What did you do? (self defense question)

[sirs]

In the wake of the latest school shooting (and likely renewed cries of more gun control), does anyone wish to share any stories they know of, be it their family, a friend, or even a friend of a friend, where they had to defend themselves from some particular theat?  How was the threat resolved?  What was used, if anything?  Did it require police intervention?  Just curious

[Richpo64]

I'm defending my family agains the threat of the Islamo-Nazis.

I'm looking forward to the day they actually take to the streets here.

[Michael Tee]

I was waiting in a kind of rough bar around the corner from my office for a friend to show up, and a drunk at the next table started harassing me basically by saying I was a cop.  I didn't know anyone in the place.  There were no bouncers around.  I was drinking vodka and orange juice.  I said "I'm not a cop" in a tone of aggrieved innocence, as if I found cops as offensive as he did.  Nothing aggressive or confrontational, just defending myself against the accusation.  This guy left his table and when he returned, he said something else about cops, very aggressively, and jostled my table, upsetting my glass and spilling orange juice over my white Nikes.  He still hadn't sat down. 

I realized immediately any sign of cowardice would egg the guy on, so without any hesitation at all (this was a split-second decision) I rose to my feet with a very grim look on my face (I'm almost six foot one) not taking my eyes off his.  I really didn't know what I was going to do next, but his demeanour changed immediately.  "What are you gonna do now, arrest me?" - - but he said it in a whining, self-pitying way, like I was some kind of bully, and if I had any decency I'd just overlook the whole thing.  Now he was scared.  Luckily at just that moment, some bouncers appeared and hauled off his ass.

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About two years ago, I was standing at the payphones and just starting to dial a number just inside the entrance of a huge internet cafe on 42nd Street, just a few doors west of Broadway and next to one of the big theatres and a McDonalds, and this husky black guy in his forties, in a blue denim jacket starts accusing me in a Jamaican accent of moving all his papers off the tray under the phone.  Now in New York, ANY interaction with a total stranger is potentially a mugging or a scam, particularly in a tourist-rich environment like Times Square.  This guy was definitely physically intimidating.  If it was a mugging, there was probably nothing you could do but run like hell; OTOH, it was more likely to be just a scam, because of the heavy police presence, both uniformed and undercover, in which case the guy was more interested in creating the threat of physical violence rather than inflicting physical violence.  Anyway, I sized it up as a scam.  Again, the reaction has to be split-second.  I immediately put the phone down, standing nose to nose with the guy and not backing away an inch, look him right in the eye and say "Get the fuck outta here. I didn't touch your stuff."  Very calm, unhesitating, and a real ice-cold delivery.  The "get the fuck outta here" was pure New York - - if the guy's a scammer, he's only interested in out-of-towners.  The guy just disappeared for a minute.  One minute he's there, then he's not.  Came back a minute later and tried to make amends, but that 's another story.

I'm not a tough guy but I'm a fairly big guy.  Never been in a fist-fight in my life and never had to, either.  There were a few other times when I've been challenged but the secret is, I never back down.  I look like I'm ready to go the distance and the guy who started it all invariably backs off.  The closest I ever came was an altercation with a Puerto Rican cab-driver just outside the El San Juan Hotel about 11:00 PM, and he only backed off because he was scared of losing his taxi licence, I realized later.  He was probably armed with a knife, a pipe or a screwdriver, and I could have been seriously fucked up if he hadn't have come to his senses.  I was really stupid that time, the obvious solution was to walk away and look for a cop, but I was in terrible pain from an ear-ache and he was trying to rip me off on a ride to the hospital, so I was just not thinking straight.  I provoked him by deliberately slamming his door as I got out and then I just stood there waiting for him when he got out and said he was gonna kill me.  Dumber than that you do not get.

[Brassmask]

In the wake of the latest school shooting (and likely renewed cries of more gun control), does anyone wish to share any stories they know of, be it their family, a friend, or even a friend of a friend, where they had to defend themselves from some particular theat?  How was the threat resolved?  What was used, if anything?  Did it require police intervention?  Just curious

In my 42 years of life, I've not once been in a situation where I felt threatened in such a way that I thought "if I only had a gun".

