Reaction to real world violent/dangerous threat

[Member 53328]

I'd rather not relive those days. Probably the same reason I am a huge believer in deescalation and avoiding violence if at all possible.

It's not the movies.

 

[RVTECH]

My situation a few years could have gone very differently due to my own negligence of being the FIRST TIME I had ever responded to a noise in my house WITHOUT a gun in my hand (not like this is commonplace).

Fortunately my actions (screaming obscenities at the top of of my voice) scared the guy and he bolted out the door and in less than a few seconds I had my gun and flashlight in hand and immediately training took over and I cleared the house, called 911 and I waited on my front deck until LEO arrived.

Once thing I can honestly say is I had no intentions of staying in the house while the situation was still 'active' as I did not want to be confined inside in case anything happened such as the guy returning. I would rather be outside where I can move, take cover and concealment if necessary - again training 'kicking in'.

 

[FATAL125]

Better get ready to call me a BEAT .

I have never been shot at. I've never been in a gun fight. I've never experienced a mall shooting. I've never experienced a school shooting.

I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT ID DO.

Id likely get the F out.

I'm not a hero, nor do I play one on TV.

I try to be nice and polite to people, but I don't owe them my life to attempt stopping any of the above.

I have not signed my life to a government entity stating I'd be expected to stop this sort of thing.

So ya, go ahead and call me that Beta Cuck thing you be talking about.

Not quite what I was saying.

I wasn't saying anything about someone who wouldn't or hasn't engaged. If you know that about yourself, then you are actually the complete opposite of who I was referring too.

I was referring to the people who make big bold statements who have never encountered any type of threat and who actually don't know what they would do or maybe more importantly what they'd be willing to do.

 

[WillametteWill]

I'd rather not relive those days. Probably the same reason I am a huge believer in deescalation and avoiding violence if at all possible.

It's not the movies.

There is generally a (good) pattern from folks who served in conflicts while in the military, were LEOs or grew up in areas where ugly things happen. The most important lessons learned are how to avoid violence because you always have a greater than 0% chance of getting hurt, killed, or sued. You have also seen or experienced people (or yourself) do great in one encounter and then the wheels come off the cart in another. (I believe @Andy54Hawken has mentioned this before.)

You train and prepare and try and keep a good mindset, all while doing your best to avoid or deescalate conflicts. The first rule of every good "gunfighting" school I've ever attended is to do everything you can to avoid being in a gunfight. But be prepared when life doesn't deal you that option. Nice thread idea OP.

 

[saw2]

About 6 years ago the wife and I were taking a drive to the beach. I have a small convertible collector car. On the pavement before the beach approach I stopped along side the road to wipe bugs of windshield. No other cars for 300 yds. All of a sudden two cars sped by heading out onto the beach. Looked like 1 chasing the other. They hit the beach and turned around and came back.

I seen them coming and all of a sudden the front car stopped right beside us not 20 feet away. Guy from front car came running over by me saying I didn't do anything. Then 2nd car stopped and guy jumped out with a baseball bat screaming . Bat was cocked and locked over his shoulder. Then first guy got closer to me and guy with bat was running my way.

I reached in car and grabbed my carry pistol and drew and pointed it right at his head and lit up laser. Even though it was sunny you could tell guy with bat seen the laser lit on pistol. He stopped right in his tracks not 10 feet away. Turned around yelling and got back in car and took off. The other guy started saying something and I told him to get the f out of there too. Told him who the f are you to involve me in your problems.

I called cops. They asked if I'd wait till they could interview me. And when Washington State trooper showed up the other guy came back by and stopped he told the cops the name of the guy with the bat. Cops said yeah we know him and where he lives. Always meth'd out and in trouble with no drivers license.

Until that day my wife would often say " do you really need to take your pistol today" after that day she has NEVER asked me that again. She could not believe how fast the whole thing happened. I'd sure like to have thought I'd wouldn't have shot the guy if he got closer but I don't really know. Had no time to run or get out of there.

