Pulled my gun... - Page 2

[Irishmommy]

Originally Posted by momma2girls

Exactly! It's too bad that more people don't realize that if the guns were banned in the US the only ones they would be banned from is the law-abiding citizens not the criminals they will get them regardless. And then the rest of us will be more at risk.

Guns are banned in Canada, and our violent crime rate is significantly lower than the US.

[Tinas3muskateers]

I first want to say, I do not think the OP was trying to be mocho or be the big man with the gun in this situation. I do think he was being a papa bear over his cub. I also believe that he, now looking back, would have handled this situation differantly. I personaly do not own a gun and never world but would never take that right away from anyone.

[teambearbhan]

my husband carries concealed and i take great exception to the notion that he endangers our family by doing so. my husband is a law enforcement officer in a questionable area. if we are at the playground, grocery store, amusement park, et cetera, one of the lowlifes he's locked away could very likely cross our path and cause harm to my husband or our family. while i hope he never has to use it (and he never has), it's comforting to know that there's a line of defense, should anything horrible happen.

[SerafinasMommy]

Originally Posted by boston

Why not just drive to the police station if someone's following you?

Apparently he didn't know where it was at the time

I now know the location of my police department so if something like this happens again I can just drive there and let them deal with it.

Maybe next time don't drive in a way that makes people want to kill you

uhh wow.: I don't think that is called for at all.



He was just a guy who was primally protecting his kid! I totally understand.

[osburnsa]

My dh and I both have concealed handgun licenses. While I don't carry all the time, my dh does. The thing I want to point out here is that none of us were in the car with the original poster. None of us knows exactly what the situation was, so I don't feel any of us can judge his actions. We don't know what level of fear he had at that moment. While I don't know that I would have handled things exactly like he did, I think he did a lot of things right.

Now, I've never been to Canada, so I don't feel like I have a right to judge their crime rate, but I do know that Canada is not the United States. A lot of things contribute to our crime rate. Gun ownership is not the only thing that affects that. We have a history of guns being legal, and that history has contributed to a mindset that perhaps Canadians cannot understand. Taking legal gun ownership away from Americans will not change the fact that the criminals will still have them. Perhaps if America had developed differently... but we are who we are. I do not take for granted the Constitutional right to keep my gun so that if I ever need to defend my children, I can.

I have never had to even think about pulling my gun. I think I've been lucky in that respect. I don't think I could ever shoot anything that breathes except in one instance, and that is to protect my kids. For them, I could shoot anyone.

Clearly, in hindsight, and especially for all of us who can sit back and Monday morning quarterback this situation, it's easy to say that perhaps he should have done things differently, but in the heat of the moment he did what he felt he had to do to protect his home and his child. I don't see anything wrong with that.

[MissAbbyRosesMamma]

Originally Posted by Irishmommy

Guns are banned in Canada, and our violent crime rate is significantly lower than the US.

i can promise you banning guns would do nothing to lower our crime rate. the majority of violent crimes commited here are not by the people liscenced to posses the weapons.

anywho, id have been iffy to turn down a dead end street. or to pull out a gun, cuz liek they said what if the other kid had a gun. but for protecting youself and son!

[Viola]

Originally Posted by Moose

I was actually driving pretty mellow for once, Anyway they were pissed off enough to get behind me, ride my bumper and FOLLOW ME HOME.

Maybe he was pissed because you were going the speed limit. That sets my friend off just about every time.

[beansavi]

Originally Posted by Moose

I get out, pull my 9mm Ruger out from my under arm holster, point it at the driver and yell "You have 5 seconds to leave before I start shooting!"

I didn’t know cars could go that fast in reverse...

:

[lissabob]

As a gun owner, I can understand why you did what you did. You may want to get a cell phone though so if anything weird ever happens again you can call 911. I believe most cell phones can dial 911 even without service on them (just have to be activated). I used to carry our handgun in the car when I was commuting a lot (or whenever I travel alone with dd) just because you never know. Now, I grew up with guns (started shooting them at 3 or 4 yo) so for me it's second nature to have one. I know that's hard to understand for someone who didn't grow up the same.

For those who don't believe- ever heard of the gun toting Granny?

[Cardinal]

I think you did the right thing. DH and I both shoot recreationally and own guns. DH has a CC permit and I am thankful he has it. I feel protected.

