The first time I ever pulled a gun on someone

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This is a true story of self defense, or should I say forme protecting my twin brother. I was about maybe 12-13 years old and there was this guy that us to beat me and my brother up at times. He was older and tougher than we were (but that's the past) ha-ha. Well one day before I pulled the gun on himI found where my mom kept her .22 revolver pistol in the house. I found it, admired it. But I knew guns are dangerous, and I did not play with it, I did not pull the trigger, I did not point it at anyone. I just looked at it held it and put it back. I would go back from time to time and check on it in the weeks and months to come.


Well one day the guy that use to beat up my brother and I came over, we at some point got to arguing because in playing my brother talk about his mom, that got himmad. Well they got into a big fistfight. And I did not want to jump in it because,I thought thatpeople would say. "You and your brother jumped that boy and fought him"so I was just saying "Stop, Stop" but my brother was holding his on a lot. But the guy was getting the upper hand on him. After awhile of saying stop. And crying ( I was in the kitchen, they were fighting in the living room.) I turned around and ran down the hall, and looked in that old clothes dryer that we had, dug under some clothes and grabbed that .22 cal pistol. I held it in my hand and jogged down that hallway and pointed that gun at him and said. "STOP STOP STOP" He looked up and me and in 1sec he ran out that door, and jumped down and ran behind the house… I ran to the door behind him and when I got to the door, I swung the gun with my hand straight out down the side of the door just in time to see him run behind the house.. I still remember my hand shaking the entire time.

That was the first time I ever pulled a gun on someone. I am so glade that I did not pull that trigger, and I think it was from that day forward after seeing the power of a pistol, and how it can change a situation in a instant that I came to love guns.

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Mmm interesting...

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If this is really is a true story it is sad in so many ways until it makes me want to puke.

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Alwayspacking wrote:

This is a true story of self defense, or should I say forme protecting my twin brother. I was about maybe 12-13 years old and there was this guy that us to beat me and my brother up at times. He was older and tougher than we were (but that's the past) ha-ha. Well one day before I pulled the gun on himI found where my mom kept her .22 revolver pistol in the house. I found it, admired it. But I knew guns are dangerous, and I did not play with it, I did not pull the trigger, I did not point it at anyone. I just looked at it held it and put it back. I would go back from time to time and check on it in the weeks and months to come.


Well one day the guy that use to beat up my brother and I came over, we at some point got to arguing because in playing my brother talk about his mom, that got himmad. Well they got into a big fistfight. And I did not want to jump in it because,I thought thatpeople would say. "You and your brother jumped that boy and fought him"so I was just saying "Stop, Stop" but my brother was holding his on a lot. But the guy was getting the upper hand on him. After awhile of saying stop. And crying ( I was in the kitchen, they were fighting in the living room.) I turned around and ran down the hall, and looked in that old clothes dryer that we had, dug under some clothes and grabbed that .22 cal pistol. I held it in my hand and jogged down that hallway and pointed that gun at him and said. "STOP STOP STOP" He looked up and me and in 1sec he ran out that door, and jumped down and ran behind the house… I ran to the door behind him and when I got to the door, I swung the gun with my hand straight out down the side of the door just in time to see him run behind the house.. I still remember my hand shaking the entire time.

That was the first time I ever pulled a gun on someone. I am so glade that I did not pull that trigger, and I think it was from that day forward after seeing the power of a pistol, and how it can change a situation in a instant that I came to love guns.

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I can appreciate you posting the story.

I do have issues with the fact that your mom left a loaded gun out that you had access to it. So many kids find guns and either shoot themselves or others accidentally. In your case you could have shot the bully or your brother over a common fist fight.

You chose not to join in during a fist fight based on what "people would say" but what would they say about you pointing a loadedgun?? I think that is far worse then ganging up on a bully.

The gun is a tool that is very dangerous. Does it have the power to make people do stuff? Yes. But you also have the power to make people do stuff too.

I do not believe that the event of your using the gun to chase off a bully caused your love of guns. You stated that you admired it and checked it routinely so you loved that gun long before.

You already had a crushon the gun but you fell in love with thepower it had.I hope that did not go to your head. :lol:

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I'm glad things worked out for you. Here in AZ you would have been arrested. You can't threaten deadly physical force to prevent someone from using physical force. Granted you were only 12, but for the sake of making the record straight (at least for my home state) your actions would have been illegal.

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Alwayspacking wrote:

That was the first time I ever pulled a gun on someone.

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When were the others?

I hope they were more justified. I'm glad your story ended well, but it could have gone very, very badly.

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Don’t get me wrong… I know it could have turned out very badly. And I know I could have went to jail if I pulled the trigger, that's why I did not pull the trigger. I was 12 years old and I did not know any laws on pulling guns, all I knew was if you shoot someone then you go to jail.

