Very close call tonight!

[WhiteShadow]

So tonight, i decided to go over to my buddy's house to chill for a bit. He lives down the road from me, so instead of wasting gas, i decide to hoof it instead. I get ready, put my holster on, holster my Ruger P95 (15 in the magazine and one in the chamber), and walk out the door. Now, my friends house is about a 25 minute walk from my house, and a majority of it is pitch black at night, and theres not very many cars on this particular road. I also have to pass a bar/restaurant to get to my buddies house. Most of the walk is so dark at night that you cant even see your hand in front of your face.

Anyways, i get about half way to my buddy's house, and i'm approx. 500 feet from the bar, when i see about 7-8 guys, clearly coming from the bar, and have clearly been drinking, as i can hear them talking loudly and laughing. I am on the right side of the road, they are on the left side of the road, we're both going opposite directions, me going towards the bar, them walking away from the bar. The second i see them, i make sure and keep my right arm flush with my holstered gun, as to be prepared to draw in case shit hits the fan. As they are getting closer, i notice that their talking out loud and laughing totally stops and it appears that some of them are looking in my direction. This makes me a little nervous, because they go from talking loudly and laughing to staring in my direction and silent. I just keep walking and keep looking straight ahead. As they get almost parallel with me, i hear one of them yell, "Hey, whats going on man?". I just keep walking and dont say a word. They then ask the same thing one more time...again, i dont answer, keep my head looking forward, keep walking, all the while having my right arm flush against my concealed and holstered gun, prepared for the worst. After the second time of me not answering, i notice out of my peripheral vision, all of the guys except 1 start walking to my side of the road. As they get closer, i turn and face them. Then one yells, "Hey motherfucker, i asked you a goddamn question, now fucking answer me!". At this point i politely say, "listen man, i dont want any trouble". I then hear some of the other guys talking and the only thing i pick up is the comment, "Man, look at this motherfucker, i bet we could take him out easily".

At this point, i'm getting that all too familiar feeling that shits about to hit the fan. And sure enough, one of the guys starts walking towards me! He gets about 8 feet from me, i then decide to lift my shirt, reveal my gun, and put my hand on the grip, ready to draw at any second. I also firmly tell him "Dont come any closer!" The guy coming towards me, as well as the rest of the guys that came over towards my direction, must have seen the gun and my hand on it, because ALL of their body languages changed instantly. The guy coming towards me stops dead in his tracks, and the other guys start turning around and slowly walking back towards the other side of the road. Then the guy that was closest to me says "Hey, sorry man, i was just gonna ask you for directions". I tell him, "Just leave me alone, dude". He says "Thats cool man, sorry to bother you", then starts walking away.

Now, my adrenaline is starting to subside, and i continue to walk on, all the while still keeping the best situational awareness i can and constantly looking behind me and scanning. I keep walking and so do they, and i finally get to my buddy's house...safe and sound.

After i get to my buddy's house, it finally hits me that that could of been a very bad situation, as most of the guys in the group were pretty big. Now i'm a big guy myself (not fat, just tall and with a good amount of bulk, 6'4"/230lbs) but clearly, i stand no chance against 7-8 guys that are just as big as me and some bigger than me. I'm no Chuck Norris!

Anyway, i'm so thankful that i carry, because it was clear that if those guys didnt see that i was armed, they could of very well caused serious bodily harm to me, or even killed me, especially since they were drunk, and they were pretty aggressive when they talked to me.

I cant help but think that my handgun might of very well saved me from serious bodily harm or possibly death tonight. This is exactly why i carry absolutely everywhere i go.

Be safe out there guys and stay armed (thats if you have a LTCF)!

[matty70]

Glad all is well! Daily carry is a responsibility!

[xxthe_beastxx]

Be safe out there guys and stay armed (thats if you have a LTCF)!

Since you hoofed it to your friends house, you could have OCed. No LTCF required.

Anyways, great job on picking up the threat and dealing with it without shots fired. Hopefully those guys weren't drunk to the point that they forget the lesson they just learned.

[mikepro8]

Asking for directions. Riiiiiight.

[customloaded]

Interesting. We speak of training with firearms, trigger control, sight picture, sight alignment, breathing, retention, and hords of other stuff. My question is, why do we not train in verbal communications to deflect a scenario from happening to begin with?

Ignoring people when they are being friendly creates an anti-social climate and in this case, invited trouble to come to you. Its obvious these men were happy and enjoying themselves and then meet a "DICK" (you) and it pissed them off. Its not neighborly to ingore folks.

Were you outnumbered, absolutely but by who? The enemy? Or just some folks who felt you were being a jerkoff? One of the biggest defenses is a great offense. No one says your have to stop and have a beer but being open and cool is not a bad thing either. Acknowledge their greeting. Strike up a conversation as you walk by. They say, Hey dude, you say, whats up guys? Looks like you guys are having a good time. Them, yeah blah blah blah, join us? You, naw, I'm enroute to get laid at my g/f's house. Wish I could have a beer with ya but a man has his priorities. Their response, laughter and an understanding of another man. More than likely, that would have ended the situation and though your still in an alert condition, they are non the wiser and are at ease and relaxed and you part ways without a hick-up. If this does not work, your still gaining distance, still have your pistol etc...these guys being under the influence will not compute the situation that your gaining distance, you've thrown them off guard from being aggressive, and moved on with your life peacefully. You told them you were expected, on foot that means a short period of time, ie someone come looking for you etc...
I do realize you nor anyone else is under any obligation to speak to anyone at anytime but its been proven time and again that engaging in a good offense is a tremendous defense. Just some thoughts to digest...

[Tootie]

^ wise words and great advice


"Hey, whats going on man?" was their question, your answer could have been "going to my buds for some suds" or like customloaded said "going to my gals to get laid". Their response could have been "cool" for either one.

If there's one group that will become agitated by being ignored it is a group of drunk men. It gets their hackles up and their blood boiling. Better to jest with them and keep the encounter peaceful.


Good on keeping aware and staying safe with the way this scenario played out.

[MikeB0]

Interesting. We speak of training with firearms, trigger control, sight picture, sight alignment, breathing, retention, and hords of other stuff. My question is, why do we not train in verbal communications to deflect a scenario from happening to begin with?

...

Very good advice, avoiding the altercation is just as important as what to do when it starts.

Sometimes all it takes is a friendly acknowledgment of a potential threat to deflect it completely.

[338winmag]

i hear one of them yell, "Hey, whats going on man?". I just keep walking and dont say a word.

you could have easy avoided this situation by simply saying not much or some thing a long that line when he ask whats up instead of ignoring him.it tends to piss me off to when i ask someone a question and they ignore me for no reason.

[TaePo]

No, the advice is do not drink so much you lose self control.

The second lesson is leave sleeping dogs lie.

We are at liberty to engage or not engage at will. It is night time and not everyone is our friend. Maybe the man was deaf??

I think the pack realized their mistake. Being in a pack and drinking can lead to much false bravado.

8 feet is much too close BTW.

[338winmag]

No, the advice is do not drink so much you lose self control.

The second lesson is leave sleeping dogs lie.

We are at liberty to engage or not engage at will. It is night time and not everyone is our friend. Maybe the man was deaf??

I think the pack realized their mistake. Being in a pack and drinking can lead to much false bravado.

8 feet is much too close BTW.

why would you not want to avoid a situation like this if you can with just a simple response to a question.