[arabian cowboy]

Originally Posted by Moose

Well here’s what went down last evening. I was over at my Mom's with my youngest. We were there late (11pm). On the way home my driving apparently pissed some one off. I don’t know what it could have been. I was actually driving pretty mellow for once, Anyway they were pissed off enough to get behind me, ride my bumper and FOLLOW ME HOME. I live in a good neighborhood. No issues. Very mellow.
So.. As I'm making the last couple of turns to my house I am thinking is this guy going to turn off and go his way soon, if not how to handle this problem. If I was by myself I would have just pulled into my driveway gotten out of my car and asked if there was a problem. With my sleeping 2 year old in the car I decided to take a different approach. This Bozo follows me up my dead end street, I stop short of my house because the last thing I want is this guy knowing where I live. He stops behind me. I get out, pull my 9mm Ruger out from my under arm holster, point it at the driver and yell "You have 5 seconds to leave before I start shooting!"

I didn’t know cars could go that fast in reverse...

He flew down the dead end street backwards, hit the intersection and took off. Now that I have had a good look at the driver, (and the whites of his eyes) I can tell you that it was probably a 19-21year old kid with to much attitude trying to impress his friends in the car. I hope they were impressed.:

I holstered my weapon, got back in my car pulled in my drive way and called the cops. I gave them a description of the car and so forth. I asked the officer if I had acted improperly. He said under the circumstances I was within my rights. I now know the location of my police department so if something like this happens again I can just drive there and let them deal with it.

I have carried a concealed firearm for almost 18 years now. This is the first time I have had to pull it and point it at someone. Do any other dads carry?

Glad you did it. I have many weapons in my home. They are locked, and the ammunition is stored separately. I know, however, that if someone broke into my home, I could quickly get everything ready and defend my family. You did well. Bravo!

[arabian cowboy]

Originally Posted by boston

Why not just drive to the police station if someone's following you? My guess is that wouldn't be "tough guy" enough? Honestly wondering, here, why in the world, you'd resort to a display of aggression when you could've done the common sense thing. This opened you up for an attack, and may have put your kid in more danger. You might have gotten rid of them without confrontation. Did that not occur to you?

The fact that you're carrying a gun for the past 18 years tells me you're really scared, and I sympathize with that. But I think it's really creepy what you did. I hate to think of people out there with guns being all macho and endangering lives. Gives me nasty chills.

Maybe next time don't drive in a way that makes people want to kill you.

Is this a serious post?
He was defensive, not offensive in his behavior. He was being followed, thus he defended himself (not provoking anything at all, IMO).
You weren't there so how the hell can you say he was driving "in a way that makes people want to kill" him? What a dumb thing to write.

[pjlioness]

Originally Posted by teambearbhan

my husband carries concealed and i take great exception to the notion that he endangers our family by doing so. my husband is a law enforcement officer in a questionable area. if we are at the playground, grocery store, amusement park, et cetera, one of the lowlifes he's locked away could very likely cross our path and cause harm to my husband or our family. while i hope he never has to use it (and he never has), it's comforting to know that there's a line of defense, should anything horrible happen.

As a law enforcement officer, your dh has had much more training than most regular people who have/carry them, so I'm sure he is well equipped to use it only when necessary. I am okay with off-duty law enforcement officers (and perhaps those who have had similar rigorous training) carrying guns.

However, no matter who the individuals are, the introduction of a gun into a tense situation means that it is more likely for someone to get hurt or killed. In your case, I'm sure your husband's good aim and quick reflexes would most likely result in the other person involved getting winged (and unable to shoot if they were attempting to), while everyone else would be safe.

[sprout 1]

this is getting really nasty... I mean do we have to start calling each other "dumb" and get in a huge pro/anti gun thing?
I understand the whole "if guns were outlawed only outlaws would have guns" thing but that has nothing to do with this situation... the "outlaw" did not have a gun and it was a good thing because this probably would have ended much differently if he had.
The thing I don't understand is why having your son with you would make you take the most dangerous path available... You said you would have tried to talk to the guy if your son wasn't around, so why involve a lethal weapon just because your son was in the car? I mean you still would have the option of pulling your gun but you're not going into it completely blind.

[QueenOfThePride]

There are times when a reasonable show of strength is the best course of action. This was one of them. Whatever your beliefs, religion, philosophical values are, you should always follow your instincts first.

[mamajama]

I find it uhhh...interesting that people are congratulating this poster for pulling agun on someone in a case of roadrage. What's to commend? It's not difficult to pull out a gun on someone is it? I guess it would get tricky if the other person had a gun as well. Big shootout in the "good" neighbourhood you live in. BTW, what exactly makes it "good"? A lack of shootouts?

