Got a reality check this morning...

[JJEH]

... and it was embarrassing. I grew complacent.

I've become somewhat comfortable to just have a gun in the car and not on my person when I take Misty to the park for a walk.

Today, when I parked, my wife kept texting me about stuff we need to do today. You have no idea how much I hate sitting in a car, in a parking lot and texting. Every adult who does that looks stupid and has no situational awareness because we are all focused on the screen. But I had to reply... it's the wife, you know.

5 seconds later a young kid in his mom's van pulled up alongside next to me, to my right, stopped at a 45-degree angle where I had to turn my head to see him through his driver side window. It wasn't even a parking spot there; it was the driveway. I see him looking at me and holding cash. He gets out and walks around my car, really close so I again have to turn my head.

My window is always cracked open, and I'm always unbuckled in a parking lot. The pistol was out of reach and Misty was still buckled up. I had a knife in my pocket, my mind was clear and set on getting out and fight. It was really the last option.

He approached and said, I quote "Oh, it's not you!", turns around, gets in his vehicle and drives further down the parking lot.

Many lessons I've learned in these 15 seconds... never have a gun out of reach, ever! Unbuckle Misty right after I've unbuckled myself. Never grow too comfortable again! Tunnel vision is a terrible thing.

He might have just bought something off the internet and wanted to meet in person. Perhaps he was meeting his drug supplier. Who knows?! But what if not?! Could have been a robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, etc.

My mind was racing and I was ready to fight, but I hate that it happened to me. So don't be like me, be better!

 

[Truckman]

He approached you while he was carrying cash in his hand, and you failed to have your gun within reach...Yep, you really need to be better prepared next time that happens......Ben

 

[Alk8944]

Sounds like you are in the habit of leaving your gun in the car while walking the dog (Misty?) in the park What did you expect would happen if you were threatened in any way and needed the gun, ask the assailant to wait a minute while you went back to the car?

To make things worse the gun was out of reach when you were still in the car, how does this happen?

Hopefully you have learned the lesson that he only time a gun is any good to you when it is loaded, and at hand within one second or less. Anything else and you might as well leave your gun at home, in the safe, as it is useless to you in the situation you describe!


And DO NOT carry your gun in either an ankle holster or pocket holster when in a car, it will not be readily available to you if needed.

 

[Mark8]

Thanks for the reminder and for sharing. Everybody makes mistakes and things will go wrong.

 

[Krogen]

My situational awareness is pretty well-honed. I truly dislike somebody getting close without me seeing them first. It doesn't happen often. Gun shows are my downfall. A number of times I've been distracted by eye candy only to have a friend get within striking distance and catch me unaware. My head is down, scanning tables and not watching people. Just like having one's head in a cell phone. Those occurrences provide a great reset on my situational awareness. Fortunately, gun shows are probably a low concern and those reminders up my awareness in other places.

I can see how you experienced a similar awareness reset. It was a good thing to happen with a positive outcome. Your awareness quotient went up a notch or two.

 

[WardenRoss]

“Experience is the best teacher, and the worst experiences teach the best lessons.”

Go forth and do well.

 

[SnidelyWhiplash]

I always heard that experience is defined as what you get when you don't get what you want.

Many of us are well experienced in life.

 

[vipermd]

Situational awareness I believe is the key to life. Not just on a busy sidewalk at zero dark thirty, but at noon on a beautiful day. If I have to answer my phone, I will stop, look around and put my back up to a wall and be brief, and not discuss a shopping list, or dinner tonight. It has saved me in Philly, Chicago, Bethlehem Pa., and even in the UP of Mi. I am always armed with spare mags and a backup gun, because I do not know if the next person is lost, or psychotic? And from being involved in Medicine ER's, ambulance, patient room, since 1975, I have seen knives, guns, matches, IV poles and razor blades all used as weapons. And it did not matter if it Was Big City or Small town. I try to keep the same level of awareness when I am walking into or out the woods to hunt, and while hunting, as I do walking down Division near to Humbolt Park in Chicago. You can drive out of a gun show with a truck full of merchandise in a quiet little town and get followed, or borrow my Mother's car and get followed for 20 miles. Complacency can be deadly, walk into traffic with your phone in your face, or not realize that the drunk/high 10 guys up the sidewalk could be a problem, so cross the road and use the sidewalk on the other side. Be aware of your dogs when your walking, they tend to be good judges of character. Also they can hear and smell what you cannot, walking my Rottie at 2 am, he walked in front of me and made me stop, he did his business at an area shorter than usual, the next morning, while talking to local PD the next morning, I found out there was a drug bust going to happen 40 yards in front of me in the park. I do believe you must also follow your gut, sometimes people can give off signals that you may or may not recognize, But when your brain says do not go down that path, turn around and live another day. Be Safe,

 

[LCC]

My pocket carry always comes out and slides into the console holder whenever I drive. I also keep a very sharo fixed blade in sheath in the driver door pocket I can easily reach.
Conversely, if someone is already next to me and pointing a gun at me before I am aware, the truck is theirs, I can always buy another.

