Bad feeling tonight, wish I had my pistol, but in the end it wasn't needed

[Joe7cri]

Thanks for the support, and I appreciate everyones opinion and advise.

To answer the question, what would you have done if you had your ccw, I would have done nothing with it. As I said in the post, I wish I had it, but in the end it wasn't needed.

For those of you who believe the homeless are Harmless, read this story:

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/253940p-217386c.html I'm sure I could find many similar stories if I had the time to look.

I also agree that pepper spray would be ideal in this situation, but It's tough to get here in NY. There are a couple of different laws and they require you to purchase from a Gun Dealer or Pharmacist which often don't carry them because the laws continually change. The ones I have found are the cheap ones which contain only 5% solution.

 

[mrwiggins]

people are real men

on the internet. condeming people and pointing out grammer mistakes and flaws in speech or situation. why do yall treat and talk to people like that?
quote:
Not to be a dick, but so what? Some homless guy scared you? Why?

Say in a firm, determined voice..."Leave me alone! Right NOW!"

Generally, bums get it.

Grow a pair, they don't issue them with a Kimber

you don't know the situation, don't assume. i can only wonder if the people saying this type of stuff have ever been in a situation.

 

[mrmeval]

Seems a few around here are learning to post the arfcom way.

Sorry you got slammed by some people on here Joe. You were probably tired from working and this was not something you wanted to deal with. What about the fundamental right to be left alone and go about your business without being harassed? I don't feel the need to pull a gun everytime a stranger talks to me but at 12:25 a.m. you better have good reason.

 

[Steak]

Yell at them! usually enough!

I grew up in Los Angeles, lived in SF for a few years. Used to freaky homeless people on a daily basis. Even the ones who seem threatening, usually are not, unless you act vulnerable. You were in your car. Very safe, just drive away. If on foot, can be a bit more of a problem. I have found that quick movements towards them, and shouting, turns them around real quick. 'Get the f**k out of my face !' usually does the job. They are usually drug-addicts, drunks, and want as little trouble as possible. They can take advantage of tourists and young women, but don't fear sloshed drunk homeless dudes in the middle of the night. They scare easily. Even if armed, it would take a lot for me to brandish that weapon. It can open up a whole new can of worms.
Of course there are always situations where you just know something is wrong, and you need to leave right away, but wishing for your gun just because of a drunk bum coming near you, seems extreme. They usually follow you so you give them money to go away. They are most productive that way.
As an afterthought, I think it is VERY unlikely that drunken bums are packing. These guys are usually hardcore addicts, and sold any gun they might have had for crack long ago. Of course you cannot trust that to be the case, but I would think it rare for these types to be packing.

 

[Joe7cri]

Steak, I never said this guy was drunk, and as far as I could tell he wasn't.

Also, I felt at a disadvantage being inside my van. If he pulled a knife, he could have stabbed me through the window, before I could move away. I would have a better chance fighting off an attack while standing and being able to move around freely.

Next, I never said anything about brandishing a weapon, I said I would have liked to have it with me. You need to learn never to pull a weapon unless you intend to use it.

Finally, If you don't think homeless are dangerous and packing, read the link in my last post. I know it's unlikely that most homeless are armed, but tell that to the family of Jimmy Gaviglia. Actually, Let just post the story for everyone to read.

TEARS FOR A SLAIN DAD

'Went to God doing good,' says priest

BY RALPH R. ORTEGA
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Theresa Gaviglia weeps as coffin bearing husband, Jimmy, is carried outside Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Glendale, Queens.

The 38-year-old city bridge painter, killed by homeless man Nov. 10, leaves behind three daughters, including his youngest, 6-year-old Jessica.
The widow of a city worker senselessly slain by a homeless man leaned over his coffin to give him one last kiss yesterday before he was carried out of a Queens funeral home to a church nearby.
Shortly after the moment of intimate agony, Theresa Gaviglia shared her suffering with more than 100 somber loved ones at a Mass at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Glendale, Queens.

"Jimmy, from the day I met you, I knew I would love you forever," she said. "I have so much pain in my heart. I can't believe I lost you.

"My heart will never heal, Jimmy," she said, as friends and family members cried, listening to the painful words directed at her husband's gray coffin.

Police say Jimmy Gaviglia, a 38-year-old paint crew worker, was gunned down by Steven Boyd, a delusional homeless man who had accepted a sandwich and $5 from his victim a week earlier. Jimmy Gaviglia was working under the Grand Central Parkway, near Boyd's camp.

The shooting shocked New Yorkers, prompting some - including the Daily News - to help pay for his funeral.

"He was the most loving person I ever knew," said Jimmy Gaviglia's cousin Lauren Lekoski. "He would always be the one to be there to lend a helping hand."

Like his widow, Jimmy Gaviglia's mother grappled with her grief during the earlier, private farewell at the George Werst Funeral Home in Glendale.

"My poor son! My poor grandchildren! My heart is breaking!" Marie Lekoski cried as relatives filed past the coffin surrounded by roses and carnations.