My advice: Get a cell phone and learn defensive driving.

[teambearbhan]

Originally Posted by pjlioness

As a law enforcement officer, your dh has had much more training than most regular people who have/carry them, so I'm sure he is well equipped to use it only when necessary. I am okay with off-duty law enforcement officers (and perhaps those who have had similar rigorous training) carrying guns.

However, no matter who the individuals are, the introduction of a gun into a tense situation means that it is more likely for someone to get hurt or killed. In your case, I'm sure your husband's good aim and quick reflexes would most likely result in the other person involved getting winged (and unable to shoot if they were attempting to), while everyone else would be safe.

while i am admittedly not up to speed on the carrying concealed laws, i know at least here in california, permits aren't handed out willy-nilly. it was a big deal when they finally allowed retired officers to carry.

interestingly, in the six months of live-in training that my husband received, aim was not a factor in his gun training. they are not taught to disarm someone, they are taught to take someone down. officers have several other lines of defense they can take before using their firearm, but if they must resort to it, it's for good cause and they'd better use it well. a pretty picture? certainly not. but it's not pretty out there. that's not to say they should always aim for the chest, but if there's reason to use a gun, the department will fully back you no matter where you hit the person.

scary stuff as i sit at home alone tonight while my husbands trudges the streets. (okay, not ALONE alone, but the wee babes are asleep. )

[Tata]

Moose, having not been in the situation you describe I can't honestly say what I would have done. I don't own a firearm now. But, I did my share of shootin' when I was attending a higher education institution, so I understand and know ballistics and the damage a real gun of various calibers and types can do. The one thing that is a certainty is that whenever even one gun is in an area, the chances of a death resulting are increased. If the gun is made visible or handled during an altercation this chance increases further for numerous reasons and variables depending on the situation. Hence, the "last resort" philosophy of deadly weapons or, weapons with the potential to kill instantly. A knife can kill but not in the same way as a gun. A lead pipe can kill, a pencil can be used to kill, but not in the same way as a gun. You get my drift.

Not knowing where your police station was aside, could there have been another way? Why I ask is that as I mentally put myself into your situation I think in terms of, if I pull my gun, the chance of my child getting shot accidentally increases. Either by me, or by the other person who may also have a gun. And, who would most likely pull it if I pull mine. Kind of like nuclear weapons. So, for what was happening at that particular moment as you described, an escalation to sudden death was a bit risky. If say, the person following you was ramming your car and shouting death threats, well, that's another matter. Posturing or trying to intimidate you is another. But, you felt strongly enough to pull your gun after carrying for 18 years and not pulling all that time. So, that tells me that something was not sitting well with you in that situation. In short, I don't necessarily agree with the course of action you took, but I don't disagree either. It is variable to being there at the time. Obviously, something spooked you enough to do so. I don't know what I would do, but I think another solution would have presented itself for me.

[cletus]

Guns scare the crap outta me.

There's always a creative solution.

Driving in the slow lane and letting people pass you is not an admission of weakness. It gives you time to think.

[pjlioness]

Originally Posted by teambearbhan

while i am admittedly not up to speed on the carrying concealed laws, i know at least here in california, permits aren't handed out willy-nilly. it was a big deal when they finally allowed retired officers to carry.

interestingly, in the six months of live-in training that my husband received, aim was not a factor in his gun training. they are not taught to disarm someone, they are taught to take someone down. officers have several other lines of defense they can take before using their firearm, but if they must resort to it, it's for good cause and they'd better use it well. a pretty picture? certainly not. but it's not pretty out there. that's not to say they should always aim for the chest, but if there's reason to use a gun, the department will fully back you no matter where you hit the person.

Thanks for clearing up some assumptions/misconceptions I had. I don't know a lot about guns or handling them (except don't point them at anything you aren't planning to shoot - point them up ). If anyone here (me, dh, or our ds's) wanted to learn, we'd go to my dad's cousin, who is very knowlegeable and careful (he competes at target shooting and does pretty well). I do know that I don't think that the answer to crime/violence in our country is for every law-abiding citizen to have a gun. I heard something recently on NPR that made sense to me, but I can't remember what program or when. I think it was something about having law enforcement concentrate more on looking for illegally carried guns on our streets. Wish I could remember it! It might have been the show On Point sometime in the last two weeks...I'm possibly narrowing it down.