Glad I had my gun!

[rogerjames]

I am concerned by several recent posts.

Is it just me, or do I detect a surge in the number of people posting very suspect situations to justify drawing their weapon?

A stranger rang my doorbell... I walked out of the store and this guy eyed me... I was pumping gas and a guy pulled up next to me and starting pumping gas at the pump next to me (he didn't really look like he needed gas) etc etc.

I know I may be exaggerating a bit to make my point but... I am reading more and more of these stupid threads every day.

It seems to me like some posters are looking for reasons and situations to justify their decision to own and/or carry.

We don't need justification. That right is protected by our Constitution.

I am very vigilant and always aware of my environment. I carry my weapon everywhere and am comforted by knowing that it is there..., but I am not LOOKING for a reason to use it.

Some recent posters seem to be looking for a reason. Have others noticed this also, or is it just me?

 

[Rockwell1]

It's just you

 

[Hardtarget]

I've had my permit for eight(?) years. The only time I thought I was actually going to need my gun...it was at home. I can truly say I'm glad I have never had to draw my gun. Takes a lot of problems and stress out of my life. I hope to never be forced to shoot in self defense. I'd much rather punch holes in targets!

Mark

 

[Funderb]

I'm glad I had my gun when I went to the range...
all those sketchy people, and carrying big scary weapons!!
not to mention the mozambique drill i ran on a paper circle that threatened to shoot me over my wallet.

 

[Impureclient]

If this means anything...Apparently more burglaries are occuring due to hard economic times and criminals are getting harder.
In the larger city by me there was a few robberies where they would just shoot the person being held up, then rob. I say it's better to
just be getting ready/drawing the gun in case and not having to use it than be in a situation that wouldn't have escalated if a criminal knew
you were packing also. I don't carry by the way so I'm not one of the peopple we speak of but, I understand in these times
though. I wouldn't want to lose my life either over some guy getting angry over losing his job and taking it out on me so I say
let them draw away. Nobody ever got killed over being paranoid did they?

 

[TRGRHPY]

I look for reason to not use it. I think people call it "awareness" or something to that effect.

You're right, there does seem to be more posts of that nature going on. I haven't really looked at them the way you do, though. It's certainly a different perspective from how I look at them...I'll try to be more aware of that when I see them from now on and get back to ya with a full report....haha

 

[wyocarp]

Thought I was going to use my gun four nights ago.

I just had to respond to this thread. There might be more of these threads but some of this means that people are being aware of their surroundings. It's not all bad and I think it helps others to think about stuff that happens in their own lives.

By the way, I was awaken four nights ago and ran with with my gun to see what the problem was. My wife and I were awaken to the sounds of what at first were sounds like someone screaming just outside our house. By the time I got to the front door with my robe, slippers, and gun, I knew it was an animal being attacked by another. It turned out to be a fox trying for a stray cat dinner. I interupted the fight as the fox was clearly seeing his soon to be fate of being shot multiple times with a 10mm caliber hollowpoint bullet. I want everyone to know that I would not have stopped shooting until the bad guy was no longer breathing air. It would not have mattered if that was 1 bullet or 15.

My only regret is that I didn't have a reload available or a bug.

 

[Kind of Blued]

The only time I ever thought that I might need to use a gun in self-defense, I had a gun, just like every other time that I didn't need a gun.

Therein lies the point.

 

[TRGRHPY]

The only time I ever thought that I might need to use a gun in self-defense, I had a gun, just like every other time that I didn't need a gun.

Therein lies the point.

And it's a good one.

 

[Phydeaux642]

I agree with you. It seems there are more than a few people here that seem to want to be in a situation where they may meet some trouble. That's a bit strange to me as I try to stay away from areas and situations that may end with some trouble. Mall Ninjas. Whatareyagonnado?:banghead:

 

[gwillys]

just a bunch of rookies.

back when i was a cop/training officer, i realized how dangerous a scared, armed, insufficiently trained person is.

 

[Mohawk]

I frequent a total of 4 gun sites including this one and I noticed a while ago that a lot of new posters to the sites were posting hypothetical scenarios and asking for opinions on their situation. I was suspicous then and asked my wife who is a middle school teacher if there was any connection between these posts and the school system.
Sure enough, she did some checking and it turns out that many HS and junior colleges have classes on internet culture. The assignments are to create a membership on a particular site and then ask leading questions. The student then use the answers they get to write a report on their findings of the site's culture. Now if you have an obvious anti gun slant going in then your questions will be designed to support your preconceived opinions.
Not being paranoid but I realize that we are being "shilled" by some new posters, some of the time.

 

[MagnumDweeb]

Had a couple decide to have domestic dispute in front of my friend's dad's pawn shop when I stopped by on my way home from mowing yards just to say high and look at what guns he had for sale(bare shelf). Of course I went straight to mowing yards with the two guys I had hired to help me, and had gone straight to it from law shool(so I didn't have my gun with me).

And of course it was an 'urban' couple with a baby stroller, yelling over their bull****, and I finally got the sheriff's department on my phone to call it in. I wasn't going to dial 911 because it wasn't anything more than a really heated argument, but the point was that anyone can do anything at any given time. If the woman had run in and the guy had a gun, I'd have been defenseless, and enough 'urban' people in my area have been known to do crazy violent murdering things. The 23 murders we had, only two were committed by white people involving domestic disuputes and one hit and run, the other 21 were committed by 'urban' types who don't speak english well and don't tend to have jobs.

So yeah I would have liked to have my gun, but I wouldn't have drawn it unless the guy started beating the woman or he pulled out a weapon.

And lets be honest, a lot of bad things have been happening as of late, and people in seemingly safe places have been getting accosted, especially in Orlando Florida(CWPs defending themselves). So if you want to carry then be my guest, granted don't act John Wayne about it and try not to look at every situation as a 'must draw' situation.

