A New York City "what would you do?" question

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geegee

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Hey guys, a friend of mine sent me this email today. He lives in New Jersey, but works in NYC.

Get this, a guy I know on the train who works in Brooklyn told me today that he went out for a sandwich and as he rounded a corner he brushed shoulders with a "local" going the other way. The local guy turned and hauled off and punched him in the shoulder and said, "Don't ever get close to me again!" My buddy from the train said he just stood there and watched him walk away. He figured he got a sore arm, but didn't want to risk escalating anything with a whack job. Imagine that happening? Unbelievable.
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He knows I have my CHL, and followed up with this question:

What would you do if this happened to you with a CCW? He was assaulted, but do you draw on him if he's walking away? I guess the lesson is, things like that will probably happen when you least expect it.
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I already provided my answer, and covered a few points covered under Texas CHL Stautes, but I'd still be interested in the collective experience and opinions from the rest of you. Thanks in advance.
 
Not worth it

I would most likely keep my eyes on him as he walked away. I would most likely move my hand closer to my pistol or OC spray just in case. If he is walking away he is leaving my vicinity and wouldn't be a threat to me any longer.
 
Depends upon whether you want to spend the rest of the day in an interview room explaining why you are a saint and the other guy is a jerk. Between 5 pm and midnight today, I was cut off by no fewer than a dozen motorists. It happens. Let it go.
 
'whack job' ? One was just more paranoid than the other. Whack jobs ,BTW, do have larger, and often scewed to the rear, 'personal spaces'. Any way since he walked away he was no longer a threat so let it be.
 
SHould have kept walking and not given the guy a chance to hit him.

How much you want to bet this guy stopped to be polite and apologize?

wrong!

(grew up in Brooklyn, went to school at various places all over the city)
 
I think its a stupid question. You only use lethal force against a lethal threat, unless you want to go to prison.
 
I'd probably say something out of surprise and anger, like "*** is your problem pal?" If he still walked away, so would I. Whether or not I was carrying at the time would be irrelevant unless he decided to escalate the situation and introduce a weapon.

Ideally, he never would have landed that first blow in the first place, but that's where training takes over.
 
Had this exact thing happen to me at Northwestern station in Chicago. We bumped into each other (I just may have been looking at a female), he cursed and took a big loopy swing at me which I parried.

I stood there confused as he walked away. So much for my situational awareness.:D

Always walk away. Somebody will go to jail, somebody will go to the hospital. I vote none of the above.:D
 
Punched in the shoulder? I'd just look at him like he was a jackass and walk away...while still keeping my eye on him. That is actually a great setup: some guy gets belligerent, punches you in the arm, you get fired up and pay too much attention to him, his buddy comes up from behind you with a tire iron. Or you could just walk away and not worry about it.
 
El Tejon,

That happened to you where all those Northwestern yuppies are?:D Glad you got out okay. I hope you don't have to venture anywhere near UIC.:uhoh:
 
I think its a stupid question. You only use lethal force against a lethal threat, unless you want to go to prison.
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Remember, this question is coming from someone who doesn't carry. I do, and I know what my response would be, and I'm guessing you do too. This is actually a very fair question and one that would be asked by many folks who don't. I think until a person goes around armed all day, it's hard to imagine the kind of situational awareness and restraint that's required once you accept the responsibility of doing so.
 
My answer: I would move far away from the @sshole country of NYC and New Jersey.;)

If someone punched me in the shoulder, I would just shrug it off, I've taken far bigger beatings as part of hazing in High school sporting teams.

You can make a big stink about it, beat the hell out of the guy, pull your gun and shoot him, but at the end of the day, you'll be a bigger @sshole than he was, and will probably be forking over alot of money to your lawyer.

I'm going to get flamed for this, but I don't care. Self defense is for defending yourself from serious harm, not your ego.
 
"Don't ever get close to me again!" translated into Joisee means "Isn't it a wonderful day?"

I'd walk away from it. The guy had a bad hair day or whatever. Don't mean nuttin'. I've got more important things going on with my life.

And I guess no place else in the USA has wacks walking around ..........
 
Walk after him, and remember in grade school, how you'd catch the back of someone's shoes with the tip of yours? So their shoe would come off?

:neener:
 
as a responsible gun owner i would turn and continue on my way. in reality i would beat the living s&*t out of him for laying his filthy d!$k beaters on me.
 
some things in life you can let slide, it might cost you a little pride but you can manage it. if someone has the balls to flat out assault you over something as trivial as a shoulder bump, that person diserves to have a can of woop ass opened on him. i hate to say it and i know it is bad but i would even be half tempted to pistol wip him, just to prove that you never really know who you're messing with and that it would probley be in his best interest to be nicer to people in the future. you never know, the next person he punches could be packing and not be as understanding as you or i, instead of a glock imprint on his face he gets ten new holes.
 
Once you got done pistol-whipping him or beating him you'd lose your CCW also. There's nothing you can do there and the gun has to stay put. Or race up behind him and give him a wedgie.
 
I've had people try to start fights with me while I was packing some serious heat but the only thing on my mind was how bad this guy was gonna get the crap beat of him if he kept it up. One time I illegaly had a llama .45 and the other time I had a Taurus .454. If they only could have known what the hell they almost got into. Plus I had dozens of freinds all over the place. If they don't continue I don't continue. If they want to fight I'll probly fight but I wouldn't shoot an unarmed civilian even if they tryed to beat me up. If you are affraid of street violence train in open hand combat first because this will help you maintain your cool and you can learn how to guns later.
 
Walk off. Or you could escalate the confrontation and hope the wack job doesn't stick a blade between your ribs, or worse.
 
Some of these responses appall me.

I'm not looking for a fight from anyone. He started something, I'm going to be a grown-up and walk away. I'm not going to instigate or retaliate. Part of being an adult is knowing where and when to pick your fights. Getting into a fist fight with a stranger on the street is not something I'm excited to attempt.

Keep an eye on him until he's out of sight/range and learn from the incident.

Being a little more pro-active about your awareness is something that your friend might want to look into. Explain the Color Code of Awareness and general situational awareness to him. Coming around corners closest to the corner isn't very wise in general...slice the pie and all....

Trust no one, and always be prepared. This incident should serve as a wake-up call for your friend.

Ed
 
Why Can We All Just Get Along?

Because some people are STUPID!

I am 6'4" 350lbs. I don't go to bars, because there is usually some short weight lifter that is mad at me because God made him a midget, and wants to get a beatin'.

So, I do ALL I can to avoid conflicts.

I was raised country, so I am always polite, and hold doors for ladies (I assume all women are ladies).

Being aware of my size, if I bump into someone, I always apologize, and say "excuse me"...even if I am the one that got bumped into.

And I have also learned the value of a good glare. Sometimes it is better than all the colorful cussing you have ever learned.

I also have to remind myself that though I still carry every day, I am no longer a LEO. I am retired, and the old rules don't apply.

"A hand on me cost YOU a broken bone right now!" used to be my motto. Now it is...."Go in peace, lest ye wind up in pieces."

Remember...carrying a gun is a BIG responsibility...we no longer have the right to flip someone off in traffic, and if someone is being a butthead...let them until they become a dangerous butthead. Even then, sometimes it is just better to call 911 and be a good witness.
 
If someone punched me in the shoulder I would punch them in the face. Not my fault, they asked for it.
 
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