40s-and-wfan
Regular Member
imported post
You always hear about how a police officer says that in 20-some-years they never had to pull their service pistol. Armed civilians are less-likely to be in a situation where they have to pull their pistol than cops. So many things like that are said every day, I honestly wonder how many armed confrontations happen each year that aren't reported due to the fact that the lawfully armed individual may be second-guessed or charged with something because they acted wrong! Here's my scenario, read it and second guess it after you're done!
It’s been quite some time since this incident happened, I believethe year was 2004 or 2005, I know it was November,but the details still sit in the back of my mind like it was yesterday!
My sister and I were living together in a condo on 11[suP]th[/suP] Ave. & 3[suP]rd[/suP] St. W. Well, we called it a condo to make it sound more glorified. It was a nice looking duplex. At about 2300hrs she and I decided to walk to a nearby gas station so we could get something to drink, then walk uptown for a little while that night. We lived on the west side of Main Street and the gas station was on the east side. After leaving there and getting our drinks we crossed back over to the left-hand (west) side of Main and started walking north. We crossed 12[suP]th[/suP] Street, then 11[suP]th[/suP]. We were nearing courthouse loop (a place where the northbound lanes of the highway and the southbound split to go around the old courthouse), when a car came screaming southbound. There was no traffic on the road and this car was taking full advantage of it.
When the car hit the southbound end of Courthouse Loop the driver immediately grabbed the e-brake and pulled a u-turn right in the middle of the road, causing him to face north in the southbound lane. After sitting there for a second or two, he whipped his car around again and proceeded to head south. My sister and I (both having kinda’ big mouths) hollered at him to slow down and knock off the stupid driving. The driver and his two passengers all hollered “F*** you!” I thought by that reaction that we’d heard and seen the last of them! We continued walking up the road when we heard the distinct sound of tires squealing again! I stopped and my sister continued walking a few more steps before she stopped, which put her about 10-feet in front of me. We both turned around, putting her behind me. When we turned, the car that had performed it’s professional driving techniques for us had pulled another e-brake turn and came up on the sidewalk behind us.
With my sister behind me I knew I’d be the first person hit by the car. In the span of about 2-seconds (although it seemed like 2-hours) the car had come up on the sidewalk at us and closed nearly the ¾ of a block distance between us. When I saw the headlights bearing down on us I ripped open my coat and pulled my pistol.
Okay, this is the point where I get to do a little bit of bragging. I carried a pistol that wasn’t anything really special at the time, a Springfield XD-40. I bought a Surefire X-200 light and mounted that on the rail of the pistol. Since I was doing this shortly after the X-200 hit the market, there wasn’t a damn thing in the way of concealment holsters available for it so I had a Pancake holster custom made for it. That was expensive!!
I don’t even remember pulling the pistol, but I did. I pulled the pistol and aimed it right where I figured the driver’s head was at. Right at that point I activated the light that was mounted on the pistol, possibly temporarily blinding the driver. I think it surprised the hell out of him to see that light, but to see his intended victim in a Weaver Stance with a pistol attached to that light was what I’m bargaining as a bigger surprise! I was half-way through a trigger pull on the very first round in the chamber when the driver turned through a vacant lot, down an alley and took off! The car didn’t even have a license plate on it and only had one taillight! Two feet versus four wheels don’t really compensate
After it all happened I called the cops, but to no avail. They weren’t able to find the car or any sign of it after it happened. When an officer responded to the scene one of the questions was: “Are you sure he came up on the sidewalk at you?” I gave him a dirty look and headed straight for the two trees the car had to go between. On the sidewalk near those trees was a skid mark from the car tires. He looked at me and said something to the effect of how I was lucky! He said had I fired at the car it would more than likely have been ruled as justifiable and no charges would have been filed. Easy to say coming from a cop. One of the first questions a Prosecutor would have asked would be: “Why didn’t you step out of the way?” It’s tough to move in that kind of situation!
Suffice it to say, I think the presence of not only the light, but the weapon itself more than likely saved my life! I know this isn’t quite an Open Carry Story, but it’s a Carry Story nonetheless! I’ll never in my life be caught without a pistol on my belt!
I know there are some things that people will think could have been done differently but I can't think of them off the top of my head! The only thing that comes to mind is the fact that I could have stepped out of the way of the oncoming car. That thought didn't even enter my head until I got home later that night! I was in desperate need of the walk to calm my nerves after the incident happened!
Sorry this is so long, but this is how it happened. I'm always opposed to comments regarding this. I haven't told many people about this aside from police and family! My sister and I rarely talk about it even! I still wonder if I did the right thing!