And no the power of a gun has not went to my head. Fact is this story is way in the back of my mind, and I never talk about it. My wife does not even know about it. I forgot all about this story for many many many years. I never talking about it and I never bring it up. The only time it was ever brought up was when he told the people in the neighborhood, and they in the neighborhood started respecting me, and would not bother me anymore.
I am a level head citizen that follows the law of the land, and has never been guilty of a crime in my life, and I have owned guns from the age of 18.
NO a gun has not to my head, If it had I would not be on this site I would be out committing crime with a gun, but I am a free man that’s served in the US army, married a good lady and have a beautiful son. And I will raise him right in the evil world. I just told a story about when I first had to use a gun. That’s it, I didn to say it was the right thing to do. But at the time it was the right thing for me to do. And I do not regret it.

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What your story does illustrate very well is something the antis just can't wrap their heads around. A sidearm wielded responsibly can de-escalatea situation very quickly. It does not automatically lead to old-west shootouts, rather it has a tendency to end a confrontation rather suddenly.

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Dahwg wrote:

What your story does illustrate very well is something the antis just can't wrap their heads around. A sidearm wielded responsibly can de-escalatea situation very quickly. It does not automatically lead to old-west shootouts, rather it has a tendency to end a confrontation rather suddenly.

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yes it was not that I wanted to shoot the guy, but I know in order to stop the mayhem I had to pull the pistol. And we are friends even until this day and we never ever taking about it. Oh that was in NC back in the in 1888.

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Alwayspacking wrote:

Dahwg wrote:

What your story does illustrate very well is something the antis just can't wrap their heads around. A sidearm wielded responsibly can de-escalatea situation very quickly. It does not automatically lead to old-west shootouts, rather it has a tendency to end a confrontation rather suddenly.

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yes it was not that I wanted to shoot the guy, but I know in order to stop the mayhem I had to pull the pistol. And we are friends even until this day and we never ever taking about it. Oh that was in NC back in the in 1888.

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1888, man your an old fogey. 132 years old by my reckoning. :shock:

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lol i mean 1988

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I think the lesson learned here is a good one. Now while I can't say whether or not pointing the gun was a good idea, I'm not going to second guess your actions from 20 years ago when you were still in grade school. I think that whether or not the display of force was justified is irrelevant to the story or to this thread.

What is important is that you learned how just having a gun will end most conflicts, be it a beating or a mugging or a raping, or whatever else you can think of. It's important to know that you are not defenseless, and I think that this experience helps you to know beyond any doubt why you carry a gun. That's a very valuable lesson for a kid.

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It is good that some of you here see past the point of it being right or wrong, but are looking at how having a firearm resolved a conflict even without firing a shot. I just simply told a story and it seemed like I just open a can of worms. But it's good some people understand and did not jump all over me…..thanks

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Dahwg wrote:

I'm glad things worked out for you. Here in AZ you would have been arrested. You can't threaten deadly physical force to prevent someone from using physical force. Granted you were only 12, but for the sake of making the record straight (at least for my home state) your actions would have been illegal.

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I read this and I know the question is slightly OT but I am curious - what is the difference between physical force and deadly force in terms of the law? If a man is beating a child, there is little doubt the man COULD kill the child, but is the force he's presently using DEADLY or merely PHYSICAL and when might a bystander stop the assault with a firearm?

If someone is assaulting me and I have a firearm OC or CC, I believe the attacker is using deadly force because if I am trying to fend him off, he could gain possession of my firearm and use it against me. So where is the line?

TIA

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timf343 wrote:

If a man is beating a child, there is little doubt the man COULD kill the child, but is the force he's presently using DEADLY or merely PHYSICAL and when might a bystander stop the assault with a firearm?

If someone is assaulting me and I have a firearm OC or CC, I believe the attacker is using deadly force because if I am trying to fend him off, he could gain possession of my firearm and use it against me. So where is the line?

TIA

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Though the details vary in small ways from state to state, the general principle is that if you have a reasonable fear that you or another person is in imminent danger of death or serious injury, you can use deadly force to stop the threat. It doesn't matter what weapon or lack of weapon the assailant has, as long as the fear is reasonable.

If you see a man attacking a similarly-sized man, and neither is armed, then a reasonable person would assume that while the assailant might beat the other guy up, he's unlikely to be able to kill him. Supposing, though, that the assailant manages to land a lucky punch, knocking the other to the ground, and begins kicking him hard in the head and torso. They're both still unarmed, but the situation has now changed, and a reasonable person would believe that the guy on the ground is likely to die or at least be seriously injured if the beating doesn't stop.

timf343 wrote:

If someone is assaulting me and I have a firearm OC or CC, I believe the attacker is using deadly force because if I am trying to fend him off, he could gain possession of my firearm and use it against me. So where is the line?

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This one's tricky. On the one hand, it's a legitimate concern. On the other hand, just imagine yourself trying to tell a jury that you had to shoot the guy because even though he was unarmed and not a serious threat, he MIGHT have been able to get your gun and shoot you. Good luck with that.

This dilemma is the reason I carry OC spray.

