It happened to me: I Deployed my Firearm in Self-Defense

[Dred1614returns]

An image of the firearm I was carrying. My grips are aftermarket, not the ones pictured.

Honestly, I didn't think I would ever need to use one of my guns to defend myself. I've always viewed gun ownership like this:

Anyway, here's how it all went down:

I was getting gas on my way home from my parents' house around 8:30pm last night. I was on my way out of the gas station back towards my car when someone stopped me inside the station and asked for money. I said no and exited.

He followed me outside and asked for money again, yelling this time. I turned and said no. We were probably about 15-20 feet apart. His hands were in his pockets and he started screaming profanities and advancing on me. I drew my gun, pointed it right at him and shouted:

"STOP, MOTHER******" "Let me see your hands!"

He casually took his hands out and showed me his palms, all while cursing at me.

By now, a small crowd had gathered, so I put my gun away and he disappeared. I didn't call the cops or anything since he turned out to not be a threat. I just pumped my gas and left.

It certainly wasn't like you see this kind of stuff on TV. There were no witty one-liners, I didn't casually draw and aim at him. Truth is, I though I was mentally prepared for a moment like this, I wasn't. Obviously, I was prepared enough to draw my gun and I was ready to pull he trigger if need be, but there is no way to prepare for the feeling of a situation like that. Maybe people that have been in similar spots can relate. Keeping consistent with most times a gun is deployed in self-defense, I didn't fire a shot. I hope I never have to.

Anyone else had a similar experience?

[Browneye57]

I would encourage you to obtain CCW insurance, both for legal representation as well as civil liabilities.
If you do actually have to fire for self defense you can easily go broke mounting a defense, even if you are completely in the right.
It's cheap insurance, about a hundred each per year.

I have never had to use a firearm for self defense. My son in law is a retired LEO and firearms instructor, and he has, and it was very mentally trying. It is extremely unnerving if you have to shoot someone. It bothers the good guys, not the bad. The anti's just don't get this. But put them in a life-threatening situation and see then how they feel about a gun. Surprising how many women carry AFTER they've been assaulted.

Oh, and IF you HAD called the cops you could be fined or your permit revoked for 'brandishing a weapon'. Sure it's bullshit, but that's how it works. It was best to simply leave.

[Dred1614returns]

I made sure to get ccw insurance when I got my permit.

[AthleticMom]

Comment = Good advice
Story/take = thanks for sharing, spread the news to the ignorant

[PowerPrincess]

''I would much rather go to my grave never needing my gun, than go there wishing I had it.''
Or the third option: draw it and escalate the situation to the point that not drawing the gun would have worked better and thus sending you to that grave you were trying to avoid.
I'm not arguing gun rights or making judgements on the situation you found yourself in, i'm just pointing out the logical fallacy of that statement. Too many men think that just backing down and handing over your wallet or phone is somehow cowardly and unacceptable when in reality you can always buy a new phone or stop your credit cards without the threat of losing your life to a better shot.

[Dred1614returns]

If anyone escalated things, he did when he got all aggressive. Now hopefully he'll think twice before he tries that on someone else.

[PowerPrincess]

Agreed. Some people need to learn the hard way not to be an a-hole.

[kickme]

Too many men think that just backing down and handing over your wallet or phone is somehow cowardly and unacceptable - Yep, like me and proud of it. I'm sure you can find a nice millenial man to not protect you

[PowerPrincess]

@kickme Sweetie, you dying trying to be a hero and leaving me a widow and your children fatherless isn't attractive.

[CorruptedDocument]

I love how you believe the man defending himself is the evil one here. You are either a troll or batshit.

[PowerPrincess]

@CorruptedDocument Uh, idiot, I agreed with him. Read what I said.

[Browneye57]

The little princess would have a different attitude about "... backing down and handing over your wallet or phone..." verses being raped. A firearm is the appropriate use of force when faced with the threat of grave bodily injury or death - FOR YOU or someone near you. Not a fukkin wallet. What a dumbass.