You always hear about how a police officer says that in 20-some-years they never had to pull their service pistol. Armed civilians are less-likely to be in a situation where they have to pull their pistol than cops. So many things like that are said every day, I honestly wonder how many armed confrontations happen each year that aren't reported due to the fact that the lawfully armed individual may be second-guessed or charged with something because they acted wrong! Here's my scenario, read it and second guess it after you're done!
It’s been quite some time since this incident happened, I believethe year was 2004 or 2005, I know it was November,but the details still sit in the back of my mind like it was yesterday!
My sister and I were living together in a condo on 11[suP]th[/suP] Ave. & 3[suP]rd[/suP] St. W. Well, we called it a condo to make it sound more glorified. It was a nice looking duplex. At about 2300hrs she and I decided to walk to a nearby gas station so we could get something to drink, then walk uptown for a little while that night. We lived on the west side of Main Street and the gas station was on the east side. After leaving there and getting our drinks we crossed back over to the left-hand (west) side of Main and started walking north. We crossed 12[suP]th[/suP] Street, then 11[suP]th[/suP]. We were nearing courthouse loop (a place where the northbound lanes of the highway and the southbound split to go around the old courthouse), when a car came screaming southbound. There was no traffic on the road and this car was taking full advantage of it.
When the car hit the southbound end of Courthouse Loop the driver immediately grabbed the e-brake and pulled a u-turn right in the middle of the road, causing him to face north in the southbound lane. After sitting there for a second or two, he whipped his car around again and proceeded to head south. My sister and I (both having kinda’ big mouths) hollered at him to slow down and knock off the stupid driving. The driver and his two passengers all hollered “F*** you!” I thought by that reaction that we’d heard and seen the last of them! We continued walking up the road when we heard the distinct sound of tires squealing again! I stopped and my sister continued walking a few more steps before she stopped, which put her about 10-feet in front of me. We both turned around, putting her behind me. When we turned, the car that had performed it’s professional driving techniques for us had pulled another e-brake turn and came up on the sidewalk behind us.
With my sister behind me I knew I’d be the first person hit by the car. In the span of about 2-seconds (although it seemed like 2-hours) the car had come up on the sidewalk at us and closed nearly the ¾ of a block distance between us. When I saw the headlights bearing down on us I ripped open my coat and pulled my pistol.
Okay, this is the point where I get to do a little bit of bragging. I carried a pistol that wasn’t anything really special at the time, a Springfield XD-40. I bought a Surefire X-200 light and mounted that on the rail of the pistol. Since I was doing this shortly after the X-200 hit the market, there wasn’t a damn thing in the way of concealment holsters available for it so I had a Pancake holster custom made for it. That was expensive!!
I don’t even remember pulling the pistol, but I did. I pulled the pistol and aimed it right where I figured the driver’s head was at. Right at that point I activated the light that was mounted on the pistol, possibly temporarily blinding the driver. I think it surprised the hell out of him to see that light, but to see his intended victim in a Weaver Stance with a pistol attached to that light was what I’m bargaining as a bigger surprise! I was half-way through a trigger pull on the very first round in the chamber when the driver turned through a vacant lot, down an alley and took off! The car didn’t even have a license plate on it and only had one taillight! Two feet versus four wheels don’t really compensate
After it all happened I called the cops, but to no avail. They weren’t able to find the car or any sign of it after it happened. When an officer responded to the scene one of the questions was: “Are you sure he came up on the sidewalk at you?” I gave him a dirty look and headed straight for the two trees the car had to go between. On the sidewalk near those trees was a skid mark from the car tires. He looked at me and said something to the effect of how I was lucky! He said had I fired at the car it would more than likely have been ruled as justifiable and no charges would have been filed. Easy to say coming from a cop. One of the first questions a Prosecutor would have asked would be: “Why didn’t you step out of the way?” It’s tough to move in that kind of situation!
Suffice it to say, I think the presence of not only the light, but the weapon itself more than likely saved my life! I know this isn’t quite an Open Carry Story, but it’s a Carry Story nonetheless! I’ll never in my life be caught without a pistol on my belt!
I know there are some things that people will think could have been done differently but I can't think of them off the top of my head! The only thing that comes to mind is the fact that I could have stepped out of the way of the oncoming car. That thought didn't even enter my head until I got home later that night! I was in desperate need of the walk to calm my nerves after the incident happened!
Sorry this is so long, but this is how it happened. I'm always opposed to comments regarding this. I haven't told many people about this aside from police and family! My sister and I rarely talk about it even! I still wonder if I did the right thing!
