Lessons

[JustOneGun]

Good thread to revive. Common sense isn't so common. I always told gun people I knew my saying, "What you do right before you know you're going to get in a fight often determines how that fight ends." That is probably true for most bad things that happen to us.

My family laughs at me when I tell them why I lock my gates (everyone not in uniform then knocking on my door is a trespasser). They call me the hermit. Fast forward a few months and here is the same family member complaining that someone drove up into their yard, honked the horn and then tried to sell them jewelry. To say we live in a small town is an understatement. She actually pretended to listen when I explained to her that the woman probably wasn't actually selling jewelry but scoping out the empty winter homes. She still leaves her gates open.

I also have a family member who does the whole, I'll run to my gun when something bad happens. I envision him dancing around like John Belushi on the steps of the university. I never found putting my pants on in the morning and taking them off at night to be much of a burden. I never found putting my wallet into my pocket in the morning or putting it back on the sideboard at night to be a problem. I also never found it to be a problem to put on my pistol in the morning and take it off at night. It seemed to simplify my self defense plan greatly. I never once had to think about running to my gun or someone getting my gun and having an accident. He said something like, yeah but you're a cop. Like that explained it all and he couldn't do the same as a civilian.

I suspect us dumb humans do things like this because we don't want to be bothered and the threat is not real to us. It's something that just happens on the telly.

[11B10]

Two weeks ago, I had just showered and got dressed, including my usual gear (see post #36) when my wife says " somebody rang the doorbell and is still out there." I looked, saw one black male (20's), and one white female (20's) at the end of my front walk (10 yards), clipboards in hand. I went to the door and with a smile (standard procedure for me), asked if I could help them, through the door. The female began a very articulate spiel, closing the distance between us until she was nearly on the porch. Smiling, she said that we had received a notice with our last ppl bill that she needed to COME INSIDE (emphasis hers) and discuss with us. Her line was so good, I imagine she'd either done this before, legit, or trained to do it. I turned, and my wife shook her head. This had smelled bad right away, and now, the combination of my wife's reaction (she doesn't miss anything) and the rapid approach by the female moved me from yellow to orange. I told them we had not received a notice, but would check online, thank you very much. Now the black male begins, walking towards me, smiling and saying "we'll check our records too, but I'm sure your won't mind me using your bathroom." Now in condition red, I said "yes, I DO mind." He kept walking, almost at the porch, so I went to my version of command voice, weak side arm up, hand spread at chest level, right hand almost into the draw grip, and opened up the volume: "Yes, I DO mind!" This stopped him. His smile was replaced with a frown, he shrugged, turned and walked away. It's obvious what these two were up to - first gain entry, one distracts while the other "uses the bathroom." They did all the right things - made and kept eye contact; smiled a lot; didn't lose their composure. It's easy to see how elderly and infirms, even just trusting people, could be fooled.

[1slow]

I like S'narc's version of:
1) Hey buddy stop there please.
2) Back Up !
3) BACK THE F*** UP !

Have a plan if they do not comply.

Also his +1 rule: there is one + more attacker and one + more weapon than you are aware of.

Cutting a hard angle while observing the original people helps to not get blindsided.

[JustOneGun]

I like S'narc's version of:
1) Hey buddy stop there please.
2) Back Up !
3) BACK THE F*** UP !

Have a plan if they do not comply.

Also his +1 rule: there is one + more attacker and one + more weapon than you are aware of.

Cutting a hard angle while observing the original people helps to not get blindsided.

I like a version of that. I apply it with the old, Ask them (if there's time), Tell them (if there's time), Make them(or physically act in some way.)

You hit on a good point. There is always the movement before, during and after the incident. We gun folks often concentrate only on the middle movement.

[Cypher]

This might be a misquote but I'm pretty sure Tamara said in her blog it's not so much that I carry a gun at home as it is and I just carry a gun.

I carry it home 1% for the just in case and 99% because if I have to go walk the dogs I don't have to stop and put my gun on. If my wife sends me to the store for milk, I don't have to stop and put on my gun.

[Cypher]

I live in an apartment so I don't have the outside yard work and I don't generally have the same type of solicitors it most of you do but even though my apartments aren't bad we're right across the street from some public housing apartments that are horrendous.

I was going to work one night at 11:30 and I had two guys walk around the building and start trying to set me up. One of them was actually dumb enough to ask me if I was going fishing. Now mind you I'm not a cop but I'm an armed security guard my uniform looks an awful lot like a police uniform. Plus the easiest way to carry my body armor to the car is to put it on. So I'm sitting there full uniform clearly armed and these idiots are asking me if I'm going fishing in the middle of the night.