[kilowatt04]

I often hear it said, by self defense trainers and experts, that you are never emotionally ready for a situation like this when it happens. You're obviously getting all kinds of opinions here, both supportive and critical, from both pro-gun and anti-gun people. In the end, you may or may not have made the ideal choice, but only you know what the situation was like, and your choice ended up working out this time. I would take any mistakes, anything learned from it, and apply it in the future, and be thankful you are not dead or facing prosecution. I think that if your case had come to court, you would be found justified in your actions in some states and jurisdictions, but not others. You probably did a service by making that guy less brazen in approaching people and trying to rob them, but it could have turned out much worse.

Statistics do indeed show all kinds of things, and discount all kinds of things. They do show that people who carry firearms are more likely to get shot, or to shoot someone. Is this inherently true? Or is it only true because of the places and situations in which people feel they need to carry? There really is no research that definitively says what best practices would be for firearm carry or gun control. This is because political interests explicitly prevent government funded research on the topic, for fear from both sides of the gun control argument that they will be proven wrong. I happen to suspect that if people carried more, if criminals encountered armed citizens more, the world would be more just, even if not as safe in the short term. It could end up being more safe in the long term, as people realize you cannot just take advantage of people. But who knows.

I dislike when people use other countries like Canada or Western Europe as examples of why we need stronger gun control. These places have ALWAYS had much lower crime rates than the US, for cultural and political reasons, not legality of arms. When firearms were effectively banned in some of the US's most violent cities, like Chicago or NY, gun crime and shootings did NOT take a drastic or long term decrease. In the case of Chicago when they banned hanguns in 1982, homicides went down slightly for a few years, then back up for a few years, then back down, nothing outside of recent trends, and all the while remaining about twice as high as they had prior to the War on Drugs. patriotreporting.com/.../...go-homicides-chart.png

[kilowatt04]

We can't say much without good research, but it seems that other factors have a much larger role in the rate of homicides and shootings than how hard it is to legally be able to carry a gun.

[cth96190]

I have been taught to not produce a weapon unless it is my intention to use it and, when used, the intention should be to kill.
Aside from army service, I have had to use a firearm on several occasions.
One was when I was a young journalist who covered court. Sociopaths hate it when their name appears in the newspaper.
One night, on my way home, I found that a carload of males was following me and determined to run me off the road.
I went off the road, drew a Ruger.22 pistol from a concealed holster in the car and assumed a stable firing position behind the car. When they piled out of their car and ran toward me, things did not go as per their plan.
Not long ago, I was woken about 3am by someone walking around outside of my house with a torch (my American friends call it a flashlight).
I got my.303 rifle, fixed the bayonet and went out the back door quietly. My exit of the house was not quiet enough, because he took flight and ran into the bush on a hillside beside my house. To discourage his return, I fired several random shots into the bush. I really should invest in a night scope.

[kilowatt04]

What are your thoughts about situations that could not have been de-escalated without brandishing a firearm. I have a friend who was once followed home, when he lived in a shady area, by a group of Mexicans who were clearly up to no good. He had a hand-gun hidden behind the door of his vehicle when they exited their vehicle and began implying threatening things, eventually saying things like "hey esse, why you trying to start trouble?" or something. He said "I'm not trying to start any trouble, and I suggest you leave" or something to that extent. They produced a baseball bat and headed toward him. He brought the handgun up into view in a stable firing position over the door and said "I don't think you understood me. I said I'm not trying to start any trouble" and they piled into their car and took off. If he had not made the gun until he needed to shoot, then some of those guys would be dead. As it was, no one was hurt.

[kilowatt04]

Also a side note, his girlfriend at the time was with him, and had always been an anti-gun person. That time, though, she knew very well that if he hadn't had that gun, they would probably both be dead or mutilated.

[cth96190]

@kilowatt04
Re the example that you gave: I would have shot them, all of them.
In the case of my experience, I shot them.
Sadly, a.22 was not enough to inflict fatal wounds. After the first shot, they reverse course and ran back to the car, then fled.

[kilowatt04]

While I think it's all good and well when people like these get shot and killed while in the act of trying to take a victim, I still think a better outcome is that if no one gets hurt, and they get to think twice about their behavior. Best outcome for society is probably that all of them get shot, and some die, and some don't and get to live with lasting injury, and rethink their lifestyle. Best outcome for both the victim and perp though is if no one gets hurt and/or no law is involved. Actually best outcome would be if these people did not get raised in a way that made them into violent assholes.

