Convergence: An avoided confrontation leads to realization

[JokersWild]

I headed to my neighborhood grocery store to return a dvd the wife had rented the night before and pick up a box of popsicles for her. As I was driving through the parking lot I noticed two a-typical gangster looking thugs watching me as I drove by the car heading down the isle they were parked in. The intensity they were watching me automatically set off my internal alarms.

I drove back around and decided to park near the store front that was east of the grocery store's eastern entrance. I went inside dropped off the dvd and picked up the popsicles. As I exited the store the one that had been sitting in the passenger side of the car got out and started to approach me. Having planned ahead I was already in my car and pulling out as he stopped about two car lengths from where I was and continued to look in my direction. My heart was pounding 100 miles a minute as I knew, without doubt, that I had just avoided some type of confrontation as he stared at me as I was watching him through my rear view mirror.

As I drove back to my apartment the only thought running through my mind is what if they decide to follow me? What if they recognize my car at my complex? It's at that moment that I decided I had came to close to becoming a victim and that I wasn't going to allow that to happen to me or my wife. I came home and talked with my wife and explained to her what had happened. I had been talking about getting a shotgun for home defense for several weeks now and she'd been reluctant to the idea. She acquiesced to my plans and I went straight to the sporting goods store to picked up the Maverick 88 I'd been looking at the week before.

Still I wasn't happy. That near confrontation had taken place not in my home but while I was out in public. I knew that in order to protect myself and my wife that I would have to start carrying a pistol on my person. My wife had reluctantly agreed to the shotgun and she appeared that she was going to be stone cold set against it.

Fortunately since we were out looking for a new apartment complex I happen to swing by one of our local gun shop/range and took her inside. When she heard the firing going on inside I could tell by the excited look she was giving me that I was going to able to persuade her. I told her that I was going to take a class on pistol shooting and then take my conceal and carry license at the same location. On the way home she asked me if I would pay for her to take the class and I said, "Absolutely. I want you to be able to protect yourself."

Once we got home we sat in the car and had a conversation regarding conceal and carry, guns, government and survivalism. I do understand about her objections to firearms. She grew up in a city in Latin America that has the highest murder rate per capita of her country. She'd been witness to murder on her father's farm. When I asked her what would have happened to her and her family had her father not been armed she really began to understand.

So this Thursday I will be taking the class and next week I will be taking the conceal and carry class/exam and purchasing a pistol as well. So what began as a missed confrontation ended up being a beginning after a bit of communication and a decided task of preparation for any future possibilities of encounters. We were already in the process of moving out of the complex we're currently in and moving toward the suburbs not only to get away from the higher crime areas but will allow us to more effectively bug out if the need arises.

 

[Dksimon]

I am sorry for your close encounter but you made it home safely and thats what matters.

Congratulations on converting your wife, I have been working on my girlfriend for now and she has finally seen the need for a pistol but still isn't totally sold on me carrying one.

 

[Dismantler]

Good for you JW! If you need handgun advice, you're in the right place!

 

[James T Thomas]

Gambling

Both of you have been lucky!

There have been far too many who had been considering arming themselves; as you have, only to get into their first, and their last opportunity to do so.
They had been dealt the Ace of Spades on the first hand.
In the high stakes game of life, do not sit at the table with an empty hand.

Some times the man has to assume the responsiblity of family protection over his wife's fears, and make more certain that he can efficiently protect his loved ones. And she can too! "Two are better than one, for if one falls down the other can be there to pick him up."

 

[eric.cartman]

JokersWild,
Welcome to THR!
Congrats on your awakening! Better late than never!

A word of advice, take it slow with your wife. Get the training first, pick up a pistol... her female curiousity will draw her toward it, seing how you do it.
I've had the same thing with my wife. At first she was on the edge about a gun in the house (that was 2 years ago). Now, just few weeks ago she shot my 1911 .45ACP pistol and she LOVED IT!!!
Give her some time, and she will become your best shooting buddy.

P.S. Did i mention we BOTH carry a pistol now? My wife can't imagine NOT carrying her KelTec P32 in her purse

 

[DesertDawg]

You can AVOID about 99% of the time, merely by having good situational awareness. The 1% can sneak up on you when you least expect it.

Several years ago, an off-duty LEO, who had worked over-time, was extremely hungry and drove to a nearby all-night fast food place that had a drive-thru. After getting his food, he pulled into the parking lot, but there were several "gangsta"-types there. To avoid any problem, he decided to drive into a quiet residential area where he could park and enjoy his food. The 1% snuck up on him!

The officer didn't see or hear where the suspect came from, and was surprised when he heard, "Give me your wallet!". The suspect had a revolver aimed at him, so he complied by pulling out his wallet. Instead of handing it to the suspect, he let it fall to the ground. While the suspect was retrieving the wallet, the officer was able to draw his off-duty weapon. "Police officer! Drop your gun!", he commanded. The suspect straightened up, and started lifting his gun hand toward the officer. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.

A horrible incident, this one! An off-duty LEO, his wife and another couple had gone to dinner together, and had taken only one vehicle. When the LEO and his wife were dropping off the other couple, they both got out of their car to chit-chat before they departed. That was when a lone gunman approached them and demanded the purses from the ladies and the mens wallets. They complied, but instead of merely leaving, the suspect grabbed the LEO's wife and held onto her as he began to back away. The LEO figured that he had to do "something", instead of having his wife kidnapped, perhaps raped and killed. The LEO dropped down, drew his 2" snubbie .38 revolver from his ankle holster, then exclaimed, "Police officer! Drop the gun!". The suspect, while still holding onto the LEO's wife, swung his pistol around toward the LEO and the other couple. As well as he could, the LEO aimed his revolver at the suspect and fired a round. NOT good, for his wife was struggling to free herself at the same time, and the round hit her in the head! With the impact of the bullet and lifeless body in his hands, the suspect fell to the ground and his gun skittered across the ground. The LEO captured the suspect while the other couple aided the LEO's wife. The gun that the suspect was armed with was a "replica" CO-2 pellet pistol!

Being armed, avoiding obvious potential situations, travelling with a group of people AND having good situational awareness is great, but there is no "insurance" for the 1% that might sneak up on you! Life is NOT fair!