Real life experience self defense stories

[f44life]

God forbid you would need to use your gun on anyone or even have to show it to deter a theft or crime....

If its not to emotional or overwhelming could anyone please post what happened and how you handled it neither be shots fired/close call/or just showing the assilant you are loaded...

Thanks

[f44life]

here is a nice youtube example many of you havent seen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEHf2c-8sRc&feature=fvw part1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBTweyjrvrw&feature=channel part2

[PaiN]

f44, thanks for links, I'm glad H4T decided to tell his story.
However, I have seen very few people willing to discuss their real life situation in an open public forums.
Not to thread crap, but if you are considering posting your SD situation I urge you too think long and hard before doing so.

[jlottmc]

Gotta agree with PaiN there. I have been through some stuff like you want, both in and out of the military. All times have I been debriefed and learned what I could do better should I be there again. I have yet to be there again, as every time is different. Just don't think this is a good place for those kinds of stories.

[f44life]

i understand yet i dont.....your stories so do what you feel is right...if i had something happen i would share it....but hey im an open book

[kahrseye]

A police officer friend of mine once told me that if i got into a fight (the other person was the aggressor) and even if I won, to always call the police and file charges against the other person.....can stop many other problems from occuring.

[BobR]

Yup.

Be the first to call 911

State you were attacked

Point out any evdence the police might miss

State that you will file the complaint

Tell the officers you will give them a full statement after you consult your lawyer.

Those are the 5 basic rules.

[ltxi]

God forbid you would need to use your gun on anyone or even have to show it to deter a theft or crime....

If its not to emotional or overwhelming could anyone please post what happened and how you handled it neither be shots fired/close call/or just showing the assilant you are loaded...

Thanks

Hey, I'd be happy to share....but are you really sure you want to get me all cranked up again? :)

[f44life]

what if you dont have a lawyer? ive never been in a accident in my life, a divorvce, or dated a pycho broad.

[f44life]

sure, sometimes retelling it may relieve sum hidden pressure....i dont know.

[MikeyKahr]

Great list, BobR. Thanks for posting it.


Yup.

Be the first to call 911

State you were attacked

Point out any evdence the police might miss

State that you will file the complaint

Tell the officers you will give them a full statement after you consult your lawyer.

Those are the 5 basic rules.

[kahrseye]

what if you dont have a lawyer? ive never been in a accident in my life, a divorvce, or dated a pycho broad.


Gee, you must be a youngin. I've had multiples of those situations you listed. :eek:

[f44life]

im 24

[BobR]

I cannot take credit for what I posted, It is on the flashcard the US COncealed Carry Association hands out to every member, and it was written down originally by Massad Ayoob. I did forget the part about pointing out any witnesses to the police, before they dissapear.

You should consider joining the association, as they have a support network of lawyers, with referal cards, for locations throughout the country. Most people do not retain lawyers, but hire them at need. I have a cousin who is a lawyer who can give me competant advice about contract law in Massachusetts, but defending a person in a possible criminal case is very specialized.

You are currently prepared/are preparing to defend your life when Freddy the Felon tries to take it from you, but you should also prepare to defend your life *after* such an event as a self-defense shooting, should , God forbid, such a thing ever occur to you.

[ltxi]

what if you dont have a lawyer? ive never been in a accident in my life, a divorvce, or dated a pycho broad.

BobR makes a very good point and one I didn't really think about until you asked that question....because it's another thing that's second nature. I believe anyone who carries a lethal weapon, or even simply has one at hand for defense in their home, should make sure they have short notice access to a competent attorney; preferably but not essentially criminal. This applies not only to armed citizens but to professionals (who mostly already know this) as well.

A second comment is that anything that Massad Ayoob has to say wrt the mechanics and legal ramifications of self defense is well worth listening to...quite likely above the opinions of anyone else. I've been following his writings on the subject of lethal force since he began in the '70s; when I also lived in the "Live Free Or Die" state. I don't always fully agree with his advice, but I do take it to heart and recognize that I disagree at my own peril.

[ltxi]

sure, sometimes retelling it may relieve sum hidden pressure....i dont know.

Nah, j/k. Nothing of significant value that would help anyone and I'm past not being able to sleep at night.

Fwiw, I do appreciate your search for "grounding". I didn't do/have that at your age. Would have helped.

[JLeephoto]

OK - I've got one, and it's been years so I guess no harm in posting and some definite lesson's learned. This happened it what would be considered a very safe old neighborhood in a small town in the south. I had a CCW permit and had taken a few defensive pistol courses.
My dog, a young lab, awoke me barking at 0 dark 30 one night. I didn't think much of it, but my wife was as skittish as the dog and insisted I take my weapon and investigate. So, I go stumbling through my house with my Glock 26 in hand, and as I pass the car port I hear a loud noise. I don't really remember making the decision to open the door but I suddenly found myself standing on the steps of my carport with my weapon pointed squarely at the "FUBU" logo of the sweatshirt of a large man who was crouched at the bumper of my wife's car about 20 ft. away. Then my mind went into over drive. I was screaming at him to get down, or something to that effect. According to my wife, I was quite loud, and at that point she started dialing 911. I remember thinking that if he moves towards me, shoot, can't let him get in this house.. if he runs, let him go and to WATCH HIS HANDS. I couldn't see any sort of weapon but was completely focused on his hands which were balled at his side.