Does carrying a gun make me a little more observant or paranoid, yes it does, just like watching the news or reading the newspaper. It's getting bad folks, that's all there is to it.

 

[General Geoff]

Never had a need to draw my sidearm, hope I never do.

 

[LoneCoon]

People are scared these days. A lot of people worried about their jobs, their homes, the economy, their government. They buy a gun to make themselves feel secure, to make themselves feel safer.

But it doesn't alleviate their fears. Everyday something else comes up that makes people worry a little bit more about the world they live in. Makes them suspicious, makes them paranoid, makes them want to look out for themselves a little more. So they carry their gun with them, constantly on the look out for people who want to hurt them and their family.

And really, percentage wise, there aren't that many more bad guys today then their were before. But now we have some peoples amorality to contend with. The idea that getting whatever they want is justified by any means necessary. Scamming, lying, cheating, stealing. Whatever they want, they want it now, and you're going to give it to them.

So the normal person is left to content with sensationalism at these events, combined with paranoia from the outside world.

There's a reason we're all so twitchy. Times are tough and their not looking much brighter at the moment. We seek validation for what we've done to confirm that we're not paranoid. But some people are paranoid, and it's understandable. That doesn't make it right.

Being prepared and being paranoid are two separate things with a thin line between them. One mans prepared is another man's nut case. Try to stay on the prepared side of the line, instead of the crazy side.

 

[MT GUNNY]

I think the Crime rate Has jumped a little since the Economy has Dipped, so the Natural Reaction will be a Increase of SD Situations. so far the only one situation I have seen on THR that I didn't Fully agree with was the Recent Shot gun scuffle, Where the Renter opened his Door when he Prolly shouldn't have.

 

[ezypikns]

Don't forget......

there are lots of posters here (like you and me) who are aware of our surroundings, but who don't see a bad guy behind every bush. We don't have anything to report (thank goodness).
The other thing I've noticed is that lots of those who post "incidents" in, say, the "Strategies and Tactics" forum could avoid many of these situations just by not inserting themselves into them in the first place.

 

[Knaste]

"I interupted the fight as the fox was clearly seeing his soon to be fate of being shot multiple times with a 10mm caliber hollowpoint bullet"

Best not to take chances. Get the cat too on the off-chance it contracted rabies!

 

[jackstinson]

"the fox was clearly seeing his soon to be fate of being shot multiple times with a 10mm caliber hollowpoint bullet"

I'm trying to figure out shooting multiple times with "a bullet".
Do you dig it out, reload it, shoot again ......... rinse and repeat as necessary?

As for the initial point? I stay aware, avoid trouble, mind my own business, have not pulled a gun on anything range target since getting my CHL, I have nothing ominous to report. Glad I had my gun!

 

[Lou McGopher]

committed by 'urban' types who don't speak english well and don't tend to have jobs.

Right, because trailer parks in the midwest don't have problems with crime, violence, and unemployment.......

Look, I've lived in trailer parks in Smalltown, USA, and I've lived right next door to housing projects in NYC. I've lived in remote cabins and ranch homes in Montana, and in upscale suburbs. One thing I've learned is that tendency towards stupid or criminal behavior is in no way related to skin color. It may be relevant to mention someone's culture, personality, or maybe their income level, but skin color just isn't a factor. I've got relatives from eastern Europe who will tell you they've seen neighborhoods back in the old country (where everyone is white) far more violent than what you'll find in inner-city American ghettos (and it would not be totally inaccurate to describe these relatives as 'racist'). I've known Christian missionaries who will tell you that some of the most peaceful and inviting people they've ever met were tribal African communities.

If you don't like the aesthetic appearance of non-caucasian skin tones, or if you don't like the culture of 'urban types,' that's fine. But it's naive and over-simplistic to associate skin color with behavior. What's more, I would suspect that a fear or dislike of these 'urban types' may increase your vulnerability to attack from someone who is white, since you're less likely to consider them as a potential threat.

 

[runrabbitrun]

Excellent post LoneCoon.

 

[CoRoMo]

Maybe it's just a few permit holders looking for a reason to use their keyboard.

 

[ezenbrowntown]

Took the words right of my mouth LoneCoon. There is a line between "aware" and "paranoid". May my "situational awareness" not prevent me from also being a "good neighbor".

 

[DammitBoy]

Crime is on the rise in my area. Two years ago we had zero armed robberies.

Last year we had eight armed robberies including six bank robberies.

This year we've already had twelve bank robberies.

I haven't had a reason to pull my sidearm, but I'm still glad I've got it with me.

 

[MisterMike]

I think you have to remember that anything posted on the internet has to be viewed with a degree of skepticism. That may be an even greater issue when it comes to guns, since sites like this will attract, in addition to the legit folks, special forces wanna-bes, anti-gun folks who want to stir things up, and the curious who have time on their hands.

When it comes to posts like those mentioned I am a little conflicted. On one hand, I'm a firm believer in trusting and acting on your gut instinct. On the other hand, when it comes to the threatened or actual use of deadly force, you need to exercise a high degree of mature judgment. Every reasonable, lawful option should be exercised before you pull a weapon--the only circumstances under which you should unholster a weapon are those that legally justify the imminent use of deadly force.

Where I suffer a bit of disconnect is here: if you believe some posts, there are some folks who are whipping out their guns when they get a little skittish. My training with firearms always stressed that a weapon is never pulled or exhibited unless you are, at that moment, ready to take the immediate next step of actually using deadly force. You don't bluff. You don't fire warning shots. The brandishing of a weapon is the prelude to its use.

Having said all that, I don't get particularly worked up over the scenarios that may be questionable--they at least give me the opportunity to exercise my brain, trying to determine the right response, give the story that is presented.