 

[JJEH]

Sounds like you are in the habit of leaving your gun in the car while walking the dog (Misty?) in the park

[...]

To make things worse the gun was out of reach when you were still in the car, how does this happen?

Wrong assumption but fair question. I used to belt carry but always carry a backpack with a few supplies. One day after lots of same old same old I have made, for whatever reason, the decision to put the gun in the backpack as well. The pack in in the back seat, so technically it was in reach but not from a seated position, I would have to had stretch really long and far.

Gun shows are my downfall. A number of times I've been distracted by eye candy only to have a friend get within striking distance and catch me unaware.

Oh my Lord yes, I hate that. I like having my head on a swivel, but I also don't want to look like I'm a nervous terrorist looking for people who might chase me

My pocket carry always comes out and slides into the console holder whenever I drive.

I used to do that with my paddle holster but I won't anymore.

 

[Muss Muggins]

I'm wondering aloud about the various potential outcomes of a random stranger in a vehicle pointing a handgun at another random stranger approaching the vehicle with nothing but a handful of cash . . .

 

[JJEH]

I'm wondering aloud about the various potential outcomes of a random stranger in a vehicle pointing a handgun at another random stranger approaching the vehicle with nothing but a handful of cash . . .

Not pointing, but ready to draw.

It's not a "what if" thread, I just tried to tell y'all not to get complacent. That's all

 

[bigwheelzip]

Situational awareness I believe is the key to life. Not just on a busy sidewalk at zero dark thirty, but at noon on a beautiful day. ..... Complacency can be deadly, walk into traffic ....

You read my mind. I just got home after seeing a pedestrian get hit by a pickup truck. It was shockingly surreal and completely avoidable, if either actor had been aware.
The scene is a beautiful sunny afternoon at the busy traffic light controlled intersection of Rutherford and Poinsett. The six lanes of SC276 north and southbound are stopped on a red light. The moment it turns green, a man runs fast through the crosswalk directly in front of the four lanes of cars beginning to move northbound. He continues running in the crosswalk, across the two southbound lanes, which have accelerated from being stopped on the far side of the intersection. Five feet shy of mounting the curb on the west side of the road, in the middle of the sixth and final lane of his daredevil sprint, a full-sized pickup truck hits him square in the center of his grill.
The truck was tall, probably a 4wd, and impacted the right side of his body, from his knee to his shoulder. The runner instantly transformed into a ragdoll launched down the road, and then sliding further when he landed.
A bad day for all, but incomprehensible because the pedestrian crossing against traffic and the driver had a hundred feet of clear view and a couple of seconds to avoid each other, and neither acted safely.

Sent from my motorola one 5G using Tapatalk

 

[robvious]

a situational reset is always a learning opportunity... and a reminder for us here.. thanks for sharing

 

[326MOD10]

I would respectfully disagree with the statement "DO NOT" carry in an ankle holster when seated in a car.

I carried a J Frame there for years as my backup and when seated in a car there was little quicker/easier to pull

In the rare instance my head was up my fourth point of contact when someone approached I could pull it and have it pointed at the person, under my off arm, with them not even seeing the handgun.

 

[Buford57]

And DO NOT carry your gun in either an ankle holster or pocket holster when in a car, it will not be readily available to you if needed.

Can't understand where you came up with the idea that an ankle holster is inaccessible when seated. That's one time when it truly makes sense.

Now while walking the dog it would be a poor choice.

OP, looks like you did an honest after "action" and learned something. Thanks for giving us a chance to benefit from your experience.

 

[JJEH]

OP, looks like you did an honest after "action" and learned something. Thanks for giving us a chance to benefit from your experience.

Yes, thank you, that's it. It bothered me all day, still does.

If my post made just one person rethink what they are currently doing then I'm more than happy, because that was my intention.

 

[Marshal Tom]

Seems as though the guy should not have approached your vehicle with cash in hand either when he didn't know if it was the person and vehicle he thought he was to meet. There are many good vehicle mounted magnetic devices as well as car mounted holsters that allow very quick access to a firearm while seated in the vehicle. That is also one of the best uses of an anke holster and one of the only times I would ever consider utilizing one for any type of carry. Pocket carry is completely out due to accessability issues while seated. In most cases, strong side carry while belted in is also extremely slow, especially if wearing a cover garment. It is probably best to have the weapon secured in some fashion in case of an accident and not loose in the vehicle to act as a missile. Lock your doors and alway have your head on a swivel.

 

[DevilDog72]

lessons learned hard are lessons learned well.

thanks for the reminder

 

[ISCS Yoda]

Lessons learned. Excellent observations by all, excpet for this, and others have noted it:

And DO NOT carry your gun in either an ankle holster or pocket holster when in a car, it will not be readily available to you if needed.

I admit that I am aware that my pocket carry is very disadvantageous in a car or seated anywhere. So that's an issue I agree with.

But I am quite certain that except for the least nimble amongst us, namely, me, an ankle holster is ideal when seated in a motor vehicle. That is the sole, most excellent time for an ankle holster.