Then, he really surprised me, by running around the driver side of the vehicle, putting the car between us. I almost pulled the trigger then when I lost sight of his hands, but suddenly it hit me like a ton of bricks that HE HAS COVER, I DON'T. Furthermore, I was standing in a doorway, backlit. I immediately jumped behind the door frame. There was about a 2 beat with me trying to think what to do, when I heard the car crank, screeching tires, smoke, and he burns it in reverse out of the carport! I checked the keyholder inside the door and both sets of our keys were there.

Now I'm beginning to shake, but I slam & lock the door, take the phone from my wife and give the police a description of the perp and the direction he left in. Then I called my father who lived close by. I asked him to drive by the house and make sure there were no accomplices in the vicinity. (NOW I THINK OF THAT):mad:.

My father beat the police to my house and called me from his cell to ask if I had left or given chase. I told him no, and he asked where MY truck was? I told him it should be parked on the street, and he said that it was gone too! So there WAS an accomplice, and they got both vehicles.

When the police arrived, they found a crowbar in the driveway. The officer that took my statement couldn't believe that I didn't at least "try to shoot out the tires," and stated he would have shot the man as it was a felony in progress.
I am confident that holding my fire is something I did right, perhaps the only thing I did right.
I knew better, and had been trained not to confront a threat to my property, but to hole up in a "safe room" and protect my family. There's just to much that can go wrong like being blindsided by an accomplice, which turned out to be a very real threat. I put myself in an extremely dangerous position, and am fortunate it worked out as it did. I still don't know why I opened that door, maybe some kind of deeply ingrained stupid southern machismo. I hope I would do better if it ever happened again.

The police did spot the fleeing vehicle and gave chase into a wooded area that was evidently the rendezvous point because my truck was there as well. The perps got away on foot as the police were unwilling have a foot chase in the woods after dark without backup. I don't blame them. The vehicles were recovered with only minor scratches. It turns out, they had used our spare keys that were stashed on our back bumpers in magnetic key boxes. That's what the guy was doing crouched at the back bumper. Another lesson learned.

I have had one other "real life" experience as a concealed carrier where I at the last minute I found a way to retreat without shots fired but that will have to wait for another time.
Be Safe. JLee

[kahrseye]

JLee, I think you did the right thing. I can't believe the bg still stole your vehicle after you put a gun on him. I would have thought he'd get outta there as fast as possible without giving you a reason to pull the trigger. If this situation happened here in PA I wouldn't have shot either. In PA you must feel there is an eminent threat of serious bodily injury or death before you use lethal force. Thanks to our great (NOT) governor rendell, our Castle bill was shot down. Hopefully the new republican Gov. will sign it into law. It will definitely change the rules for carry in our state.

[mr. bggs]

when i turned 21 i was going to a store and thought id take my new glock 17 for a ride with me. just for fun more than anything else and wasn't thinking about anything unusual when i decided to throw it on the passenger seat. the neighborhood was ok, going down in the past few years but being a local, i figured that it wasn't gonna be a big deal. when i got to the store there were 3 bums outside. 2 guys and a woman. when i got to the door i noticed a no concealed handguns sticker that only seems to be posted on the doors of buildings i go to when im carrying. so with a wtf, i turned around passing the bums again to put my glock back in the car, not a good feeling trying to stash a full-size glock when 3 people watching you. anyways i did and went inside. what are the odds right? i used to have a habit after leaving a store of throwing my pennies on the ground outside. it helps make little kids lives interesting. idk, maybe i just didn't want them anymore. so im walking out of the store and as im walking to my car, im looking down flicking the pennies from my hand that still had change in it. as i walk past the bums one man yells " ****, i want some money". i turned and looked at him and laughed a little and kept walking, then i hear "hey mutha******, im talking to you!" i knew at this point that getting to the car was a good idea and i sped up. right when i got to the car, i hear "f*** this mutha******, give me my knife" i immediately went into overdrive, i dropped my bag, opened my door and pulled out my glock, i turned around with it in my hand. i never pointed it anywhere but down. the man who was now walking toward me with something in his hand(who now appeared to be about 6'4) saw what i had and stopped. he dropped the knife and put his hands up. "aw man i was just playing" i remember telling them i didn't have time for this ****. i don't know why, but it felt like i should say something so that's what came out. i jumped in my car and pulled straight thru with my glock on my lap, as i left i saw him pick up his knife and run away. that's the end. i know i should have called the police and maybe even took his knife away but all i could think was i wanna get the hell outta here right now! i have been back to that store 50 times at least since then and have never had another problem. it just goes to show that it can happen anywhere at anytime and being prepared can keep you and the ones you love safe. just having the gun kept the man from doing something that would have changed both of our lives forever. i saved the receipt from that day and look at it from time to time. funny thing is. i used my last $20 to buy $18.97 worth of groceries. he would have either lost his life or killed a guy at the store over $1.03. hope this helps someone who is trying to decide if they really need a gun or not. truth is you will never know until you do need it. might as well spend a little time getting a gun and learning to use it properly to defend yourself and the ones around you.

