fearless leader
Member
In the mid 1990's I was an armored car guard in Jacksonville, FL. I frequented one of the Army/Navy stores when I got of work for the social discussions, not unlike the ones here, with some accquaintances of mine that worked there.
One evening after work, while still in my uniform but with an empty belt-slide holster. I was in the store talking to the evening manager a while before he closed up shop. I believe we were discussing a recent crime wave in the area.
A tall, heavy set (but not fat), black, boisterous man, who repeated himself often, came in. He said he wanted a box of .45's.
The clerk, having only one variety, put a box of UMC hard ball on the counter, and asked if there would be anything else?
The man asked to see a handgun in the display case, a stainless Beretta 92.
The clerk handed him the handgun after ensuring it was empty. He said it's not a .45 though. The man asked, "what the differance is?"
The clerk must have taken leave of his senses as he handed the man a box of ammo for the Beretta. The clerk put one of each round on the counter, side by side, and left both boxes open on the counter.
The man examined it closely. He then whirled sharply to his right, across my personal space (2 inches from my nose) and snapped the empty weapon at the dummy on the counter, containing all manner of military and civilian medals and pins.
I noticed him look several times at my empty hoster. Unknown to him, in the pocket under the holster rested my Nickel Colt Cobra, stoked with Winchester Silver Tip hollow points.
Now perceiving the man as a possible threat, I put my hand in my pocket while he examined the Beretta further, hoping I was wrong. I placed my thumb on the hammer so it would withdraw smoothly if I needed it to, and my target would be the top of his spine, bottom of his brain, as he stood on my strong side, beside me, also offering knee strike potential to his floating ribs, possibly opening the door to a Lateral Vascular Neck Restraint (LVNR), which leaves the combative unconcious, but is dangerous.
He then proceeded to remove the magazine, lock the slide to the rear, and examine the 9mm round again. He looked at the clerk, and at my empty holster, and placed the round on the follower of the magazine! No reasonable, prudent individual would load a round in a gun store's gun, unless he had less than honorable intentions. I had visions in my head about how this would go down. I figured, with only one round, he would put the gun to my head, demand money or else!
Just then, I noticed the clerk signaling me with he eyes to look behind him. He had removed his chief's special from it's scabbard, and was waving it in the direction I to which I should retreat.
I was having none of it! That had the potential to end very ugly. I saw the man putting the magazine home, when I did what he didn't expect, and saved his life.
Reaching with my weak hand, I blocked the magazine well, and said firmly, "Sir, don't load that weapon." My left (strong) hand had a good purchase on my Colt, incase it didn't work (the man was 300 lbs if he was an ounce, and a head and a half taller than me).
He placed the magazine and the weapon on the counter and the clerk holsted his own weapon so the man in question saw it. He asked "you had that gun out? You was gonna' shoot me?"
The clerk said that he was going to, if he had loaded that gun. He breathed a sigh of relief, paid for his box of UMC and left. We all went home as heathy as we started out the day. No one was perforated, no law suits, no police reports.
What would you have done different? What, other than being in uniform, off duty, could I have done better?
One evening after work, while still in my uniform but with an empty belt-slide holster. I was in the store talking to the evening manager a while before he closed up shop. I believe we were discussing a recent crime wave in the area.
A tall, heavy set (but not fat), black, boisterous man, who repeated himself often, came in. He said he wanted a box of .45's.
The clerk, having only one variety, put a box of UMC hard ball on the counter, and asked if there would be anything else?
The man asked to see a handgun in the display case, a stainless Beretta 92.
The clerk handed him the handgun after ensuring it was empty. He said it's not a .45 though. The man asked, "what the differance is?"
The clerk must have taken leave of his senses as he handed the man a box of ammo for the Beretta. The clerk put one of each round on the counter, side by side, and left both boxes open on the counter.
The man examined it closely. He then whirled sharply to his right, across my personal space (2 inches from my nose) and snapped the empty weapon at the dummy on the counter, containing all manner of military and civilian medals and pins.
I noticed him look several times at my empty hoster. Unknown to him, in the pocket under the holster rested my Nickel Colt Cobra, stoked with Winchester Silver Tip hollow points.
Now perceiving the man as a possible threat, I put my hand in my pocket while he examined the Beretta further, hoping I was wrong. I placed my thumb on the hammer so it would withdraw smoothly if I needed it to, and my target would be the top of his spine, bottom of his brain, as he stood on my strong side, beside me, also offering knee strike potential to his floating ribs, possibly opening the door to a Lateral Vascular Neck Restraint (LVNR), which leaves the combative unconcious, but is dangerous.
He then proceeded to remove the magazine, lock the slide to the rear, and examine the 9mm round again. He looked at the clerk, and at my empty holster, and placed the round on the follower of the magazine! No reasonable, prudent individual would load a round in a gun store's gun, unless he had less than honorable intentions. I had visions in my head about how this would go down. I figured, with only one round, he would put the gun to my head, demand money or else!
Just then, I noticed the clerk signaling me with he eyes to look behind him. He had removed his chief's special from it's scabbard, and was waving it in the direction I to which I should retreat.
I was having none of it! That had the potential to end very ugly. I saw the man putting the magazine home, when I did what he didn't expect, and saved his life.
Reaching with my weak hand, I blocked the magazine well, and said firmly, "Sir, don't load that weapon." My left (strong) hand had a good purchase on my Colt, incase it didn't work (the man was 300 lbs if he was an ounce, and a head and a half taller than me).
He placed the magazine and the weapon on the counter and the clerk holsted his own weapon so the man in question saw it. He asked "you had that gun out? You was gonna' shoot me?"
The clerk said that he was going to, if he had loaded that gun. He breathed a sigh of relief, paid for his box of UMC and left. We all went home as heathy as we started out the day. No one was perforated, no law suits, no police reports.
What would you have done different? What, other than being in uniform, off duty, could I have done better?