With Jimmy Gaviglia was a picture of his daughters - Danielle, 16; Alyssa, 9, and Jessica, 6 - tucked under the lapel of his suit.

"I'll always remember him," Danielle said after she asked to keep a wooden cross, rosary and silk roses from the coffin.

At the Mass, Theresa Gaviglia read from a letter written by Alyssa in which the little girl told her father that she loved him and that, "I would like to beat the person up that did this to you."

The Rev. John Fullum found significance that Jimmy Gaviglia's life was taken by a man he had tried to help.

"James had a heart for this person," Fullum said. "He went to God doing good. He went to God showing love.

"I don't see how God could have any problems with James."

 

[antsi]

I can understand being disturbed by this situation. With many homeless people, their behavior is disorganized and bizarre. It's hard to "read" them because they're not sending or receiving signals according to the same cues everyone else uses. They don't necessarily have the same rational processing of actions and consequences that prevent most of the rest of us from attacking each other on an impulse. When they want money from you, they are often pushy and persist on getting into your space even after it would be clear to most people their advance is not welcome - these aggressive type cues do put people on their guard for a possible fight, and legitimately so.

I would be on my guard in the situation described. I wouldn't have pulled my gun and started blazing away, but Joe didn't say that's what he wanted to do either. It is definitely a situation where I would be glad I had my gun "just in case," and that's pretty much what I read from Joe's post.

 

[Superpsy]

i think all in all it was a good situation to be wary of...

 

[gunsmith]

as a punk rock youth

we would take over empty bulidings in NYC and fix themup as good as possible for our limited means. A few movies were filmed in them ..."batteries not included" was one as well as some shoot em ups, when they needed dangerous looking locations in NY they chose our squats.
We would invite area homeless to live there and I feel I have tons more experience with the homeless then most here.
One of those homeless was NY's famous Daniel Rackowitz who chopped up two young women and fed them to the other homeless in Tompins square park, he offered me some food at various times but I had learned not to trust him & didn't take it.
I also lived in SF for over 15 years, I can safely say I have a black belt in dealing with the homeless.
I think they need help, for sure, but that doesn't mean that I seek a vocation as a social worker.
Only a few are criminally insane, & a few more are just plain stupid criminals.
Most are junkies and alky's and most have communicable diseases the best tactic is to stay away and not to engage.
The NY & SF variety are a real bother because they take offense at every percived and imagined snub, & will often harass you.

I too, tell them firmly to keep away ...but I have often had to back it up with bear guardian pepper spray and a BUG.

 

[Lennyjoe]

Joe, don't let a few knuckleheads here deter you from future posts.

Like you, I had a run in with a homeless guy and it put me in an odd position. I had to extend my hand, tell him to come no closer and after that failed I reached for my weapon. He got the point real quick and retreated. Didn't have to remove my CCW from the holster but it wasn't far from coming out. Thing is, I let him get too close before I reacted. Won't do that again.

Situational awareness is key to survival. Learn from your experience, evaluate what you could of done different or better and then apply that to your everyday life.

Live and learn.

BTW, thanks for the article. Maybe others will think twice before posting.

 

[dfaugh]

Wow

I can't believe people on this board dinged you for being on "high alert"...Yes, it probably wasn;t a truly threatening situation...But it could well have turned into one. Letting your guard down is simply inviting a problem at some point.

See my thread here: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=215687

Better to be wary than to not be.

 

[Vitamin G]

Most of the homeless I've come to know (Yeah, it was an assignment in my senior year of college for sociology. Looking back, I can only imagine the liability the professor assumed...) were pretty antisocial. Not "anti-social" in the common usage of the word as "I don't like to be around people", but the traditional psychological antisocial of "I can hurt people or animals and not feel bad about it" lack of conscience. And I'm only in Pittsburgh. I can imagine what bigger anonymous cities would be like.
I've found lately that "Sorry, I always pay by debit card. I don't have any cash." works pretty well in terms of giving people the hint to move onto a better target. I think it works because its totally believable in society today. Come to think of it, I'm probably telling the truth about half the time.

 

[NineseveN]

While my experience is not professional such as Vitamin G's, I can vouch for the ferocity of the Pittsburgh homeless...they're not to be taken lightly. There are a number of them simply down on their luck, but we have some real bad homeless hombres out there.

I do always pay by debit card and never carry cash unless I am forced to, so I'm not even lying when I say that kind of thing.


And for those giving the OP a hard time and insulting him, not very THR-like, some folks need to learn some manners.

 

[psyopspec]

I can understand being disturbed by this situation. With many homeless people, their behavior is disorganized and bizarre. It's hard to "read" them because they're not sending or receiving signals according to the same cues everyone else uses. They don't necessarily have the same rational processing of actions and consequences that prevent most of the rest of us from attacking each other on an impulse.

Well said. I should add that at the conclusion of my bad encounter, the man was arrested on prior warrants, but before he was taken to jail they had to stop at detox. I did a brief stint as a hospital security guard, and while I can't tell you the medical term for it, a meth-head can indeed become unpredictably violent at anytime. It's always wise to keep your eyes open.