[Bawanna]

Good story Mr. Bggs, things happen fast in scenarios like that and it sounds like you did very well.

I would not have given the no concealed guns sign notice. It would have gone with me or I would have not gone to the store.

It's their store and they have the right to post and enforce that sign but I have a tendency to ignore laws that put me in danger.

Oviously, places that run you thru a metal detector I'm just not gonna go. I don't fly, I did do a cruise very nervously for a week but theres no getting around it.

[Dietrich]

I had to shoot and kill a vicious dog about a year ago but thank God I`ve never had to actually threaten someone with a gun before.There was a situation in which I actually had the firearm in my hand,at the ready,but never had to point it at the BG or even let him know I had it.The situation defused itself.My chest began to hurt afterward `cause I was so scared,I reckon.

[JLeephoto]

The second real life situation I found myself in almost convinced me to quit carrying altogether, but again taught some real lessons and thus worthy of discussion I think.
I was driving near the beach one night when I got a phone call that was of a very serious and distracting nature. So, I pulled over into a public beach parking lot to continue this very emotional discussion. My situational awareness was evidently completely zero because out of no where a very disturbed individual reached through my car window, grabbed me by the collar with one hand and hit me with the other. The cell phone went flying. He started screaming obscenities about finally finding me as he tried to drag me through the open window. I'd never seen the guy before in my life but his eyes were wild, just going crazy. It was surreal and I was completely unnerved. I'm trying to fight him off with one hand and groping around in the car for a hand hold to keep from being pulled out. I had a Colt Commander on my right hip and all I could think is that if this guy got me out and on the ground, he might get my weapon. I could draw on him but as crazy as he was, I might be forced to shoot! All these thoughts were going through my head in what felt like minutes but must have been less than a few seconds. When I released my right hand from the gear shift I was holding to reach for my weapon, he managed to pull me up enough that my foot started slipping off the clutch! That's when I finally realized, the truck was in gear, and my foot was on the clutch! I popped the clutch and spun out of the parking lot with this guy holding onto my window seal. He was dragged for a moment and I registered another man shouting something from the sidewalk about my hurting his friend. The last sight I had was of my attacker laying in the gravel lot with his friend running towards him.
What scared me so much, was that in a normal fist fight, I would have stood a good chance of coming out on top and walking away, but having a pistol on my hip, changed the whole ball game.
Lessons? Situational awareness, obviously and having more tools in the kit to deal with less than lethal situations.

[f44life]

Thanks guys for posting your stories...keep it up!

[apheod]

this october, some ******* kicked in my door while i was at work and stole a sawed off ex police 870 wingmaster with a surefire slide, and an HK p2000 9mm. saw roughly 20k worth of home theater and audio equipment just sitting around, although much of it was heavy, so he seems to have just taken what he could carry, my 2 weapons. he did leave what i thought to be 3 or 4 decent sets of prints on the tv, seemed to have been fiddling with it before noticing the HK under the couch, then trashed the rest of the house to find the 12 gauge.

as soon as the police left my house that night, i started moving all of my electronics out of the house and over to my parents, and as soon as the stores opened, i purchased a new HK p2000 9mm so i would have a familiar weapon i'd spent years training with, if i needed one. i've been carrying concealed and regularly shooting since 2007.

4 days after the burglary, as i'm pulling up to the house to pack up another load (i moved out) i catch a shady looking thug walking out of the gate to my fenced in backyard/detached garage/back door area. i stop the truck, ask him real police if he's looking for someone, he tells me jason, i asked if jason lives there, he says yes, i asked how long, and he tells me 2 months ago. i've lived there for quite a bit longer than that so i stepped out of my truck, drew my weapon and told him to get the **** on the ground, face down. i was pretty excited with all the adrenaline, but managed to remain relatively calm, i remember looking him dead in the face as soon as the gun came out to determine if he was a threat, but he almost pissed his pants, went straight into the dirt crying about how he's just looking for his homeboy and "why i gotta do him like this"

i called the cops and they were there in about 2 minutes, the kid had 2 prior burglaries, had kicked and pried the hell out of my back door (it was well boarded up with a heavy desk in front of it) dropped the prybar in my backyard, however there is apparently no "attempted burglary" charge in the state of kansas and the only thing they could charge him with was "criminal damage," basically vandalism since it was under 1000 damage. he was also a 17 yr old juvenile, so they released him 4 hours later to go home and dispose of my weapons.