[kilowatt04]

While it is possible that leaving any of these guys alive could result in some kind of act of vengeance, I don't really hear about that happening, like ever except in movies, or unless it involves some major organized crime (which, it could, and would indeed be more likely to in south Texas, with the Narcos). I have heard many anecdotes about former criminals who got shot, or had many friends die during crimes, and decided to get out of the ghetto, and start a new life without crime. Of course it's hard to say, because we probably have more opportunity to hear from these people than from those who might stay bitter and in crime.

[Hasaboyfriend]

I don't need a powerful gun, so I just want to carry a 22 ruger handgun once I get my firearms license (not really legal to carry in Canada, but I'd rather be protected than dead or raped again) and I'm a really small and weak woman who could easily be overpowered and people who intend to harm me know that, so I guess I would be more easy to pull the trigger for that reason, because if he/she slapped the gun out of my hand before I could protect myself, I'd be screwed. I also live in Regina which has the highest homicide and stabbing rate out of all of Canada so I have a right to be scared.

[Dred1614returns]

A.22 with you is better than any gun that you left at home.

[Redstang88]

That is really bad idea. That is serious jail time if you get busted. If you're going to do it, buy it illegally, then nobody knows you have it.

[0112358]

Yeah illegal handguns are not a joke under Canadian law.

[Hasaboyfriend]

@0112358 yeah I know that but id go to jail for the same amount of time for just defending myself any other way so I might as well carry a gun instead of a taser or pepper spray (which are also somehow highly illegal here and would get me in the exact same amount of trouble as carrying a gun which is stupid)

[Redstang88]

No, carrying a gun is a very different charge. For one its a more serious charge getting caught with it, and add attempted murder should you ever use it.
Tasers are out, but pepper spray is a gray area. You can't buy it when its labelled for self defense, but bear spray is perfectly legal (and more potent anyway). Its just like a knife, its perfectly legal as long as you don't say you have it for defense.

[front2back]

Canadian gun laws are stupid. I just want to drop crates of 30 round AR-15 magazines into their country and watch that Justin kid wet himself.

[Redstang88]

@front2back it is kinda ridiculous. I'm unfavourable of a lot of it, but the absurdity of some of the rules gets frustrating.
I can take a Bushmasters BA50 into the bush and blast off as many rounds as I want, but god forbid anyone own a.25 ACP
😕😕🤔

[0112358]

@front2back we have masses of rifles here.

Handguns are much more restricted.

The basic idea of guns for self defense is pretty much non existent. They're for hunting and a few hobbyists. My cousin owns a few handguns but there are huge restrictions on where when and how he can use them.

[Hasaboyfriend]

@Redstang88 as soon as you use bear or dog spray on a human it immediately becomes an illegal weapon, which in some cases treated like guns in some courts. Same as knives unless the knife you're carrying is not concealed, if it's concealed then it's more serious and you could get charged with attempted murder for stabbing someone.

[Redstang88]

Still lighter charges than using a gun. That is just very bad idea.
Can't imagine why you'd want it anyway, and that's coming from a Canadian gun owner. I also used to work security in downtown Winnipeg, thats way worse than Regina

[Hasaboyfriend]

@Redstang88 If you were in my shoes you would want to carry a gun around too. I have been attacked several times and almost kidnapped once in this city. Statisticall speaking, Regina has a way higher crime and homicide rate than Winnipeg, and it doesn't matter where you are in the city there's criminals everywhere here. My boyfriend and all of his friends carry, I should too so when I'm alone in this city I'll still be safe. I've been robbed, sexually assaulted, and threatened with a knife all in 3 years of living here, so I want a gun so it doesn't happen again.

[Redstang88]

Then move. You're looking at +10 years if you ever use it.

[Hasaboyfriend]

@Redstang88 can't move bro. 10+ years sounds like nothing to me since I'd be getting 14+ for other things I do if I was ever caught doing them.

