Ever had to put your hand on your gun "for real"?...

[ShooterMcGavin]

What I mean to say... Have you ever been in a situation, with your carry gun on you, where you felt that you might really need to use it and you were ready to draw?

Were things resolved before you needed to draw, or did you have to take the next step?? I am mostly asking about situations outside of the home. Defense actions inside the home are different, but I'll still listen to a good story.

 

[Stauffenberg]

I don't carry, as I live in the utopian and violence-free promised land that is Wisconsin.

(Milwaukee's Current Murder Rate: 12th in The Nation)

I was sitting around the apartment one night, watching TV and showing a friend of mine my new revolver, which I'd bought after being burglarized twice in six days. I was obviously "on" at all times around the house just then, and we heard somebody talking softly outside the window. I spun around with the revolver at low-ready and shouted "We are armed. Step away from the window."

Got over there a second later to see two baggy-pants types beating feet down the alley. Maybe I just scared a couple kids looking for somewhere quiet to burn a joint. I err on the side of caution, though.

 

[busy_squirrel]

Yes. this week. It was in my car, and I started to uncover it. But in the end, I didn't have to pull it out.

 

[nwilliams]

I've never been put into a situation where I've needed to prepare to draw, I would never reach for my gun, or show any indication that I even have one unless I planed to draw and shoot. I've taken enough courses that I feel comfortable that in the event I need to draw and shoot I don't need to reach for my gun to prepare to draw.

I will say that there have been times in the past where I've prepared mentally to draw. I honestly hope I can go my entire life without ever having to even draw, let alone fire. I think if youre in a situation where you feel unsafe you should first place your hand on your pepper spray not your gun, unless its a life or death situation you should always try a non-lethal approach first. Also pepper sraying someone first can buy you enough time to get away or draw if needed. I just bought a pepper spray attachment for my keychain and I'm glad I did. Of course everyone has different theories on how to approach situations like the one youre describing, this is just mine.

 

[Geronimo45]

This is my rifle, this is my gun.
This one's for fightin', this one's for...

Oh. You mean the other kind of gun.

Better make that no.

 

[kungfuhippie]

preacher says we may feel an urge to reach for our gun but we can overcome it

Yes, late at work, someone was pounding on the front door. I thought I'd have to shoot the guy. had my hand on my pistol (in coat pocket)

turned out that the guy dressed in black pounding on the door (hard to see out of at night) was the security guard telling me to move my car off of the fresh asphalt.:banghead:

So I didn't have to shoot him. Thank goodness since I didn't have level 15 body armor!!!

 

[MrDig]

The closest I came was in the Military. I was given a Red Alert call at 03:30 hrs and issued Live ammo. This was early in the year in '79 so I'm not sure what was going on. Every other Red Alert was just a drill to assess readiness, but this time Live Rounds were issued and we knew it was something entirely different.

 

[Sheldon J]

Drew down on a Woodchuck once, damn varmint was using my storage barn as a home, Does this count?

 

[Antihero]

Does carrying in the woods count? If so yes a couple of times, all were solved without actual gun firing. One example was when i was walking down my long access road in the dark and heard a large animal in the brush about 3 feet from me. Others were solved by having a large Anatolian Shepherd with me

 

[MacPelto]

Yep, shot a water moccasin once.

Mac

 

[ZeSpectre]

Several officers responded to a call, when we arrived a hopped up whacko had beaten his girlfriend unconscious and was chewing on her arm (for the love of God, no zombie references, I'm serious about this, thanks).

We smashed in through the sliding glass door and he jumped up towards me but stopped short when he saw my drawn sidearm. To this day I remember how there was this sudden separation in my head like I was watching myself on TV or something. I felt absolute-zero cold and calm and I told him if he so much as twitched towards me I'd end it all.

He froze and the other officers with me bodyslammed him down and got him in cuffs and then out to the cruiser.

Once they had him contained the "cool" feeling vanished and it felt like it took me about an hour to move my finger off the trigger. We cleared the house and then I had to go out behind the house and vomit from the reaction level.

That was almost 12 years ago and every time I remember this story I can still see his face above my sights just as clear as day and I still remember how close I was to pulling the trigger.

Puts a lot of other stuff in perspective for sure!

 

[ShooterMcGavin]

...I live in the utopian and violence-free promised land that is Wisconsin

Awwwwww. That sounds so nice!!

Yes. this week. It was in my car, and I started to uncover it. But in the end, I didn't have to pull it out.

Is there anything more to the story?

...I would never reach for my gun, or show any indication that I even have one unless I planed to draw and shoot.

Is it possible that you could reach for your gun a split second before something changes your mind? I'm sure you'd agree that preparing to draw does not mean that you MUST finish by raising, aiming, and pulling the trigger.

I made the mistake of being honest about my experiences once, and have never heard the end of it from a certain sector.

I'm sorry to hear that. I'd like to hear about it.