the police apparently didnt think it prudent to attempt to search "homeboy's" house for my rather expensive weapons, charge him with a felony, or even let the detectives working the prior week case know what happened. a few days after this, the burglary detective calls me, asking if i have any idea who might have broken into my house last week. i replied "how about the clown i caught trying to break in a couple days ago? good suspect, in my amateur opinion" but they had no idea what i was talking about and after looking into it, informed me the cases "had not been electronically linked"

17 yr olds with felony records and known gang affiliations possessing high end pistols and sawed off police shotguns is not a priority to the wichita pd. in fact, if you catch the guy, they make sure he has ample opportunity to get rid of the weapons. god bless america.

[f44life]

"4 days after the burglary, as i'm pulling up to the house to pack up another load (i moved out) i catch a shady looking thug walking out of the gate to my fenced in backyard/detached garage/back door area. i stop the truck, ask him real police if he's looking for someone, he tells me jason, i asked if jason lives there, he says yes, i asked how long, and he tells me 2 months ago. i've lived there for quite a bit longer than that so i stepped out of my truck, drew my weapon and told him to get the **** on the ground, face down"

I dont agree with your move on that part....if i was in my truck i would of drove off and called the police. That was a vigalante move there...and if that guy did draw on you and you had to kill him im sure there would be charges against you of some sort because you left your vehicle and investigated the situation putting you in a manner that could put your life or his life in jeapordy.....hey but its over your still alive

[BobR]

"4 days after the burglary, as i'm pulling up to the house to pack up another load (i moved out) i catch a shady looking thug walking out of the gate to my fenced in backyard/detached garage/back door area. i stop the truck, ask him real police if he's looking for someone, he tells me jason, i asked if jason lives there, he says yes, i asked how long, and he tells me 2 months ago. i've lived there for quite a bit longer than that so i stepped out of my truck, drew my weapon and told him to get the **** on the ground, face down"

I dont agree with your move on that part....if i was in my truck i would of drove off and called the police. That was a vigalante move there...and if that guy did draw on you and you had to kill him im sure there would be charges against you of some sort because you left your vehicle and investigated the situation putting you in a manner that could put your life or his life in jeapordy.....hey but its over your still alive

It depends on the State in which he lives, as to wether he was inside, or debatably not within the law at the time.

If he has castle doctrine in his state, he would probably be OK. New Hampshire does not have Castle Doctrine per say, however, there is no requirement to retreat in ones home or curtilage.

[olympicmotorcars]

I will make this the condensed version, as I posted it on another forum a few weeks ago.

A few weeks ago I drove up to my house and there was a strange car sitting in the driveway with the engine running , (it was nighttime). My 23 year old daughter was out with friends and my wife (in the car with me) thought it might be them. The car pulled out of our driveway when they saw I was waiting to pull in. At that point we could see it was 2 strange men in the car. I pulled into the driveway and into the garage, the car then pulled into the driveway behind us about 20 feet back blocking us in. I told my wife to stay in the car (at this point I switched to high alert) I got out of the car, and turned toward them slightly keeping my right side pointed away from them. Their doors opened and they both got out and started approaching me. At this point I untucked my shirt and put my hand on my PM 40 which ( was still sheilded from them) and asked them what I could do for them. I did not think my actions telegraphed that I was carrying a gun, but I was wrong. The 2 men immediately stopped and said they were looking for =====. My neighbors first name but they got the last name wrong. I asked if it was about a car (he works on cars on the side and has a shop behind his house). One of the men said "no it is about MY WIFE. " He asked several other questions about my neighbor but only had partial information about him. I told them finally I could not help him and they politely left. A few minutes later my daughter and her girlfriend pulled up.

I am sure my untucking my shirt and keeping my hand behind my hip immediately diffused what might have been a very unpleasant situation.
My wife ( who up until now has not been very supportive of me carrying ) said she was glad I had it that night and has not questioned me since.

Fellows it can happen anywhere, even in your own home in a nice neighborhood.

[apheod]

in kansas if you catch someone in the commission of a felony you're ok to use force, but not deadly force. kansas definition of force includes producing your weapon.

i believed him to be in commission of a felony, because i assumed it would be an attempted burglary, and also had good reason to suspect he commited the prior week burglary. the police filed no charges, allowed me to walk around and inside the house uncuffed, cracked jokes on the suspect with me, and gave me my weapon back a few minutes later.

