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Fun Thread... lot's of laughs!

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Bet on it, act accordingly

SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
If you don't have it, chances are your fight is already lost. Carrying a gun does not give you super powers. You must cultivate situational awareness, critical thinking and make good decisions as to where you are going and is the juice worth the squeeze. Driving in a sketchy area, day or night, your Spidey senses tingling? Why not slide that pistola under your right thigh in the car for piece of mind?

YOUR VEHICLE
Don't get out of your vehicle in an altercation, NOT EVER, your vehicle is a much deadlier weapon than your gun, STOP and size things up, use your vehicle like the weapon that it is. Hell, your vehicle makes a great mobile gun platform

LEVEL HEADED
Don't let your beer buddies or your lady friend goad you into an altercation, EVER - if you initiate combat without stating repeatedly with 911 on the line, I FEAR FOR MY LIFE - your life will forever be altered, and you will not like that, not one bit

CELL PHONE
Dial 911 early and leave the line open, get your attempts to disengage on the record, if possible, make sure you repeatedly state I FEAR FOR MY LIFE, say it loud and proud, adrenaline is pumping, make good decisions NOW

MOSSAD AYOOB's "beer money" defense
Always a great option (especially when you are dragged into the Court Room). A match box filled with washers, with a $20.00 bill wrapped around it. "...here you go guys, leave me alone and go get a beer...on me..." hopefully 911 is already listening

THE FIRST SHOT
Deliberately, get YOUR first shot off to get them to put their heads down or run. Nothing makes your pucker factor go up like digging masonry out of your eyes because the shot was REALLY CLOSE, goes for bad guys too

FOLLOW UP SHOTS
As Mel Gibson so aptly put it, "...Lord, make me fast and accurate...", if things get spicy, you have the rest of your life to get it right, take your time...aimed fire is more effective than spray and pray, EVERY DAMN TIME

*Remember the Texas Taco Guy, within reason, keep shooting until the threat is eliminated, slow, well placed shots. In a crowd your shots are potentially saving lives

CALIBER SELECTION

Who cares, if things get spicy, you have the rest of your life to get it right, take your time...aimed fire is more effective than spray and pray, EVERY DAMN TIME
The key here is you have a gun, carry what gives you confidence, confidence is a game changer

WHEN THE POLICE SHOW UP
Your trial defense starts now
Be giving first aid if possible., can't stress this enough
Put your gun on the roof of your car and get as far away from it as practical
Yell, "...I'm the guy who called 911..." as loud as you can until the Police ask you to shut up
Cooperate, you don't have to like it, your goal is to survive their adrenaline rush
Demand medical attention no matter what, you are a victim, within reason, act like one.

Once the Police holster their weapons, your odd's of survival go up dramatically, do what you are told, you can call home later, no need to panic the folks at home who will over react to your adrenaline addled ramblings
 
So I saw this on YouTube last night. It's a shootout at a gas station between some thugs. Looks like they are carying lightly concealed carbines.

I will be the first to admit that I have generally not carried what I would consider as adequate firepower to deal with a situation like this. I have generally carried handguns with single stack magazines or revolvers. Multiple people armed with carbines is just not a scenario I plan for (except when I lived on the Mexican border). Is this the kind of scenario you personally prepare to deal with on a daily basis?
Haven't read subsequent posts, but that vid did not show an "everyday" occurrence, nor one where I would need to get involved.

IMO, this seemed like a gang involved shooting between two or more groups of people, neither of which I would want to engage during normal times. Therefore, what firearms I carry would be less relevant than what body armor I would be wearing (normally none) and/or where I would take cover until the shooting stopped or moved away from me.

Generally, I do not carry, and I try pretty hard to avoid those populated areas where it would be wise to carry.
 
We don't get to choose the terms of our altercation with a BG - they do. We can hope they will disengage upon experiencing armed resistance, but that doesn't always happen. Likewise, we can hope to run away at the first opportunity, but that opportunity may never present itself. If they're hopped up on drugs or genuinely motivated to cause harm, we may not be able to avoid or escape the threat. Also, there is no guarantee the threat will be just one person, as BGs often run in packs. Not saying we should load up in full battle rattle for every outing, but we should be cognizant of the fact that the bad guy dictates the terms of the engagement. We just get to choose how we respond.
The cop in the noted story was chasing down a deadly threat. Refusing to let him get away. [ doing his job]. I don't have that job. DR
 
Body armor is another thing that we are all going to have to re-think the utility of...

A wise man in Military Combat carries at least FIVE tourniquets: shrapnel ejecta doesn't respect your body armor, your extremities are going to get hit and leak that essential red stuff... this is why the Military experimented with uniform design that had build in CAT systems. If you are dorked up such that you cannot open and apply a CAT, all you have to do is pull on the tab and it self deployed. This is not in common usage because of negative perceptions...

I've see precious few published tests of body armor effectiveness in a fire fight situation, the ones that I have seen repeat the lessons of actual combat.

Body Armor by and large is effective if and only if the user has confidence in it to get the user in the fight and keep the user in the fight. Once you are hit while wearing your Body Armor you know that it is for all intents and purposes useless. Once you recover and are send back to your unit, you never want to wear that heavy junk again, a minimal plate carrier, yes...maybe....but twenty plus pounds of "mental margarita"? Not so much...

Taking a round in the arms or legs in an actual fire fight is and always will be life threatening unless you have competent medical assistance available before you bleed out or pass out from shock.

In your WROL situation... there is a reason the Military preaches, Shoot, Move, Communicate... be hard to kill is better...