One thing the State trooper, town cop and local sheriff were all very supportive of me being a concealed weapon permit holder. No issues with that at all.

 

[Stomper]

Kind of harsh to call a bunch of little kids female dogs ain't it?

Now THAT'S what I call an abstract joke!

 

[solv3nt]

Now THAT'S what I call an abstract joke!

I'm here all week.

 

[HA556]

Propper training can produce expected reactions and sometimes survival instinct will overrule them.

 

[bbbass]

There I was, on the back streets of Reno, having left my travel buddy at Circus Circus at 12:01am to take a walk and see if I could find some excitement. As I walked down the long lonely dimly lit boulevard, a wild looking young(ish) man came walking on the same side of the street towards me from the opposing direction.

As he got closer, I wondered if I should cross the street. But I thought that would be rude and cowardly. However I was unarmed since I was not licensed to carry in Nevada. I sweated real bullets that should have instead been in a firearm.

He came closer, and closer. Step by step. Foot by foot. When we passed each other he lunged at me and shouted, "BOO!!!". Coming close but no contact.

Scared the bejabbers out of me, but I just kept walking calmly. Looked back to see what he was up to, but he kept walking too.

And that was the last time I ever went on foot in a strange town looking for excitement!


bb

 

[Joe13]

I'm always interested to see how much input these types of threads get.

It has been my experience that everyone I have met that has been "in the bubblegum", either military, LEO or civilian - if they had to do the hard thing/s then those are the folks that MAY talk with a close friend one on one about it or something similar but I rarely see them posting it online or talking about it casually in a group.

Ie - the quiet ones are the ones who have stories but are likely not going to share them.

 

[Member 34319]

Not quite what I was saying.

I wasn't saying anything about someone who wouldn't or hasn't engaged. If you know that about yourself, then you are actually the complete opposite of who I was referring too.

I was referring to the people who make big bold statements who have never encountered any type of threat and who actually don't know what they would do or maybe more importantly what they'd be willing to do.

Gotcha. I look at those people the same way I look at all folks willing to inflict harm. As bad people. If you carry with the thoughts in mind that you will kill if an opportunity arises, you're not a good person. If you join the military to get the ability to kill, you're not a good person. Etc, etc.

Those that post online of such things, are either not very good people, or armchair commandos.

 

[crstrode]

The beta male grabbers didn't take long to start telling tales.

 

[RVTECH]

Probably the same reason I am a huge believer in deescalation and avoiding violence if at all possible.

Ditto this and I do the same - heck sometimes even taking the 'low road' with those looking to start 'problems' - but then I have worked in high customer stress environments where my rationality and logic has been helpful however, there are a lot of puffed up idiots out there who while not necessarily those who will start trouble - but will not do anything to avoid it and when it does come their way, they often dive right, and possibly escalating the problem when it is not necessary to satisfy some insecurity or other issue.

I am referring to those who display a 'bully complex' and are always on the defensive, talking about who they would like to hit, beat up or any other violent acts on people they deem necessary, whether legal or not.

I have a friend like this (fortunately I don't see him much anymore) but he has been in his fair share of 'issues' (some resulting in legal problems) and most he could have avoided by walking away but if somebody simply looks at him wrong he wastes no time getting in their face and essentially escalating the issue.

 

[Certaindeaf]

There I was, on the back streets of Reno, having left my travel buddy at Circus Circus at 12:01am to take a walk and see if I could find some excitement. As I walked down the long lonely dimly lit boulevard, a wild looking young(ish) man came walking on the same side of the street towards me from the opposing direction.

As he got closer, I wondered if I should cross the street. But I thought that would be rude and cowardly. However I was unarmed since I was not licensed to carry in Nevada. I sweated real bullets that should have instead been in a firearm.

He came closer, and closer. Step by step. Foot by foot. When we passed each other he lunged at me and shouted, "BOO!!!". Coming close but no contact.