[apheod]

i'm not sure that includes EVERY felony, for instance i doubt you'd be legal to throw down on some ******* selling crack to kids. but for anything involving a realistic threat of bodily harm/death against you or someone around you, stopping someone from stealing what you have on you, as long you're protecting legal property, or protecting your home/vehicle, you're fine.

mine may have been a bit of a grey area since they charged him with a misdemeanor criminal damage, but i think anyone reviewing the case would agree i had cause to suspect him having a weapon and being a possible threat.

that said, you're right, i could have driven off and played it safe, but my thought process was basically "this ******* has my weapons + iwb holster, he could easily be packing, is ballsy enough to try to rob a house of a gun owner twice, but i want my weapons back. keep him here until the cops get here and protect yourself"

i admit it was an emotional decision, i was definitely angry, had a few words with the punk, but had 911 on the line as soon as he was on the ground.

on the bright side, it revived my interest in firearms and CCW tenfold, i'm shooting much more and better than i ever used to, and before i always just had the HK p2000 for ccw. now i have another p2000 that i shoot idpa with, and a pm9 i've been shooting like i stole the last week. i studied up on the laws, my rights, and have been taking classes on home defense/ccw tactics.

it made me reconsider the responsibility of CCW, saw the mistakes i made in that situation. i had gotten to the point with my hk a couple years back that i figured i was "good enough" and would only make bi-annual range trips. up until the time it was stolen, i barely trained and would have been even less prepared than i was 4 days after the first burglary. i still have a lot of learning to do, but thats what we're all here for :)

[Jeremiah/Az]

Not me, my ex. She works in a hospital & gets off at 11:00 PM. We lived in a very rural area, no neighbors within a mile then. We were about a mile off the paved road & the last mile just a 2 track that only leads to this place. At least 3 males followed her from the pavement, very closely, turning their lights on & off. Of course, I find this out later. They come past the barn, right up to the house, of which I had turned the flood lights on, as I always did. When she exited her truck, she had her SS model 60 in her hand for them to see. There was a great doughnut in the gravel driveway that I saw the next morning. She had a cell phone & I asked why she didn't call me. She said that she was so scared that she didn't even think about it!

[f44life]

i'm not sure that includes EVERY felony, for instance i doubt you'd be legal to throw down on some ******* selling crack to kids. but for anything involving a realistic threat of bodily harm/death against you or someone around you, stopping someone from stealing what you have on you, as long you're protecting legal property, or protecting your home/vehicle, you're fine.

mine may have been a bit of a grey area since they charged him with a misdemeanor criminal damage, but i think anyone reviewing the case would agree i had cause to suspect him having a weapon and being a possible threat.

that said, you're right, i could have driven off and played it safe, but my thought process was basically "this ******* has my weapons + iwb holster, he could easily be packing, is ballsy enough to try to rob a house of a gun owner twice, but i want my weapons back. keep him here until the cops get here and protect yourself"

i admit it was an emotional decision, i was definitely angry, had a few words with the punk, but had 911 on the line as soon as he was on the ground.

on the bright side, it revived my interest in firearms and CCW tenfold, i'm shooting much more and better than i ever used to, and before i always just had the HK p2000 for ccw. now i have another p2000 that i shoot idpa with, and a pm9 i've been shooting like i stole the last week. i studied up on the laws, my rights, and have been taking classes on home defense/ccw tactics.

it made me reconsider the responsibility of CCW, saw the mistakes i made in that situation. i had gotten to the point with my hk a couple years back that i figured i was "good enough" and would only make bi-annual range trips. up until the time it was stolen, i barely trained and would have been even less prepared than i was 4 days after the first burglary. i still have a lot of learning to do, but thats what we're all here for :)

Crazy how fast you have to make a split decision with your adrenaline pumping. I prolly would of did the same. Plus on here we have time to think and i wasnt exactly in your shoes so...learn something new everyday:cool:

[f44life]

Not me, my ex. She works in a hospital & gets off at 11:00 PM. We lived in a very rural area, no neighbors within a mile then. We were about a mile off the paved road & the last mile just a 2 track that only leads to this place. At least 3 males followed her from the pavement, very closely, turning their lights on & off. Of course, I find this out later. They come past the barn, right up to the house, of which I had turned the flood lights on, as I always did. When she exited her truck, she had her SS model 60 in her hand for them to see. There was a great doughnut in the gravel driveway that I saw the next morning. She had a cell phone & I asked why she didn't call me. She said that she was so scared that she didn't even think about it!
:D girl powa

[Jeremiah/Az]

One more for you. I pulled into a Circle K to get a cold drink when I was working with my driverside window down. A grubby barefoot guy walked by my truck like he was going to another vehicle. He suddenly stopped & stuck his arms & head in my window, way in! He's right in my face! He said," Give me some change!" I had a snuff can on the seat that I put my change in & a .357 right beside it. Do I chance shooting him under the chin? He has no weapon! Can he grab the gun if I try? I'm not supposed to have a gun while working! Thousand thoughts! Heart pounding! I said as calmly as I could," Get out of my truck & I will give you some change." He did & I gave him a handful. He apologized, said he was hungry, & showed me big blisters on his feet. This young man, 20's, was desperate! Glad I didn't kill him! I was p*ssed at the time!