As soon as they walked around the corner of the building I dropped everything in my hands and put my back against the car and turned to face them. As I said one asks are you going fishin and the other one starts to split up and get around the side of me. At that point I wasn't having any I looked at the guy and told him to leave the property. He was actually dumb enough to take a step towards me and I undid the retention hood on my gun. That's when he got the idea that he might be making a mistake and they both turned around and headed straight off property

[HCM]

Two weeks ago, I had just showered and got dressed, including my usual gear (see post #36) when my wife says " somebody rang the doorbell and is still out there." I looked, saw one black male (20's), and one white female (20's) at the end of my front walk (10 yards), clipboards in hand. I went to the door and with a smile (standard procedure for me), asked if I could help them, through the door. The female began a very articulate spiel, closing the distance between us until she was nearly on the porch. Smiling, she said that we had received a notice with our last ppl bill that she needed to COME INSIDE (emphasis hers) and discuss with us. Her line was so good, I imagine she'd either done this before, legit, or trained to do it. I turned, and my wife shook her head. This had smelled bad right away, and now, the combination of my wife's reaction (she doesn't miss anything) and the rapid approach by the female moved me from yellow to orange. I told them we had not received a notice, but would check online, thank you very much. Now the black male begins, walking towards me, smiling and saying "we'll check our records too, but I'm sure your won't mind me using your bathroom." Now in condition red, I said "yes, I DO mind." He kept walking, almost at the porch, so I went to my version of command voice, weak side arm up, hand spread at chest level, right hand almost into the draw grip, and opened up the volume: "Yes, I DO mind!" This stopped him. His smile was replaced with a frown, he shrugged, turned and walked away. It's obvious what these two were up to - first gain entry, one distracts while the other "uses the bathroom." They did all the right things - made and kept eye contact; smiled a lot; didn't lose their composure. It's easy to see how elderly and infirms, even just trusting people, could be fooled.

My question - did you call the police ? Even is nothing illegal actually occurred due to you "seeing it early" many others won't be so lucky. A "suspicious persons" call gives the police reason to at least contact and ID these two and can be key to solving what ever mischief they have already been up to.

[Beat Trash]

I like S'narc's version of:
1) Hey buddy stop there please.
2) Back Up !
3) BACK THE F*** UP !

Have a plan if they do not comply.

Also his +1 rule: there is one + more attacker and one + more weapon than you are aware of.

Cutting a hard angle while observing the original people helps to not get blindsided.

At my age and with my love and admiration for humanity, I just go to #3. "Get the f**k off of my lawn..."

[psalms144.1]

A couple of weeks back, my daughter was out to dinner with her friend and her friend's grandfather (a retired NYPD guy and real salt of the earth). Per my SOP, I had been armed all day, but, around 7 PM, decided to jump on the elliptical and get some sweat on. Did my time on the gay glide, and had just gotten off, sweaty as all hell, when my daughter called the house in a panic. She tells my wife that some "crazy guy" has been following their car back from dinner, honking his horn and flashing his lights, and they had just turned onto our street. I live in a very "off the beaten path" neighborhood, so, for someone to follow their car into it required four or five deliberate turns off the nearest main road.

So there I am, in sweaty gym shorts, tank top and sneakers, going out the front door as the friends Grandfather pulls up and the other car follows - now no longer flashing lights, but clearly following. And I'm sitting there thinking about all the folks who have reason to wish me and mine harm, and the fact that my guns are all locked up.

The other car sped up and went past before I could get a plate (forgot my spectacles inside the house as well), turned right at the next corner (a dead end cul-de-sac), flipped a bitch and took off the other way.

So, now I hit the elliptical with my G19 in a Dagga-Boy approved fanny pack hanging off the back of the machine. Anything goes "bump" it's a question of a couple of seconds to be ready. Lesson learned.

[LSP552]

A couple of weeks back, my daughter was out to dinner with her friend and her friend's grandfather (a retired NYPD guy and real salt of the earth). Per my SOP, I had been armed all day, but, around 7 PM, decided to jump on the elliptical and get some sweat on. Did my time on the gay glide, and had just gotten off, sweaty as all hell, when my daughter called the house in a panic. She tells my wife that some "crazy guy" has been following their car back from dinner, honking his horn and flashing his lights, and they had just turned onto our street. I live in a very "off the beaten path" neighborhood, so, for someone to follow their car into it required four or five deliberate turns off the nearest main road.

So there I am, in sweaty gym shorts, tank top and sneakers, going out the front door as the friends Grandfather pulls up and the other car follows - now no longer flashing lights, but clearly following. And I'm sitting there thinking about all the folks who have reason to wish me and mine harm, and the fact that my guns are all locked up.

The other car sped up and went past before I could get a plate (forgot my spectacles inside the house as well), turned right at the next corner (a dead end cul-de-sac), flipped a bitch and took off the other way.

So, now I hit the elliptical with my G19 in a Dagga-Boy approved fanny pack hanging off the back of the machine. Anything goes "bump" it's a question of a couple of seconds to be ready. Lesson learned.

I started keeping a fanny pack as a go bag about 1980 while working narcotics. I came in one day just to catch up on reports. I was wearing a mode 38 Bodyguard (the real one) under a shirt and a couple of speed strips in my pocket. Road with a couple of other guys for lunch, leaving my real guns in my unit.

An hour later I'm on the edge of a cane field with a rifle-armed attempted murderer inside somewhere. Very valuable lesson that day. I always have a bag with a real gun available now. My ego would say I was more dangerous with the model 38 than most of my peers with a 4" 66....but still