Open Carry confronted with Knife - Washoe County Sherriff's do the right thing

I was open carrying in Sun Valley when I was confronted by a drunk tweeker with a knife and several druggy friends. As a long time resident of the Reno/Sparks area I was utterly shocked to see such a character in Sun Valley But I was able to put my self between the freak and my family. We tried to move away, 30 feet down the road and crossed the street.... He actually came pretty close several times, I nearly shot him several times, but I was able to get him to back down long enough to call the cops.

Tweek boy and friends thought for sure I was going to jail since OF COURSE you can't just carry a gun around like that. They kept jeering my wife that I was going to jail.

He tried to make the knife disappear before the cops arrived. They hooked everybody up, as I expected, and put us in cars, got everyone's story. They found the knife, booked my new found tweeker friend on assault and battery with a deadly weapon (a complete shock to him since, after all, I had a gun).

I expected to lose my gun, maybe spend the night at Parr - but the Washoe County Sherriff's handed me my bullets for my revolver, told me to put them in my pocket, and told me to go ahead and conceal my weapon so as not to provoke the tweekers further, and sent me on my way.

Lessons to be taken:

1 - Ignorance of the masses can sometimes play in your favor.
2 - washoe County Sherriff's are on the ball - a couple of them in particular (I only know officer Diaz's name) seemed to think I carried very responsibly and fully within my rights.
3 - Next time I carry my revolver I am bringing speed loaders - who knows what friends the bad guys might have
4 - Never pull a knife on somebody who has he was a gun. I wonder if dude knows how lucky he was to merely be facing assault with a deadly weapon and some other charges? With my family to protect - I Damn near shot him... very, VERY, CLOSE.

I'm glad your family is safe. That's what it's all about. You didn't say if you did or not, but I'll assume that you drew down on them? If someone came up and stuck a knife in my face, the least of what they would get is the business end of my .45 staring them down. Displaying a deadly weapon such as a knife in a threatening manner is a good way to get shot, real quick. Like you said, they're lucky the police came to pick them up instead of the coroner.

He is lucky (the tweaker) to be alive. If it were me, he would have likely been shot. An average Human can can close 15 feet in seconds..

First I'll say I am glad you and your family are safe. Secondly, where were you when this happened? Scum Valley blvd? 7th street near the skate park? The public pool area? Just curious on that part

Washoe County has done a decent job of following the law and policing themselves. Although I disagree with the Sherriff handing back the gun and advising you to conceal it... overall it was done correctly. Did you get any business cards or maybe a report number? I would very much like to forward my compliments to Mike Hailey through a couple deputies I know. You mention Diaz... any other names come to mind?

Lastly, next time you OC, carry a recording device. Keep it on. Best buy is just down the street or get one from amazon. I know it's an added expense but you never know if your going to run into WCSD or someone from NHP or RPD. WCSD does a good job but NHP and RPD are hit and miss.

It sounds to me like you handled the situation perfectly. You had the means to use deadly force but restrained that force because it would appear that you had an alternative to using it. Had you or your family been cornered with no escape route. things could have ended much differently.

Good for you. what I recommend next is alert your local news media. People need to know that we are the good guys.

You should of Shot those 'Tweekers'.
If it were me..., they would have been Dead.

You defended your family, got some bad people off the streets and went home. The overall strategy was sound.

For me, the core question becomes: How close did they come?

A single person can close the gap and we don't know what the other guys were carrying. In the heat (heart rate up, adrenaline creating tunnel vision) of the moment, being able to drop one person, let alone multiple assailants is going to be tough.

The saying is within 7 yards, 1.5s to clear the distance, against a guy with a knife - expect to be cut.

And that 1.5s isn't too much time to reload.

Always remember "The 21 foot rule"

http://www.policeone.com/edged-weap...ense-Is-or-was-the-21-foot-rule-valid-Part-1/

21 foot rule would have had your "tweeker" being put in a body bag if he'd advanced on me !!!!

EXTREMEOPS1 said:

http://www.policeone.com/edged-weap...ense-Is-or-was-the-21-foot-rule-valid-Part-1/

21 foot rule would have had your "tweeker" being put in a body bag if he'd advanced on me !!!!

Click to expand...

I agree.

The equation now gets more complex: You have your family there, and the loss of them is now greater than your own life. There are multiple suspects. You're armed with a revolver w/o a speed loader.

21' is NOT enough IMO. But I don't know what the situation is and want to know "how close did they come" and "how close is close enough?"

Assume 3 guys and 3 shots to drop the guy (2 CoM and 1 HS) with the knife - what then? Hopefully you have time and the ability to reload.

Wow! Really glad you & the family are ok! But, I have to say, I would have probably killed that tweaker!! I carry a G23 with 10 rnds and a reload of 15; I would have been somewhere near the middle of that 2nd mag REAL quick. I have a simple code, threaten my family & die.

The whole reason I carry is to prevent bad guys with knives (or any other deadly weapon) from threatening me or my family from within that 21 foot danger zone. If I see a serious threat coming that close, I'm going to shoot.

It sounds to me that you and your family are very lucky. If this "tweaker" (I really don't know what that means) was waiving a knife and threatening you from within 21 feet, he could have gotten to you with the knife before you could have pulled the trigger. Then, he would arguably have your gun and could start shooting your family. In this case that didn't happen. But it was only because of him. In other words, he was in control of the situation. Not you.

