A CCW non-incident....

[woad_yurt]

An ex-girlfriend told me about this today:

She had to pick up her vehicle from a radiator shop which was maybe 3/4 mile from her home. Since it was a beautiful day, she walked. While walking, some guy pulls up in his car and starts asking her if she'd like "to earn some extra money." She told him to buzz off, which he did. Then, he came back again and started pacing her with the car, still soliciting. She told me that she had her little .32S&W H&R topbreak hammerless with her and that it was in hand in her pocket.* She said that the idiot finally left for good but that she felt safe with a gun in hand. She knows the gun's limitations and said that, if it got really bad, she'd have waited until he was very much "in range." I know her; she would've used it if she had to.

Anyway, she called and told me about it because it was I who prodded her into getting a carry permit. She had never even shot a gun until she met me. I know the story may be a bit anticlimactic as nothing happened but it does show how stuff can happen anytime and anywhere. It was around 11 AM on a sunny day in a nice, quiet neighborhood, right on the sidewalk in front of someone's house.

* I know it's no cannon and I know that there are better alternatives but it's small, simple, reliable and, most importantly, she's comfortable and confident with it. Please folks, no "useless popgun" comments, ok?

 

[GunsAreGood]

I just have to say thank you for getting one more person into firearms and concealed carry. Who knows what could of happed if she did not have anything to protect herself. Good work and relay to your ex that she handled the situation very well.

 

[Sgt_R]

Sounds like that little pistol was the difference between "Oh no, what am I going to do" panic, and "Ok, if that jerk gets out of his car there's gonna' be trouble" confidence. I'm glad you convinced her to carry, and you can bet that she is too.

Please folks, no "useless popgun" comments, ok?

Just one: the 'useless popgun' in her pocket was a whole lot more effective than a 1911 in her dresser drawer would have been.

R

 

[Gouranga]

Please folks, no "useless popgun" comments, ok?

Popgun or not, I bet the dude would have fecalated himself if he chose to step out and start something. A 22 may be a small caliber but getting one pointed at ya, tends to change your demeanor.

Good work, and I am glad the story was anticlimactic.

 

[Old Shooter]

She had confidence, she had a plan and she had the tool she needed to defend herself if need be. Glad it worked out as it did.

 

[Hokkmike]

Please folks, no "useless popgun" comments, ok?

There is no gun I can think of that I want to get shot with.

It is a great story and demonstrates the confidence of having a "force multiplier" in a woman's possession.

 

[Mike J]

If her just mentioning she had it was enough that "useless popgun" did a good job. Good for you for getting her interested in concealed carry.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

If her just mentioning she had it was enough that "useless popgun" did a good job. Good for you for getting her interested in concealed carry.

But she didn't mention that she had it to the stranger. So the gun did nothing to dissuage the stranger.

I know it's no cannon and I know that there are better alternatives but it's small, simple, reliable and, most importantly, she's comfortable and confident with it. Please folks, no "useless popgun" comments, ok?

Okay, but part of the story is pretty disturbing from a personal safety aspect and it is specifically because of the limitations of the popgun and your friend's confidence about it.

She knows the gun's limitations and said that, if it got really bad, she'd have waited until he was very much "in range."

So your friend is confident with the gun and knows the limitations of the gun? So the stranger pacing her was more than 25 yards distant? The gun is certainly capable at 25 yards and further. Since this was a sidewalk on a residential street, the stranger in the car was probably not more than 10 yards distant and likely was less than 5. So just how close was she willing to let the guy get to her? Sounds to me like maybe she wasn't so confident with using the gun (skills of use) and/or does not know its limitations such that she would wait let the possible aggressor get way too close. Increase proximity to danger means increased potential for harm. So the confidence she had may have provided something of a false sense of security.

Something you may wish to convey to your friend is that as the distance between her and the threat decreases, the danger to her from the threat increases. The notion that she was going to wait until he was close enough to be in range means that she would be allowing the guy to get closer to her than he needs to be.

 

[garyhan]

The great Skeeter Skelton was known to comment from time to time that the safety and security factor afforded by what he liked to refer to as a "Saturday night Harrison" greatly exceeded their poor reputation ( though of course by choice he carried a .357, .44, or .45).

gary

 

[Corporal K]

Great story!

As far as popguns go, there are a whole lot of folks no longer on this Earth b/c of .32, .22, .25, etc.

 

[shockwave]

But she didn't mention that she had it to the stranger. So the gun did nothing to dissuage the stranger.

I beg to differ. The gun gave her the confidence to react with calm and nonchalance to the encounter. Predators are always alert to fear and trepidation. This is one of the reasons martial artists rarely need to use their skills.

 

[MisterMike]

I'm glad the creep took off. There are a fair number of young women in our extended Chicago-area family, and I worry endlessly about them . . . they're intelligent, but naive about the dangers. Just last week, two young women were bludgeoned by a fellow with an aluminum baseball bat. He took their wallets and left them to die. Both survived (as of today), but it's uncertain if they will recover from their injuries.

Of course, since guns are evil it's not possible for young women--or pretty much anyone--to arm themselves in self-defense in Illinois. The great equalizer that would protect the vulnerable is not available. It burns me to no end.