Scared the bejabbers out of me, but I just kept walking calmly. Looked back to see what he was up to, but he kept walking too.

And that was the last time I ever went on foot in a strange town looking for excitement!


bb

Everybody poops!

 

[Member 53328]

There is generally a (good) pattern from folks who served in conflicts while in the military, were LEOs or grew up in areas where ugly things happen. The most important lessons learned are how to avoid violence because you always have a greater than 0% chance of getting hurt, killed, or sued. You have also seen or experienced people (or yourself) do great in one encounter and then the wheels come off the cart in another. (I believe @Andy54Hawken has mentioned this before.)

You train and prepare and try and keep a good mindset, all while doing your best to avoid or deescalate conflicts. The first rule of every good "gunfighting" school I've ever attended is to do everything you can to avoid being in a gunfight. But be prepared when life doesn't deal you that option. Nice thread idea OP.

Agreed. Even in the Marines we went through combat hunter, read "Left of Bang," etc. The mentality was to be prepared and avoid certain scenarios. But if your hand was forced you knew what to look for and were well prepared before the situation unraveled.

I've seen what humanity is capable of doing to eachother. It was one of the main reasons I declined opportunities to get into law enforcement when I got out. Witnessing those acts and dealing with the perpetrators is not something I want to do on a daily basis. Rules stateside are much different than in the military.

At the end of the day I want to go home to my family. You can call me names, stomp on my pride, poke my chest, etc. I have no issue leaving my ego at the door and walking away. The majority of people who have dealt with violence first hand have zero desire to continue doing so.

Emotions get you killed.

 

[Wombat of Doom]

I know what I have done when a former patient tried to burn me alive. It is no mall shooting, but there was no running away as I could at the time, literally not run and the guy was trying to murder me. Sadly, I have had to use weapons to defend myself. I am still alive. I did not fire, more for fear of igniting myself being doused in gas, but I used my gun to make sure he was disarmed.

I don't want to talk more about the incidents but I mentioned one in the past, but I don't poop my pants or pee. Apparently my sphincters go so tight it takes a while for normal biological functions to resume. I have always been perplexed by people who mention pooping themselves in fear.

Your mouth goes dry, you feel sick, for me, time seems to dilate and you live another day to go home to your wife and kids.

Having been in that situation, it isn't badass or awesome. It was sickening for me. If I never have to be in a situation I need to draw again, It will be too soon.

 

[Stomper]

There I was, on the back streets of Reno, having left my travel buddy at Circus Circus at 12:01am to take a walk and see if I could find some excitement. As I walked down the long lonely dimly lit boulevard, a wild looking young(ish) man came walking on the same side of the street towards me from the opposing direction.

As he got closer, I wondered if I should cross the street. But I thought that would be rude and cowardly. However I was unarmed since I was not licensed to carry in Nevada. I sweated real bullets that should have instead been in a firearm.

He came closer, and closer. Step by step. Foot by foot. When we passed each other he lunged at me and shouted, "BOO!!!". Coming close but no contact.

Scared the bejabbers out of me, but I just kept walking calmly. Looked back to see what he was up to, but he kept walking too.

And that was the last time I ever went on foot in a strange town looking for excitement!


bb

Everybody poops!

Careful… if you go out looking for strange while in Vegas, you may just find it!

 

[Yarome]

Gotcha. I look at those people the same way I look at all folks willing to inflict harm. As bad people. If you carry with the thoughts in mind that you will kill if an opportunity arises, you're not a good person. If you join the military to get the ability to kill, you're not a good person. Etc, etc.

Those that post online of such things, are either not very good people, or armchair commandos.

To me, that is an extremely limited view of the world. Reading that... it says, "only bad people carry". Taken further, "Anyone that says they are willing to inflict harm if they are placed in a position to require it, are bad people."

I will, respectfully, disagree with your general characterization of those that exercise their 2A rights to carry outside the home. Or... taking context from your previous posts where you have said you will only draw if directly threatened... that those that don't confine themselves to the same are, categorically, "bad people."