[f44life]

One more for you. I pulled into a Circle K to get a cold drink when I was working with my driverside window down. A grubby barefoot guy walked by my truck like he was going to another vehicle. He suddenly stopped & stuck his arms & head in my window, way in! He's right in my face! He said," Give me some change!" I had a snuff can on the seat that I put my change in & a .357 right beside it. Do I chance shooting him under the chin? He has no weapon! Can he grab the gun if I try? I'm not supposed to have a gun while working! Thousand thoughts! Heart pounding! I said as calmly as I could," Get out of my truck & I will give you some change." He did & I gave him a handful. He apologized, said he was hungry, & showed me big blisters on his feet. This young man, 20's, was desperate! Glad I didn't kill him! I was p*ssed at the time!

I guess! should of leaned over for change and elbowed him in the mouth. Who has balls to stick there head in a strangers truck like that? close call man

[jocko]

it's funny now but I bet at the time it sure in hell wasn't. How about your shorts, did they need changed after????

inquring minds need to know this..

[Bawanna]

I vaulted a 6' chain link fence without touching it many years ago with the biggest Doberman I've ever seen in hot pursuit. Ironically I was there to install additional fencing. Went to the back yard where the only water spicket was to get water for concrete. Hello Dobie, good bye water bucket.
Turns out he was on a lead cable and got stopped about 10 feet inside the fence but I didn't know it of course. Boss and coworkers thought it was a really funny thing. I made them get the water!

I spent a little time and became good buds with the Dobie, he was a good dog just doing what he's suppose to do. Still scared the wits out of me.
No shorts needed but no doubt a close thing.

Actually had quite a few doggie encounters now that my memory is jogged some.

[Bawanna]

I normally only carry an ankle gun solo when I'm around the house, when I go someplace there's a belt gun present also.

Where the ankle gun shines is sitting in your car and someone approaches. The ankle is very accessible and easy to get. Other wise to me it's a last ditch on the ground fighting for your life tool.

[jmk1138]

Here's the story of why I started carrying (this was almost 15 years ago):

Pulled my car up in a parking lot and a guy approached. Seemed normal enough and he was asking something about direction. My door was open. Before I could get out, he was in the doorway with a revolver (holding against his stomach, barrel pointed down), demanding my money.

By now, I had some firearms training (but no firearm of my own) and knife/hand-to-hand training (but nothing on me). My eyes got wide, my hands went up and I took a deep breath. I told myself that if the BG moves or the barrel moves I jump on him and I would rip out his eyes. Given the distance and my hands raised (this is actually something I had trained previously), I was close enough to do that.

He repeated his demand for money. I kept my left hand up and reached for my cash with my right hand.

Here's where it gets funny:

BG: "Is that all you got?"
Me: "Yeah."
BG: "Sh*t. That's it?"
Me: "I've got some change in the ash tray."
BG: "Give me your m'-fing change."
Me: "Ok."

With the additional few pennies, he walked away and I drove away. This was in an age before cell phones, so I drove away and called the police from a different shopping center. When the cops came, idiot BG was sitting a few feet from the scene of the crime, yukking it up with his idiot friends.

[f44life]

Here's the story of why I started carrying (this was almost 15 years ago):

Pulled my car up in a parking lot and a guy approached. Seemed normal enough and he was asking something about direction. My door was open. Before I could get out, he was in the doorway with a revolver (holding against his stomach, barrel pointed down), demanding my money.

By now, I had some firearms training (but no firearm of my own) and knife/hand-to-hand training (but nothing on me). My eyes got wide, my hands went up and I took a deep breath. I told myself that if the BG moves or the barrel moves I jump on him and I would rip out his eyes. Given the distance and my hands raised (this is actually something I had trained previously), I was close enough to do that.

He repeated his demand for money. I kept my left hand up and reached for my cash with my right hand.

Here's where it gets funny:

BG: "Is that all you got?"
Me: "Yeah."
BG: "Sh*t. That's it?"
Me: "I've got some change in the ash tray."
BG: "Give me your m'-fing change."
Me: "Ok."