Knock wood but I've been VERY lucky and VERY conscious of my surroundings and environment so that I guarded AGAINST situations where I would so utterly desperate as to want to use a spur of the moment defence of explosive violence.

I'd go even further and say that the predominence of my experiences with guns were when they were in the hands of people who felt that guns were they only defence against a crazed world but, in fact, THEY were the paranoiacs who were a danger to themselves and others.

I have family members who own guns and hunt and, for the most part, they are all safe individuals who use locks and so forth.

If somene must own a gun for defence, they should, at the very least, have the basic decency to keep that fact to themselves.

[Michael Tee]

<<If somene must own a gun for defence, they should, at the very least, have the basic decency to keep that fact to themselves.>>

My dad owned a revolver and a double-barreled Russian shotgun.  The revolver was from his days as a businessman during the Great Depression when a lot of business owners kept handguns for protection from robbers.  The shotgun was for home defence after mum died and he was left alone in the house with a vacant lot on one side of him.  The less people who knew about the guns, the better.  That was to keep off the radar screens of robbers looking for guns.

I really can't imagine a situation where I'd feel the need for a gun.  If I lived in a real bad area, and some homeowners in circumstances roughly comparable to mine had been injured or killed during a break-in, I'd think of moving before I thought of gun ownership.  I guess there might conceivably be situations where moving wouldn't be an option - - for example, the only homes one could afford to buy would all be in the same surroundings - - but even then I'd think of other solutions - - alarm systems, secure entry points, guard dogs, etc.  Especially if there are kids in the home (which I guess would nix the dogs) either residents or visitors.

About the only person I'd advise to get a gun - - and learn how to use it - - would be a woman threatened by a former spouse or lover who has ignored court orders and is known to be violent.  If you figure there's no legal way to stop the guy, then you'd best be prepared to defend yourself because there's no way in hell I'd entrust my life to the prompt arrival of the local constabulary.

[sirs]

Rich......good luck with that

Tee......interesting story, thanks for sharing it.  And I think you're right when it comes to the presentation in a confrontation.  It's likely why rapists can be so effective in how they initially present themselves to their would be victims.  If that assailant actually thinks you're not intimidated, they are definately less inclined to inititiate what they may have wanted to.

Brass......I'm glad you've never been in such a situation.  I'm sure you won't mind if others take a rather upgraded step in threat assessment & in defending themselves, with lethal force if necessary.  We thank you in advance.  Oh, and BTW, I do own both a Sig Sauer P-228 & and Taurus PT-911, along with a 30-30 pump action rifle with scope

[hnumpah]

Occasionally when NSA sent me on a field trip, I would do double duty as a courier for classified materials. To do that, I had to qualify with and carry a handgun. The usual weapon they issued at the time was a standard issue Colt .45 automatic, but all the Colts they had were so old and loose you were better off throwing them at your target. I talked them into letting me use a S&W .38 Special revolver instead. At least you could hit a target with that. Never had to use it, though.

I used to shoot combat pistol competitively, and I've had a carry permit for years. Had a guy try to mug me in Baltimore with a knife. I showed him a S&W 9mm auto and he gave me the knife. Caught a guy in my hotel room once, and held him for the cops, with a Colt Trooper MkIII. When I worked as a locksmith, sometimes we carried quite a bit of cash, especially on the weekend if we were running a lot of calls without a chance to go by the house and drop the cash off. I never had anyone try to rob me, per se, but I did have to show the S&W a couple of times to get paid. If you've ever had a locksmith come out and unlock your car, you'll notice the first thing he does as soon as he gets the car open is get the keys in his possession, then he holds them until he gets paid. I had a couple of people threaten me to get their keys so they could leave without paying, until I convinced them that wasn't going to happen. I currently deliver drugs to nursing homes, including narcotics. Even though we use unmarked vehicles, I still carry a little backup, but it's more in case I run across some idiot road rager, or break down out in the boondocks.

[Xavier_Onassis]

I'm defending my family agains the threat of the Islamo-Nazis.

I'm looking forward to the day they actually take to the streets here.
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OOO! Watch out! Here come the Islamo-Fascists, walking down the Avenu, a big gang of them, snapping their fingers, twirling unravelled strands from their turbans.

But Richie Poo will save us all. He's packin' switchblade!!  OOO!