[cth96190]

@Hasaboyfriend
You are wrong. You do need a powerful firearm.
A.22 is not a man killer.
If you do not kill your assailant with the first shot, with a hit anywhere on the torso, you are using the wrong calibre. Because you did not kill your assailant with the first shot, you are probably going to die.
That narrows the field to.45 ACP, .44 magnum and the still rather rare.50.
For a woman, I would recommend.45 ACP because it has much less recoil than the other options.
Some rules:
1. Do not produce a weapon unless it is your intention to use it. Do not wave it around to intimidate.
2. When you use it, shoot to kill.
3. Do not hesitate. Your enemy will not hesitate. Aim straight for the centre of mass and squeeze off two shots. Once they are down, a third to the head. . . just to be sure. If you are using.45 ACP, you will need to hit them once only, anywhere on the torso. A torso hit within 20 metres of the muzzle is not survivable and death should be instantaneous.

[Browneye57]

G42. You'll thank me later. :)
Practice practice practice.

[Browneye57]

@cth96190 - A 45 is not the right firearm for a petite woman. We understand you mean well.

[cth96190]

@Browneye57
I disagree. If she is taught how to hold and aim the weapon properly, which should happen regardless of what weapon is involved, a.45 ACP is no more formidable than a 9mm.
I have seen petite women handle a.44 magnum without difficulty, after training.

[Browneye57]

@cth96190 - Sure, we can disagree. This is just not my experience with regular gals off the street. I don't even like a 45 in anything other than a heavy steel 1911.
But whateve's. A 22LR just isn't the right defensive weapon. She would be better off with pepper spray - less liability.

[Browneye57]

I just noticed that the '45' comment came about my recommendation for a G42. A Glock 42 shoots a 380 round - surely not a 45, and surely more potent than a 22lr.

Oh well, it's all moot. An old discussion. It came up as a quote in my profile.

[Viperkiss]

And just as easily something goes wrong, like his buddy a few feet away pulls a gun and shoots you for escalating things, or guy walks back a moment later with hurt pride and gets the drop on you, your gun misfires and now you go to jail, or he pulls a gun because you did and manages to out shoot you. You escalated things and could very easily could be dead now.
But you won't agree because you think you know all the factors in a given situation, but it's always what you don't know or expect that kills you.
FBI studies show that a 'good guy' with a gun in a bad situation will most often wind up shot and statistically fairs worse then someone who doesn't.
In the end all you did was pull a gun on someone who was a relatively small threat and likely unarmed, making the situation far more dangerous. Are you that unconfident in all your other facilities to deal with a weaponless opponent?

[Dred1614returns]

If had known he was weaponless, the gun wouldn't have come out. If anyone escalated things, he did when he aggressively advanced on me in a threatening manner.

[kickme]

people like Dred are the reason you dont get robbed on the way to work every day. I love it when liberals argue from a position of incorrectness by the way.

Dred, he wanted you to stand there and get robbed, hilarious

[Viperkiss]

@kickme ridiculous. People like this do not keep me safe as I live in Canada where we don't allow every moron to carry a gun. And I'm much safer. By all measures. So evidentially something other then guns is keeping me safe.

[kickme]

yeah, there is 1 person every 1000 square miles and they are all white

[Barrabus_the_Free]

1911... good choice. That's what I carry when the weather is such that I'm not wearing just shorts and a T-shirt. So basically from September until May, sometimes June where I live. I've been seriously considering one of those new single stack Sig 9mm's for the times that the 1911 is too big.

Glad you didn't have to deal with cops.

[Dred1614returns]

Me too. That would've been an unnecessary mess. My lightweight carry gun is a smith model 60.

[Barrabus_the_Free]

I bought a Glock 30 years ago for carry, and discovered that my USP Tactical actually conceals better. The Glock is fuckin fat somehow. Both are doublestack.45's but the Glock just didn't conceal worth shit. I was puzzled but just shrugged and moved on.

A single stack 1911 conceals very nicely. I may have to find a holster that will work with my light/laser and see how my longslide 10mm conceals.

It's absolute shit that someone can pull some shit like what that clown did and in many places YOU would be the one to get in trouble. Makes me glad I live where I do, I seriously doubt that would be the case there. Maybe in the city that has the state university in it, they're pretty libtarded there.

[Dred1614returns]

I know most of the cops on my city because it's so small, so I wasn't afraid of that. I'd be more afraid of the legal ramifications than the actual threat if I lived in California. I don't own a glock, but the ones I've seen are way too thick for my taste. Good guns, but I had the same takeaway as you when it comes to carrying them.

