I can see you are shaken, and I understand that, but could you please keep from fidgeting around in your pockets, for all I know you may have another weapon in there and I would hate to see one of us get hurt if you accidentally discharge it."

That's pretty much exactly how it went, with this addition. "I know you're cold, but your making me nervous when you keep putting your hands in and out of your pockets. You can put your hands in there all you want if you're willing to let me see what's in them so I can be sure there's nothing thats going to hurt me in there."

Thats how it happened with me and thats how I would do it if I was responding to that situation. I fail to see how that is automatically treating an almost victim like a suspect.

[The_War_Wagon]

Here's the writeup - from the June 1996 issue of Combat Handguns ("Caught in a Paking Lot Riot!"). This was the second - and LAST time (to date), that I've felt the need to draw. I'd be just as happy if it were the LAST, but I am prepared otherwise...

[Totez]

I had the misfortune to get unintentionally involved in a situation that very likely could have ended my life at a very young age.

I was at a highschool football game after school one evening and towards the end of the game a group of hispanic thugs decided to take offense at my having a wallet with money in it potentially. I was surrounded by maybe five or six of them with at least the one in front of me brandishing a knife (So much for zero tolerance school policies!)

Luckily I managed to talk my way into distracting them enough so that I could get out of the circle. After that I took refuge in the school building proper and found the only person on staff in the building at the time, the janitor, and had him call the police as my cellphone has unfortunately broken earlier that day and I was without it.

I count myself blessed to have escaped with my life that night. There was a police officer on staff at the football game and he did nothing (admittedly no fault of his own as he was the only one there and likely was in a whole other area at the time) and I was left alone. No one seemed to notice either that there was a large circle of people around a singular person and found that fishy.... I will never attend another school function for the rest of my life unless it is during the day and I have no other choice (kid's whatever, when I have kids.) because I cannot go armed. I despise the laws that make our schools unsafe by making them gun-free zones. Had I had a firearm (granted, I was too young anyways) I may have been able to end things a lot sooner and with less risk to myself.

So that's my wish I had a gun at that time that I needed it story.

[harold63]

I take the 5th.

[39flathead]

<snip>

I will never attend another school function for the rest of my life unless it is during the day and I have no other choice (kid's whatever, when I have kids.) because I cannot go armed. I despise the laws that make our schools unsafe by making them gun-free zones. Had I had a firearm (granted, I was too young anyways) I may have been able to end things a lot sooner and with less risk to myself.

So that's my wish I had a gun at that time that I needed it story.

http://forum.pafoa.org/concealed-ope...nsylvania.html

You may be able to carry at a school if you are there for a "lawful purpose" as there seems to be a loophole written into the law.

Not legal advice, that is up to you to decide if you wish to take the chance at being the first test case in the courts.

IINAL and YMMV

[harold63]

To War Wagon:

Cool post. I couldn't pick up the quotes, but neat, just the same.

[rwb1500]

For the sake of discussion, I was once approached by a group of unsavory characters, things escalated, and I moved to draw my firearm. I was wearing a strong side thumb break holster (I happen to have a picture of the exact gun and holster...)




I pushed my cover garment away, and slammed the can of cream soda I happened to be holding to the ground then placed my hand on my firearm, unsnapping the thumb break.

That deescalated things pretty quickly.

[c_brutsche]

I have been carrying various pistols/revolvers for the past three years and as of yet never had a situation where I even thought about drawing, but for ease of mind I always carry outside of work. My wife always asks me do you really need that to go to the store, etc.? I always answer with one reply. The time I don't bring it that is when I will need it

Just my 0.02

[leplat]

Back when I was 17, I worked for walmart, and one day while I was driving to work, I stripped a destributor gear. Sigh. Damn gear(73 dart). I had just cashed my WM check and side job check with all the money in my wallet. That in on its self is dumb. So I called a tow and sat there waiting. Bad part of hagerstown md, but had no other choice. In fact a week later there was a double homicide on this street. Two guys walked up to me and one asked for money. Told me he wanted to buy some speakers. It was clearly more of a demand. I reached in my pocket opening my knife, in case. My responce was simple and worked like a charm. "Dude I drive a old car thats broken down and work at walmart. I have no money". He eyed me up a min more and replyed ur right cya.

[39flathead]

Back when I was 17, I worked for walmart, and one day while I was driving to work, I stripped a destributor gear. Sigh. Damn gear(73 dart). I had just cashed my WM check and side job check with all the money in my wallet. That in on its self is dumb. So I called a tow and sat there waiting. Bad part of hagerstown md, but had no other choice. In fact a week later there was a double homicide on this street. Two guys walked up to me and one asked for money. Told me he wanted to buy some speakers. It was clearly more of a demand. I reached in my pocket opening my knife, in case. My responce was simple and worked like a charm. "Dude I drive a old car thats broken down and work at walmart. I have no money". He eyed me up a min more and replyed ur right cya.

I was sitting in my pickup one day waiting for my girlfriend to come out of the store when a guy walks over to my door, I had the window halfway down, he comes to within about 4 inches of the truck.
I had already retrieved my Ruger from the door pocket.
He says he has run out of gas and that he was just laid off from the mines and can't get unemployment yet, ect... well seeing as how we were in southern WV and the mines are booming down there, I found this a bit "odd". He asks if I had a couple of bucks, I said nope, only an ex-wife, a debit card and this new hat I just got last week when I bought a new .45.
He looks at my SIG hat and says, yeah, ok, thanks then...walks off and gets in his car, then drives away.