Does carrying in the woods count?

If you felt that your life was in danger, then absolutely.


I have never needed to consider using my gun to stop any type of attack, in all the weeks that I have been carrying. Oh yeah, I've been carrying for about 2 weeks now

 

[Standing Wolf]

Yep.

 

[The-Fly]

I'll play.

About a year ago, I was charged by a fairly large dog. I had hand on grip, about 1/2 second from drawing. The dog stopped, and decided it wasn't a good day to die.

 

[JWarren]

Yes. And I've been in a situation where I DID have to draw-- more than once.

 

[Black Knight]

When I did uniformed security patrols there were many nights I gripped my duty weapon. There were many times I had to clear a building (possible break in) alone with my duty weapon drawn. There was even one night that I had to draw and aim at a subject in order to make an arrest. Yes in Virginia an armed contract security officer has the power to effect an arrest for offenses occurring in their presence.

 

[K5mitch]

Closest I've come was un-snapping my thumb-break. As I was stepping out to my front porch to smoke, I noticed a truck and trailer stop in front of my house. A passenger got out, driver still in the truck with it running. I closed the front door to my house, and as I reached in my pocket to grab my smokes, I un-snapped the thumb-break (going from yellow to orange).

This guy that just got out looked like he hasn't showered in a few days and slept in his clothes. The trailer had some random pieces of machinery in it. The guy approached me as I lit my cigarette. He was supposedly some tree care guy, and wanted to talk about cleaning up the trees in my yard. My trees did need some desperate attention, and one needs to be cut down, but I've gotta wait until my roomate gets back from the desert before we do anything about them.

We talked for a little bit about the trees, and I noticed him glancing toward my front window (a 10-foot wide and 4 foot tall window). I had the curtains drawn open :banghead:

After a couple minutes talking about the cold weather, he leaves. 5 minutes later, I was putting plastic up over the inside of the window; been meaning to for days.

I just recently moved into this area, and don't even know my neighbors yet, let alone any of the roving businesses, and don't really trust any of them.

 

[P5 Guy]

When I first got my Miata I'd drive everywhere with the top down. Well one night I had to stay into the third shift to cover for a guy that was on vacation. Driving home, with the top down, at 3:30 AM I hit the stoplight at 38th avenue and 28th street north. At the time there was a deli and a laudramat on the corner to my passenger side.
I'm stopped at the light and a guy comes out of the doorway of the closed laudramat with his right arm covered with his shirt telling me he needed a ride. I couldn't see his hand so, I pulled my pistol out of the map pouch on the door and told him I wasn't going his way. I'm sure he saw the gun because I've never seen some one turn so fast on their heels and run.
It was a few blocks and I was home. Called the police to report what had happened and they stopped by at about 4:45 AM to say they couldn't find him.
I should have just run the light, but I didn't have a clear veiw to the left and I was watching to the right fairly intently. Pretty nerve wracking experience.

 

[10-Ring]

Yes twice...once at home w/ HD shotty the other in the car w/ my young son. I hope that I never get that feeling again.

 

[busy_squirrel]

Yes. this week. It was in my car, and I started to uncover it. But in the end, I didn't have to pull it out.

Is there anything more to the story?

Absolutely, but I don't wanna go very far into it.

At the time I was very much afraid for my physical safety and life and I don't like thinking about what I woulda done. That sudden chill/sharpness/detached/world slows down feeling that ZeSpectre spoke of was there.

Then, almost as quickly, the moment passed, the aggressor retreated, and I didn't have to do anything I would prefer not to do. Hooray beer!

 

[byf43]

Once, inside my own home, many, many years ago. 20+ years, actually..

 

[evan price]

Yes, several times. But in all cases once the goblin saw the weapon they chose to uninvolve themselves from the situation quickly.

 

[Monkeyleg]

I've been in situations where I've showed the bad guys my gun, and they went away.

I was also in a situation once where I had to draw a knife and offer the offender the choice.

My guess is that people who've had to go further than that generally won't want to discuss the situations, both for personal as well as legal reasons.

 

[nwilliams]

Is it possible that you could reach for your gun a split second before something changes your mind? I'm sure you'd agree that preparing to draw does not mean that you MUST finish by raising, aiming, and pulling the trigger.

This is true, I suppose you could be reaching for your gun when your attacker decides to turn and run, hopefully theyre smart enough to recognize the action of someone reaching for their firearm. I think it depends on how comfortable you are with your draw, if you don't practice a lot and feel like you may fumble in a panic trying to draw your weapon then reaching for it may be a good option for most. It may also depend on how easily you can access your weapon, if you have to dig for it under multiple layers of clothing it may be a good idea to slip your hand in and place it in position. I think it really depends on the situation and how much practice and training you have. I won't say I've never placed my hand on my gun while using an outdoor atm or walking down a dark alley, but that's I think a different situation than the kind your asking about.

 

[sm]

Yep.