[MargaritaPeach]

Agreed. My cc weapon is a Pro Series Smith & Wesson.45 1911 ACP with a 3" barrel and laser grips. The short barrel makes is great for concealed carry, and it still weighs less than 23 oz. even with a full clip. I always feel safe when I have it. Thankfully I haven't had occasion to need it for protection yet. Hopefully I never will.

[Iraqveteran666]

You handled the situation well. Everytime guys like this are successful in a mugging the braver they get. I don conceal carry but I'm seriously considering getting a permit as it's getting crazy out there, even a trip to wall art can end in violence as I witnessed last week.
Having a gun can make the difference between life and death, I had a few home invasions over the years where my family's lives were on the line, Police response times were a joke.

[Octavius]

Dude as a gun owner myself you did not handle that well. You completely escalated it way past the point of where it was at. Hands in pockets and yelling are not reasonable enough evidence to warrant drawing on someone which would make what you did a possible felony. He could have destroyed you in court even if you're in a super red state.

People who do what you do is what terrifies me. You're way too jumpy to be carrying a gun around. If you truly felt scared then you take your wallet and you drop it at his feet. Your life or his is not worth money or the contents of your wallet. It's the same with self-defense. I practice Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and I hear new people at my academy say they take it for self-defense but then when they talk about it more they say they'll fight before they let a criminal steal from them. BJJ is not your go to in a dangerous situation. BJJ is what you go to if they still attack you after you give them your wallet. Same principle goes with guns.

[frozenhorizon]

Totally agree, it seems pretty unreasonable. It's only reasonable to pull the gun if your life is threatened and this situation was not at that point for sure...

[Unit1]

America :D
I want a gun also for self-defense. For that reason I have to relocate there and apply for citizenship. At least then life is much better and safer.

Unfortunately the 3. th world countries prohibit guns and I can't get any.

And this is why I say we need guns, not ban them.

[TripleAce]

So that;s how it works huh
You walk around with a gun lol... What if you flip your shit one day? It happens and can happen

--> If you have one, means others have one... and if others have one. Now I need one. And If we all have one. The power has been equalized and it makes no difference now

--> But on a side note, glad you made it out and didn't have to pull the trigger. Phew that was easy huh with a gun... Maybe it's not so bad

[cavmanier]

"If you have one, means others have one... and if others have one. Now I need one. And If we all have one. The power has been equalized and it makes no difference now"

The argument I've heard is everyone having one isn't about power. If a person with a gun knows no one has one, they may be more likely to think they'd have that advantage to commit a crime. If the person with the gun realizes many people have guns, they wouldn't have that power advantage which could chance the dynamic.

I just heard about a subway robbery in the bay area by like 50 teenagers. It was a big deal. They stole cellphones and wallets from many passengers. They just used the numbers as intimidation, no weapons. If they knew 50% of people carried guns, the whole power dynamic would be different and the crime may not have happened.

There's some theory is social science that if all nations have nukes, there will be no war. It's a similar logic. Of course there is a potential for really bad things too.

[TripleAce]

@cavmanier yes agree!
Im usually not for guns but If someone that seems responsible like @Dred1614returns just calm cool and collected. Pulls one out and prevents a situation. Like listen pal, you don't wanna try and funny business with me. Just go on your day and everything is cool

Sure lol

And yes I agree. If someone had a carry and conceal in the subway. That would of changed everything

As a matter of fact, that is exactly what happens today. Stale mate with all the nukes

Bay area? Which city are you talking about?

[TripleAce]

But then you have situations. Like I know this army dude in Canada. And of course he can have handguns at home just not carry and conceal. But some guy was messing with his wife and he lots his marbles. Went over there with a pistol and whiped his face with it.

I mean sometimes a person can get so provoked that you night fire when you shouldn't. It takes calm nerves to really handle a weapon properly I guess

[cavmanier]

It happened at the coliseum exit I heard, in Oakland.
sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/.../

Yeah there's like pros and cons to the idea. I personally would feel uncomfortable if most people had guns on their belts. Like it would feel less peaceful. I talked to a guy that said he was somewhere like Texas (I forget) and he said that's how it was there. He said it was very odd but he got used to it after awhile.