If you are EVER in a situation where actual ballistic combat seems likely and you cannot escape, you should be looking for COVER from projectile traffic (a.k.a. incoming gunfire)...
 
So I saw this on YouTube last night. It's a shootout at a gas station between some thugs. Looks like they are carying lightly concealed carbines.

I will be the first to admit that I have generally not carried what I would consider as adequate firepower to deal with a situation like this. I have generally carried handguns with single stack magazines or revolvers. Multiple people armed with carbines is just not a scenario I plan for (except when I lived on the Mexican border). Is this the kind of scenario you personally prepare to deal with on a daily basis?
I would not consider myself under armed with my 1911 + 2 extra mags against this trio of marksmen.
 
Body armor is another thing that we are all going to have to re-think the utility of...

A wise man in Military Combat carries at least FIVE tourniquets: shrapnel ejecta doesn't respect your body armor, your extremities are going to get hit and leak that essential red stuff... this is why the Military experimented with uniform design that had build in CAT systems. If you are dorked up such that you cannot open and apply a CAT, all you have to do is pull on the tab and it self deployed. This is not in common usage because of negative perceptions...

I've see precious few published tests of body armor effectiveness in a fire fight situation, the ones that I have seen repeat the lessons of actual combat.

Body Armor by and large is effective if and only if the user has confidence in it to get the user in the fight and keep the user in the fight. Once you are hit while wearing your Body Armor you know that it is for all intents and purposes useless. Once you recover and are send back to your unit, you never want to wear that heavy junk again, a minimal plate carrier, yes...maybe....but twenty plus pounds of "mental margarita"? Not so much...

Taking a round in the arms or legs in an actual fire fight is and always will be life threatening unless you have competent medical assistance available before you bleed out or pass out from shock.

In your WROL situation... there is a reason the Military preaches, Shoot, Move, Communicate... be hard to kill is better...

If you are EVER in a situation where actual ballistic combat seems likely and you cannot escape, you should be looking for COVER from projectile traffic (a.k.a. incoming gunfire)...
Don't even get people started on tourniquets here… haha.

I for one carry a CAT TQ daily in my back pocket.
 
Not sure if it's been said.. but if there is a true firefight.. I'd rather get out of dodge than engage until my gun goes "click". There are a myriad of things I'd "like" to carry but for every day life it just isn't practical and I don't hope/think I'd ever need more than a couple spare mags from a pistol. I've tried EDC with long guns, I've tried full bagged up load-outs in my vehicle.. it's just not for me. I'm glad I tried it out.. but ultimately I'm glad I'm a measly civilian and don't need that firepower unless a politician tells me I can't.. then I want as much as humanly possible.

What many need are trauma/wound kits. As I've got older Im more apt to save a life than take one unless push comes to shove. More likely than not, we will run into a gun shot wound/stabbing victim or nasty car/general accident victim and if we can save precious minutes by limiting blood loss that can save a life. A person saved the life of a victim with a mere wad of napkins.. having other blood stopping materials and being versed enough to deploy the right kind(s) I think would truly, statistically come in handy far more than a truck gun and 17+ mags plus an EDC pistol and 3-5+ mags, knife, light..etc.

I need enough to stop an immediate threat or enough to get the heck out of there. I'm not a cop, I'm not a larp'er.. I have a wonderful life and I'd like to keep it. Some of those ghetto shootouts where they have AK/AR pistols are straight lunacy. Children with guns. Thankfully they are too busy shooting each-other than to likely aim my way.

As other have stated, depending on capacity.. 2 spare mags is what I feel comfortable with: (Officer 1911 @ 20 rounds total) however trips to the store/working it's simply a pocket 380 and a single mag (13 rounds).

YMMV
 
Not sure if it's been said.. but if there is a true firefight.. I'd rather get out of dodge than engage until my gun goes "click". There are a myriad of things I'd "like" to carry but for every day life it just isn't practical and I don't hope/think I'd ever need more than a couple spare mags from a pistol. I've tried EDC with long guns, I've tried full bagged up load-outs in my vehicle.. it's just not for me. I'm glad I tried it out.. but ultimately I'm glad I'm a measly civilian and don't need that firepower unless a politician tells me I can't.. then I want as much as humanly possible.

What many need are trauma/wound kits. As I've got older Im more apt to save a life than take one unless push comes to shove. More likely than not, we will run into a gun shot wound/stabbing victim or nasty car/general accident victim and if we can save precious minutes by limiting blood loss that can save a life. A person saved the life of a victim with a mere wad of napkins.. having other blood stopping materials and being versed enough to deploy the right kind(s) I think would truly, statistically come in handy far more than a truck gun and 17+ mags plus an EDC pistol and 3-5+ mags, knife, light..etc.

I need enough to stop an immediate threat or enough to get the heck out of there. I'm not a cop, I'm not a larp'er.. I have a wonderful life and I'd like to keep it. Some of those ghetto shootouts where they have AK/AR pistols are straight lunacy. Children with guns. Thankfully they are too busy shooting each-other than to likely aim my way.

As other have stated, depending on capacity.. 2 spare mags is what I feel comfortable with: (Officer 1911 @ 20 rounds total) however trips to the store/working it's simply a pocket 380 and a single mag (13 rounds).

YMMV
Spot on. I go with -

-pistol w/ WML
-2 extra mags
-fixed blade
-folder
-CAT TQ
-light

Simple. Comfortable. I'm confident with that I carry on my person. But like you said I'm out the minute a "firefight" erupts. I'm not hanging out.
 

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