That should scare the living daylights out of you. It's real serious. I think the bottom line here is there is no kinder gentler way to use your gun in close quarters. You pull it out, you shoot it. Period.

VegasGeorge...a 'tweaker' is a meth addict who's going through the early stages of withdrawl. He is usually very jittery and irrational. The ONLY thing on his mind is getting more meth!

I appreciate the feedback. I have already decided I let him too close. I know we were very lucky... But I also know there were a number of ways to stop him without shooting. The millions of calculations being made without even thinking are impossible to relay in this setting...

In my defense - a few things to consider:
#1 - in my mind the guys milling around behind him moving in and out of vehicles already had guns on me - better to diffuse and walk away - keeping tweeker's body between me and them - then to start a shoot-out I couldn't win. I was in an open carry, and never fully drew my weapon - if it came out - I would have fired would have had to engage a whole other set of tactical problems.

#2 - I am a martial artist - not a great one, not a bad ass - but I have successfully fought against knives twice in my life - while completely unarmed and outnumbered. The way he was holding the knife - and other details told me - I was ready and capable to disarm him. The philosophy I live by is that any weapon is only - trying to avoid the word extension here... a part of your hands, feet, etc. If I had not lived the life I have I am sure I woulda shot him. Not a bad ass - but I have experience.

#3 - this is my neighborhood. At least for the time being. I would have the threat of drive by's and retaliation -even more so than I do now. I would rather have my enemies underestimate me in any given situation so when I do something offensive it will be a complete shock. By the grace of God, I think it was the perfect balance. I showed the ability to use force they could understand without giving them something they would HAVE to avenge. I have also started carrying a real nice Gerber as well. They now know I carry a gun and may think I am afraid to use it. They don't realize what it has taken to bring me down in the past - how pissed I am about the whole thing - how much more likely I am to take a piece of the next person that f's with me.

BTW - The ass't DA dropped the assault with deadly weapon due to the fact that I had a gun - and he only had a knife. So my gun rendered his knife no longer deadly or a threat to my family. If I woulda shot him - I am sure the same attorney woulda pushed for unnecessary use of force.

He goes to the Reno justice court next week for kicking out a cruiser window at the time of his arrest (I am assured he will face time for this).
GOOD TIMES!!!! Next time - I am more likely to shoot just because I know the flippin DA will let them off! I have also been carrying an 11 mag .40 +1 with two 11 rnd mag spares.

Cheeze! Reading all this makes me very frustrated. (Thanks)

Thanks for the extra info. Again, best thing that happened is that you & the family are ok! I especially like that you've applied what you learned in this experience.
I think it was Col Cooper who came up with: Rule 1. Have a gun. Rule 2. Have enough gun!

We had a lady CCer who got jumped and she was able to empty her J frame S&W through her purse. When the cops asked her why she shot the scum 5 times, she replied "The gun when 'click' the 6th time I pulled the trigger!" haahahahaha

EXTREMEOPS1 said:

http://www.policeone.com/edged-weap...ense-Is-or-was-the-21-foot-rule-valid-Part-1/

Click to expand...

Great article btw - definately worth the read. and the "click" story is just awesome

My $0.02 only you know the situation and needed calculated reaction. You went home with the family. You win. I find it interesting you did not mentioned the armed friends in the first post. Were they arrested also? I would find it hard to believe they were legal gun owners. The DA saying your lethal weapon trumps his, what the @#$% is that all about? I wonder if he had a 22 cal and you had a 44mag if the larger caliber would have trumped the smaller lethal weapon.

so the DA up there is a moron, hes taking charges against this man for breaking a police car window out but wont tack on assault charges as well? right....cause when DA's have someone by the balls they don't tack on all sort of other crap to get a plead bargain so they can get paid and put another person into the system if they aren't already. a gun does trump a knife however if someone comes at me with a knife that is the time my mind flips into I am in immediate danger of life and limb and use of deadly force is authorized.

By this notion people can threaten LEO with a knife and not catch a charge of assault with a deadly weapon because they only had a knife and the LEO had a gun. <eyeroll>

Remmy said:

By this notion people can threaten LEO with a knife and not catch a charge of assault with a deadly weapon because they only had a knife and the LEO had a gun. <eyeroll>

Click to expand...

This leads me to believe that you mistakenly believe the police to be held to the same standard we are. If we shoot someone in self defense we go straight to criminal court, there is no inquest first.

Reset assure i do not believe police are held to the same standard as we are, we as citizens are not given a pass. It just really chaps my A$$ to hear such things from a DA. God help any of us if we ever have to defend our lives or the lives of our family from a similar assault.

For all of those posters who are eager to shoot the tweeker and take his life I assume you are young and have never been in a fight before. You have absolutely no idea how immature you sound or how it would make you look if anything did happen and your words are out here on the internet to be used against you if you ever do get in a situation. You might want to step back and grow up a little or at least be a little more circumspect in your posts. You do not want somebody's blood or life on your hands or on your conscience unless there is absolutely no other reasonable way out of the situation. I hope you never have to find out. The OP did exactly what he had to do, he was there we weren't so don't be telling him what he should have done, you are only second guessing and that looks stupid.