Yeah if someone is upset, the easy access to a gun wouldn't be good.

[oddwaffle]

Yeah while I support gun control, I think you acted right given the ease of access to guns nowadays. You never know some dude on the street could be packing.

Most people tend to back down once they see you are armed. So, it should be sufficient to let him know you are armed rather than pull out your gun and escalate the situation. If he had a gun and wanted to rob you then he would have used it. Still, he might have it but didn't want to escalate.

[Other_Tommy_Wiseau]

Nope. I'm from the burbs... I shit you not, my towns police blew 3 weeks trying to find a serial bb gun shooter and a dude who kept throwing snowballs at cars 😑

Also, was it really necessary to draw your gun? Like, I feel like you could've told or showed him you were strapped before actually pointing your 1911 at him, but that's just me. And for legal purposes. I have 1, but I'll beat a dude down before pulling out a gun... Then again, don't you live in Detroit? Maybe that might be why

[Redstang88]

I've had shit like that happen, never felt the need for a gun.
They're just looking to scare someone into giving them what they want, my 255lb fatass doesn't back off and they fuck off.
Had to put down a bear that charged me a couple years ago, that's as close as I've come.

[kickme]

I am a closet smoker and stopped after work one day to "smoke in secret" behind a restaurant near my job. It's not the worst area but not the best either. Some black dude, obviously high, drives up and blocks my truck in, nose to nose. Believe it or not he was driving a yellow cab. He starts screaming at me super wildly, but not in any words you could understand. There was no practical way to walk or drive out of there without practcially kissing him i was so blocked in, so I reached in the truck and got my Ruger out of the center console and re exited the truck but stood behind the door. He backed up and took off. My wife who "doesn't get it" complains that I carry everywhere like an obsessed idiot. go figure

[cth96190]

Your wife is a typical woman.
That is why women tend to vote libtard.
In their delusional alternative universe they think that being unable to defend yourself will somehow make you safer.

[reptocarl]

Beautiful Springfield 1911! I carry an M&P Shield myself. I haven't had to draw mine but I wouldn't hesitate if I had to. I'd much rather have my gun and not need it than to not have it and need it

[Dred1614returns]

I've been thinking about a single stack 9 for a while, and the shield is on the top of my list.

[reptocarl]

I'd go with the 40 S&W instead. I love mine

[QuestionEverythinq]

Damn I was with my dad and my dad carrys his lcp ruger weighs around 8 grams with out magazine in it we was walking out bass pro shops and this man pulls a pistol on me and my dad my dad pulls his and told the man to back the fuck up and he walked off. "No cops but my uncle who is an cop found out and got pissed off"

[Chico_brah]

Given the context I wouldn't of drawn at that point. If you've been in bad areas, then you'd know dumb asses like that are just blowing steam. I would of been ready to draw but I can usually calm down the situation just by talking and calming the person down. That's just me though. I'm considering the fact that I wasn't there.

[WhiteSteve]

Not sure why you didn't just punch the guy? Drawing a gun seems like unnecessary escalation to me, to be honest. I've been in that situation maybe double-digit times, never needed a gun. Like in my mind, a responsible gun owner doesn't produce a gun until they're sure a weapon of equal force is being produced. Not trying to knock you, but this is my major gripe with guns, using them as a means to avoid fistfights.

[Chico_brah]

I agree.

[Prof_Don]

This is the beauty of firearms; most of the time, the gun alone will diffuse the dangerous situation.

You didn't even need to fire the gun to get your message across.

[pinkesweet]

I don't go anywhere without my M-16 and a few grenades. Don't you wish Detroit made an automobile with surface to air missiles?

[Dred1614returns]

I'd rather have one with a.50 caliber machine gun.

[pinkesweet]

Good choice. Lets go out some time

[bluepeng889]

I always keep my S&W.500 pistol with me

[Gonetowardthewind]

No don't want my insurance going any higher in this shit state of auto insurance we call Michigan

[the-mad-german]

Im allways jealous on the gun rights in the US. Im from germany and here it feels like the robbers and murderer have more rights than you, especialy if the robber or murder is a islamic foreigner.
I totaly understand the point of the thread starter...