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swillden wrote:

If you see a man attacking a similarly-sized man, and neither is armed, then a reasonable person would assume that while the assailant might beat the other guy up, he's unlikely to be able to kill him. Supposing, though, that the assailant manages to land a lucky punch, knocking the other to the ground, and begins kicking him hard in the head and torso. They're both still unarmed, but the situation has now changed, and a reasonable person would believe that the guy on the ground is likely to die or at least be seriously injured if the beating doesn't stop.

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I get the intent of the law - no one wants any more shootings than we already have in this dangerous world. BUT, if I'm in the situation you describe, I leave before I "see anything", call the police anonymous from a payphone or not at all.

Granted, I don't believe a gun should ever be pulled for any other reason than to shoot it, certainly not intimidation. But if I can expect to be arrested for trying to stop a situation, they're on their own. My gun is for my safety, but my safety also includes my freedom. Alive and behind bars (or at least alive but prohibited from having a gun anymore) is not exactly what I have in mind.

I think people generally want to help others, but why do most people drive by an accident pretending they didn't see it? They don't want to be a witness in court because it's inevitable it will wind up in court. When good-samaritans face civil lawsuits bankrupting them, and no good deed goes unpunished, why would I want to help anyone but myself?

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timf343 wrote:

I get the intent of the law - no one wants any more shootings than we already have in this dangerous world. BUT, if I'm in the situation you describe, I leave before I "see anything", call the police anonymous from a payphone or not at all.

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I didn't mean to imply that you were required to intervene, only that you would be legally justified in shooting if you chose to intervene.

Whether you step in or walk away is a personal decision.

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timf343 wrote:

Dahwg wrote:

I'm glad things worked out for you. Here in AZ you would have been arrested. You can't threaten deadly physical force to prevent someone from using physical force. Granted you were only 12, but for the sake of making the record straight (at least for my home state) your actions would have been illegal.

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I read this and I know the question is slightly OT but I am curious - what is the difference between physical force and deadly force in terms of the law? If a man is beating a child, there is little doubt the man COULD kill the child, but is the force he's presently using DEADLY or merely PHYSICAL and when might a bystander stop the assault with a firearm?

If someone is assaulting me and I have a firearm OC or CC, I believe the attacker is using deadly force because if I am trying to fend him off, he could gain possession of my firearm and use it against me. So where is the line?

TIA

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Again, I can only speak about AZ law here, but here is the law.






So the controlling statute would be:






There's a whole lot more to it but I stopped quoting when I got to the relevant statute.

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hmm...you're lucky you weren't sent to juvie...and I'm sorry but if you think that one of the proper uses of a firearm is to scare people with, you're going to find yourself in a whole heep of doo doo sooner or later.

Be careful and do a bit of research.

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Aeroscoper wrote:

hmm...you're lucky you weren't sent to juvie...and I'm sorry but if you think that one of the proper uses of a firearm is to scare people with, you're going to find yourself in a whole heep of doo doo sooner or later.

Be careful and do a bit of research.

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Well that was years and years ago. And in the neighborhood I grow up in people did not call the cops on each other.. In so many years of living there and seeing people do a lot of illegal things like, adults beating kids that did not belong to them, open drunkenness, using drugs in the open public, I have had shot guns pulled on me for fighting, people pulled guns on me for no reason at all. I would shoot my guns in my yard everyday, and NO ONE called the cops. I even had a LEO see me with my shotgun in my hand shooting it in my yard, and he did not say a word to me. (he question my mom, but she played stupid and that was that) Where I was from people just did not call the cops, if they would have then 90% of the people there would be in jail. My mom even shot a guy that was evolved in a fight between my uncle and another guy he did not press charges. The police did notpress charges, and my mom was wrong for shooting him. But she did notgo to jail, or was she even questioned. I came home and saw the cops and the ambulance there. But they still remained friends, no hard feelings. So no I am not lucky I did not go to juvie for that, that was just something that did not happen where I was from. NO one called the cops because everyone was guilty of something.

I was younger at that time, he was in my house doing my brother harm, and I pulled the pistol that's that. I do not feel bad for doing it. I do not use my gun to scare people if that’s what you think. That was the last time I ever pulled a gun on anyone. I do not look for trouble, I do not even hang around people that are trouble. I don't brag that I carry a gun, I am a cool guy that carries, But if someone else came in my house and I feel they are there to really hurt my family. Think what you want to think about me, call me what you want to call me, but I will pull my gun again if I have to.
Just recently when I was in the US I had a guy try to start something with me, I voiced my dislike to him, and I just let it be even though I was so pissed, and I had my pistol on me at the time, but I did not pull it, and I did not try to scare him with it.

I am studying the laws, but thanks for the advise anyway. Anyway I left NC and that hood, and made something out of my life, that is the past. I just told a story of when I pulled the gun. Not saying it was right, but it is what I did. I am not a thug that uses a gun to scare people, and I don’t think I am HARD with a gun. I keep it for self defense, so don’t judge me form what happen many years ago, I was a kid then.

Oh and welcome to the site, good to have you here. sorry for the harsh reply, it just pisses me off, when people judge me from the past and they only know so little about me.