Tsk, tsk, tsk....


As for the thread I think it's interesting and can be a mental exercise for others to contemplate what their actions might have been, or learn from others mistakes, but agree with @Joe13. I don't have anything I feel like sharing.

 

[Nosferatu]

I used to call that "Tuesday". Kind of surreal. How a person can get used to things like that.

I grew up in Oakland. Tuesday is when the bangers slept in!

 

[Member 83510]

I'll preface my story by saying I've worked in security/law enforcement in some capacity since 2015. I've gone "hands on" to get someone into cuffs many times but have never had a situation which required me to use my firearm on the job. I did have a defensive gun use while legally carrying off of work a few years ago. I'll keep the story as short as possible without leaving out important details.

It was late spring/early summer in 2021. My wife and I were driving to get breakfast somewhere at probably 8am on a weekend. We're driving eastbound down a road which is four lanes total (two in each direction). A pair of train tracks runs parallel to this road. I am in the far right lane cruising with the flow of traffic when out of nowhere a beat to sh*t late 90s model Honda sedan begans swerving into me. At first I assumed they were trying to get over and didn't see me but then they did it again. I slowed down to let them pass but they began matching speed with me. I tried to speed up, they sped up. I slowed down, they slowed down. All while making 2-3 more attempts to swerve their car into me. I tell my wife to call 911 and I see the driver still matching my speed and yelling at me through his passenger window. I roll my window down and ask what he's yelling about. He keeps yelling, asking me if I'm a cop. When I yell back "no, why?", he yells "why are you such a f*cking b*tch" then proceeds to swerve into me again. Now I'll pause here to explain that I never identify myself has law enforcement when I'm off duty except in rare cases. I don't wear clothing that indicates I work in that field. I don't have any stickers or decals on my car which indicate my affiliation with LE.

Continuing the story - this whole time I've remained in that far right lane and due to the railroad tracks, I don't have the ability to swerve to get away because this is a section of road that stretches probably 3 miles with no opportunity to turn right. We finally approach an intersection where I'm planning on turning right to escape and he swerves in front of me and brake checks me, blocking me in. I see him open his car door and begin to get out. I, at the same time, open my door while drawing my S&W 442 that I was carrying concealed. I'm straddled halfway out the vehicle with my right foot on my brake pedal, my left foot planted on the road, holding my door open with my left hand, and aiming my revolver over the door frame (think where the mirror normally is when the door is closed). By this time he had exited his car and was already running towards mine. I give a loud verbal directive to "Get back! Get on the ground!". He stops probably 3 feet from the front of me car and puts his hands in the air and proceeds to walk backwards towards his car. I keep my gun trained on him while he gets back into his car and speeds off. Meanwhile my wife was on the phone with 911 the whole time giving them a description of the suspect, license plate, play by play, etc. Cops never found the guy after he took off.

In the aftermath of the incident, I had tremors in my hands for probably 8-12 hours following the incident with an elevated heart rate lasting probably 2-4 hours. I tried to use my wifes phone afterwards to talk to the police but my fingers felt like massive sausages and her phone felt tiny. I also realized I had ringing in my ears, even though I didn't shoot but I learned later this is called auditory exclusion. I assume all of these things are due to the massive adrenaline dump I experienced from the situation.

All I can say is train, train, train. I'd heard for years that in a high stress situation you fall into your "lowest level of training". I've spent a long time practicing drawing from concealment + getting sights on target. In a controlled environment I can draw from concealment and get shots on target in less than 2 seconds. If I had to imagine my time in this situation, it probably took me ~3.5 seconds to get the gun out and sighted with my finger on the trigger. I can't imagine what it would've been if I had no experience drawing from concealment. I probably would've dropped the gun from the stress alone. Don't construe this as me trying to brag about being some billy-badass. I'm just sharing my experience and what I speculate are attributable to my successes and failures in that situation.