With the additional few pennies, he walked away and I drove away. This was in an age before cell phones, so I drove away and called the police from a different shopping center. When the cops came, idiot BG was sitting a few feet from the scene of the crime, yukking it up with his idiot friends.

thats a smart bg there ha ha... Hope he didnt take your gum too

[Riccardo]

when i turned 21 i was going to a store and thought id take my new glock 17 for a ride with me. just for fun more than anything else and wasn't thinking about anything unusual when i decided to throw it on the passenger seat. the neighborhood was ok, going down in the past few years but being a local, i figured that it wasn't gonna be a big deal. when i got to the store there were 3 bums outside. 2 guys and a woman. when i got to the door i noticed a no concealed handguns sticker that only seems to be posted on the doors of buildings i go to when im carrying. so with a wtf, i turned around passing the bums again to put my glock back in the car, not a good feeling trying to stash a full-size glock when 3 people watching you. anyways i did and went inside. what are the odds right? i used to have a habit after leaving a store of throwing my pennies on the ground outside. it helps make little kids lives interesting. idk, maybe i just didn't want them anymore. so im walking out of the store and as im walking to my car, im looking down flicking the pennies from my hand that still had change in it. as i walk past the bums one man yells " ****, i want some money". i turned and looked at him and laughed a little and kept walking, then i hear "hey mutha******, im talking to you!" i knew at this point that getting to the car was a good idea and i sped up. right when i got to the car, i hear "f*** this mutha******, give me my knife" i immediately went into overdrive, i dropped my bag, opened my door and pulled out my glock, i turned around with it in my hand. i never pointed it anywhere but down. the man who was now walking toward me with something in his hand(who now appeared to be about 6'4) saw what i had and stopped. he dropped the knife and put his hands up. "aw man i was just playing" i remember telling them i didn't have time for this ****. i don't know why, but it felt like i should say something so that's what came out. i jumped in my car and pulled straight thru with my glock on my lap, as i left i saw him pick up his knife and run away. that's the end. i know i should have called the police and maybe even took his knife away but all i could think was i wanna get the hell outta here right now! i have been back to that store 50 times at least since then and have never had another problem. it just goes to show that it can happen anywhere at anytime and being prepared can keep you and the ones you love safe. just having the gun kept the man from doing something that would have changed both of our lives forever. i saved the receipt from that day and look at it from time to time. funny thing is. i used my last $20 to buy $18.97 worth of groceries. he would have either lost his life or killed a guy at the store over $1.03. hope this helps someone who is trying to decide if they really need a gun or not. truth is you will never know until you do need it. might as well spend a little time getting a gun and learning to use it properly to defend yourself and the ones around you.


Great story. You should have immediately called the police. The guy could easily have picked up his knive, stashed it somewhere and called the cops himself, reported you brandishing a weapon and gave them your license plate #. You could have gotten pulled over a mile down the road. I'm glad it ended without incident for you though.

[garyb]

A buddy of mine and myself went to a quick mart one night to pick up some stuff to make pancakes and venison for our families. It was dark when we pulled in. There were a bunch of thugs drinking beer outside the store. When we were done shopping and pulled out, I heard a glass bottle pop under my tire. We got out and found that one of the guys placed an empty beer bottle under my tire, which was going flat. The guys started laughing and my buddy asked what was so funny and why did they put the bottle under our tire. At that point 14 guys stormed us. What they did not know was that my buddy and I both trained together for many years and were senior black belts. My buddy was about 250 at the time and I was 170. Both in excellent condition and at the top of our game. We ripped through all of them like butter. When it ended I can remember seeing faces in their car windows and other guys crawling to get in their car. The local cops arrived as we changed my tire and we explained the situation. I suppose we could have been arrested for not using equal force...ha ha. Although it could have been worse if we were carrying and decided it was necessary to pull a gun. This was a situation where lives were spared because of our training. A few days later, my friends oldest son said he ran into one of the guys in a bar and overheard him saying that him and some buddies ran into 2 crazy guys at the quick mart and got their butts whopped. My buddies son laughed and told him that he picked the wrong guys to pick on. The guys only response was "You think? Who were those guys?"

A similar situation happened to me and my younger brother who had just come home from boot camp. We were walking through the getto neighborhood we grew up in NY and were jumped by 6 guys with knives trying to take our wallets. I took one knife in the hand and arm, but we stomped them good. The next day my brother walked the hood alone and recognized one of the guys by his messed up face. My brother confidently went up to him and he apologized and asked who we were. My brother returned the hand shake and told him to never %)(k with us again. Another situation that a hand gun could have been used, but lives were spared because of our training.

These situations demonstrate that there are times when pulling a gun may be justified, but may not be the right thing to do. On the other hand, there were times that using a weapon was essential to survival. Those are stories that I wish could go away. Anyway......