 

[Old Fuff]

The great Skeeter Skelton was known to comment from time to time that the safety and security factor afforded by what he liked to refer to as a "Saturday night Harrison" greatly exceeded their poor reputation ( though of course by choice he carried a .357, .44, or .45).

Not always. While working for the U.S. Customs Service he would sometimes slip into Mexico to see some contacts and do some undercover work. His favored carry piece was a German-made Walther PP pistol chambered in 7.65 Browning. We call it .32 ACP...

I knew Skeeter, and like many professionals he didn't always carry what he wrote about.

 

[ForumSurfer]

Increase proximity to danger means increased potential for harm. So the confidence she had may have provided something of a false sense of security.

The guy was in the car. She had plenty of time to draw had he decided to exit the vehicle. He would have to stop, put it in park, open the door and exit the vehicle. Plenty of time for her to square up for a shot and draw if need be.

I happen to date an extremely gorgeous woman. If she drew her weapon every time someone approached her, whistled at her, made rude comments, yelled at her from car windows, paced her in a crowded parking lot or otherwise harassed her...well she would have worn out several holsters by now. This sort of thing happens to attractive women in urban areas daily because of the ratio between attractive women and ignorant jerks. Unfortunately, they have to learn to handle these things.

I think the op's ex handled the situation just fine. She was harassed by an idiot in a car. When he continued to harass by making a second, pacing approach she prepared herself to pull the handgun in her pocket. He never got out of the vehicle and continued on his way. Handled it just fine.

Now had the guy have been walking along beside her on a secluded street this story would be different.

A 32 in the pocket beats a small subcompact 9mm in your purse (because you can't attach that holster to the outfit you may be wearing to a job interview or formal event) that some dude talked you into.

 

[woad_yurt]

But she didn't mention that she had it to the stranger. So the gun did nothing to dissuage the stranger.

....part of the story is pretty disturbing from a personal safety aspect and it is specifically because of the limitations of the popgun and your friend's confidence about it.

There's a big difference in body language and tone of voice between someone who's helpless and someone who can take care of themselves. That's why tourists in a big city stand out; it's pretty evident to a street-wise person who's out of their element and unaware. She's confident and comfortable using the thing, she's not confident that it'll shoot through a Brink's truck. Notice my quotation marks: "in range." She was using that term to describe effective aiming/hitting range, not how far the bullet will fly. She knows that gun will do damage 25 yards out but she also knows that she may miss at that distance and that it'd be hard to convince authorities that she was in imminent danger from someone who was at such a distance. She's a good shot but she knows she's not a miracle worker and she's savvy to the fact that using a gun is a last resort. Since I was talking about a specific incident that you did not witness, why all the negative energy? Seeing as nothing happened, I say she did very well under the circumstances. Your comments don't take into account her personality; they can't as you don't know her. She's an emergency room nurse (15 years) and she's really good under severely chaotic conditions. If she didn't keep a cool head about her under some crazy pressure, she'd have been transferred or let go a long time ago.

Since this was a sidewalk on a residential street, the stranger in the car was probably not more than 10 yards distant and likely was less than 5. So just how close was she willing to let the guy get to her? Sounds to me like maybe she wasn't so confident with using the gun (skills of use) and/or does not know its limitations such that she would wait let the possible aggressor get way too close.

How about waiting until he stops and starts to get out of his car before drawing a gun on him? She kept walking and he never even stopped his car. I know her; she knew what she was doing. That guy was lucky he didn't push things further. This girl can put an eye out; I've seen her make smiley faces on paper with an old, clunky .32 long Iver Johnson Cadet.

The gun gave her the confidence to react with calm and nonchalance to the encounter. Predators are always alert to fear and trepidation.

Thank you, Shockwave, you nailed it!

 

[heron]

I think she did just fine; alert, ready, and in control of herself.

 

[Buck Snort]

I'm think'n the fact that she had the gun in hand gave her a confidence that was conveyed to the jerk telling him this was no easy victim. Criminals are like dogs in that they sense fear and will move in when they feel their potential victim is very afraid.

 

[firemanshrek]

Just gotta say very glad to hear the guy got lost and awesome that you taught her how to handle herself(wish i could teach mine). Sounds to me she shouldnt be an EX. But, i dont know the story. Very cool man.

 

[Warhawk83]

I'm glad you talked her into getting a permit and actually carrying a gun. Reading that story burned me up, I hate the way some men act toward women. I am with a rather curvaceous woman myself and have to listen to stories like that from time to time. Sometimes it happens right around me, the jackasses don't notice and then they see my not so friendly face and get out of Dodge.

 

[Nutgun]

I'm guessing the average rapist isn't going to announce his intentions so bluntly. This guy was trying to score with someone he may have though was a streetwalker. Or a girl maybe down on her luck in this economic nightmare.

I would be more affraid of 2 guys in a vehicle. The passenger can get out and grab you while the driver keeps pace. Or 2 guys walking. Although one can be plenty scary.

I'd like to interest my girlfriend (she's a hottie that gets hit on a lot) in carrying. But from different news stories about kidnappings and abductions, I told her to use any means available and to fight like your life depends on it. And that if they get you into the car you will probably end up dead. She trys to be situationally aware. But certain places and situations compromise your advantage making you more vulnerable.