[ltxi]

when i turned 21 i was going to a store and thought id take my new glock 17 for a ride with me. just for fun more than anything else and wasn't thinking about anything unusual when i decided to throw it on the passenger seat. the neighborhood was ok, going down in the past few years but being a local, i figured that it wasn't gonna be a big deal. when i got to the store there were 3 bums outside. 2 guys and a woman. when i got to the door i noticed a no concealed handguns sticker that only seems to be posted on the doors of buildings i go to when im carrying. so with a wtf, i turned around passing the bums again to put my glock back in the car, not a good feeling trying to stash a full-size glock when 3 people watching you. anyways i did and went inside. what are the odds right? i used to have a habit after leaving a store of throwing my pennies on the ground outside. it helps make little kids lives interesting. idk, maybe i just didn't want them anymore. so im walking out of the store and as im walking to my car, im looking down flicking the pennies from my hand that still had change in it. as i walk past the bums one man yells " ****, i want some money". i turned and looked at him and laughed a little and kept walking, then i hear "hey mutha******, im talking to you!" i knew at this point that getting to the car was a good idea and i sped up. right when i got to the car, i hear "f*** this mutha******, give me my knife" i immediately went into overdrive, i dropped my bag, opened my door and pulled out my glock, i turned around with it in my hand. i never pointed it anywhere but down. the man who was now walking toward me with something in his hand(who now appeared to be about 6'4) saw what i had and stopped. he dropped the knife and put his hands up. "aw man i was just playing" i remember telling them i didn't have time for this ****. i don't know why, but it felt like i should say something so that's what came out. i jumped in my car and pulled straight thru with my glock on my lap, as i left i saw him pick up his knife and run away. that's the end. i know i should have called the police and maybe even took his knife away but all i could think was i wanna get the hell outta here right now! i have been back to that store 50 times at least since then and have never had another problem. it just goes to show that it can happen anywhere at anytime and being prepared can keep you and the ones you love safe. just having the gun kept the man from doing something that would have changed both of our lives forever. i saved the receipt from that day and look at it from time to time. funny thing is. i used my last $20 to buy $18.97 worth of groceries. he would have either lost his life or killed a guy at the store over $1.03. hope this helps someone who is trying to decide if they really need a gun or not. truth is you will never know until you do need it. might as well spend a little time getting a gun and learning to use it properly to defend yourself and the ones around you.

Just having the gun perhaps changed your life forever....almost certainly not his!!

[Gray_Rider]

I have reached for my CCW a few times over the decades of carry, and drawn twice, once to a false alarm.

Believe it. If you carry a mouse gun, (.380 or smaller), and need to reach for it or actually need to draw, you will wish for a bigger gun.
That said, the times I have reached/drawn, the threat suddenly remembered pressing business elsewhere and I didn't need to fire.

Gray_Rider
Deo Vindice!
We warned you in 1862!

[onemule]

I guess this is an old thread and perhaps no longer active, but reading it reminds me of something in my youth. I was 18 or 19 at the time and a student and working at most anything I could find to try to make it through school. I took a job as a security guard with Wells Fargo and mostly worked nights at a building under construction in the center of a major city. Four floors were finished and occupied, but the rest of the building was still under construction, including the ground floor, which could not be locked up. Unlocked doors opened onto the surrounding streets on all four sides, as the building took up a full block.

My job was to protect primarily those first four floors and the construction material on a small plaza outside. I had a small desk with a phone in the lobby on the first floor, but I spent a lot of time prowling the building and monitoring outside activity. Every time I rounded a corner I had a substantial potential of encountering someone who did not belong. Fortunately, I don't recall coming upon anyone more threatening than a vagrant looking for a place to sleep.

For the most part, the job was extremely boring, to the point that I would sometimes call a bank phone number just to hear an automated voice give the time. I looked forward to one visit a night by the other guard in the building, who worked for a different company and guarded only the top floor with all the high voltage electrical power equipment for the building. I admired his revolver, especially since I was too young to be permitted to carry a firearm at the time. I also enjoyed a regular nightly visit from a mouse, but that's another story.

One night while I was seated at the desk in the lobby, a car pulled up onto the plaza and some guys jumped out and started grabbing construction materials. Between us was a wall of plate glass windows and a double, glass door. I was in the light, and they were in the dark, but I don't think they noticed me until I stood up. As you can imagine, I was wishing I had a weapon at the time. Lacking any other plan, I picked up the phone with my left hand, started talking as if I were in contact with the police and put my right hand at my side as if I were covering a gun on my belt, all the while focusing visually on the bad guys.

Fortunately for me, the perps decided not to call my bluff. They jumped back in their car and roared away. I don't think they even managed to carry off anything with them. Since I had no training as a guard and had no clue what to do and had not managed to see the license plate number, I didn't even call the police. I just went back to walking rounds and debating whether I needed the income enough to continue to take such risks. I stayed with the job.

As I ponder the dumb things I did as a young person, I wonder how I survived. And, I ponder whether I will in the future wonder the same thing about me at my current age, if I manage to live another few decades. However, whenever confronted with a dangerous situation I am unprepared for, I try to at least act as if I am prepared. Whether that is the best thing to do all the time, I don't know, but it has saved my life on at least one other occasion. Bluff is cheap, but I'd still rather be prepared with a plan and a weapon or two. Live and learn, they say. However, as I warn my children, a learning experience is not much use to you if you don't survive it. So, avoid trouble where possible, but prepare for it just in case.