A hard lesson from John Farnam

[Doug M.]

John's name is in the post because his commentary was being copied and should be attributed correctly. I have been a professional nerd for too long and do not want to claim someone else's work, no matter how closely it matches my thinking.

 

[biku324]

John's name is in the post because his commentary was being copied and should be attributed correctly. I have been a professional nerd for too long and do not want to claim someone else's work, no matter how closely it matches my thinking.

Then you have nothing to fear but fear itself.

 

[bobsguns]

There’s another John Farmer. Musician/singer.

Don't take gun advice from that one...............

 

[bobsguns]

The woman acted stupidly and is lucky to be alive. She had no reasonable cause to exit her home with a gun in her hand just to see what was going on.

First time hearing about a female doing something not very smart, is it?

 

[murphydog]

Don't take gun advice from that one...............

I think I saw a comment from him after the incident, basically stating “everything’s cool, glad my wife wasn’t hurt”. Pretty chill if you ask me.

 

[Smoke]

I went home on leave to Nebraska over a long weekend once. I wasn't a gun owner at the time because I lived in the barracks.

Anyway, at some point during the night Douglas County Sheriff deputies showed up at our front door because either myself or my mother had left the front door open and the front screen door closed and the deputies noticed it.

Being conscientious they knocked on our door and one of them opened the door and called out into the house "Douglas County Sheriff! Is there anybody here."

I ran to the head of the stairs in my boxers and saw a great big guy and a little teeny tiny woman Sheriff. I jumped back into the hallway because I was just wearing my boxers but even that got them a little dialed up.

As I said, no firearms involved but had I been armed I could have seen that one really ending badly. Also my dog had died a couple years previous, had he still been alive that could have gone South in a hurry too.

Anyway, it ended with the deputies telling us that the noticed the door they seemed it seemed out of place so they decided to knock on the door and make us aware.

Even at work anytime I had to approach a cop after dark I made sure they knew I was coming and even though I was in uniform I made damn sure I kept my hands out in front of me and away from my gun.

I also made a very specific point of asking anybody that I encountered that I didn't know at night to keep their hands visible. I didn't ask the manager of the FedEx or the CEO of Utilities obviously because I knew who they were.

 

[Fastbolt]

I responded to an armed robbery at a jewelry store once, and found the store empty of everyone. Someone from a nearby business told me the victim/owner of the store had run out down the street after the armed robbery suspect fleeing on foot ... carrying his own gun. Damn. Fortunately, the witness told me the suspect had a black pistol and the victim a shiny/chrome pistol. I quickly got on the air to update responding cover units and give them the descriptions of the armed men running on foot ... and asked them to kindly not shoot my victim running down the street with the shiny pistol in his hand. Sigh.

 

[biku324]

Had exactly that ^^^^ with a 'till-tapping' incident on US 66 in Gallup. I was passing by the bar where the incident occurred when the call came in and saw a man with a pistol in hand running across the highway. I stopped him (and rush hour traffic) by pointing my shotgun at him and getting him to put down the pistol and assume the position. He quickly explained he was the owner and was running to where the perp jumped into the Rio Puerco. Had him go back and wait inside while the PD sacked up the drunk and injured (from a 20 foot jump off the riverbank) thief.

 

[Bald1]

I had an interaction with police with a gun in my hand. The dealership where I worked was the victim of a number of break INS to cars in the back lot of the dealership. I offered to stay after closing and watch the back lot through a window and the manager loaned me his Colt Python. The thieves showed up a few minutes after closing and I called the cops told them where they were and no lights or sirens to give them any warning and they caught them red handed. I opened the overhead door and walked outside. When the cop saw I had a gun he told me to drop it. I stood there with it dangling from one finger and told him. I am the one who called this in and this is a valuable firearm that I really do not want to drop on gravel. I will stand here and not move while you disarm me, if that is OK.

Why wouldn’t you leave gun inside or stick it in your pocket when you went outside?

 

[rockquarry]

Why wouldn’t you leave gun inside or stick it in your pocket when you went outside?

It's easy to criticize someone's actions when you have the convenience of ample time to do so and while you're not in the stressful situation described in the narrative.

 

[Bald1]

It's easy to criticize someone's actions when you have the convenience of ample time to do so and while you're not in the stressful situation described in the narrative.

The police were there. The situation was over. Stop it

 

[Bald1]

It's easy to criticize someone's actions when you have the convenience of ample time to do so and while you're not in the stressful situation described in the narrative.

Everyone criticizes the woman who ran outside with a gun and got shot. But in this case it’s ok? And then you debate the cop on how you want to surrender the gun? It’s either fictional or stupidity

 

[rockquarry]

The police were there. The situation was over. Stop it

If you weren't there, you couldn't know exactly when the stressful situation was over despite your omniscience.

 

[RebCop]

I've seen the same over the years as I'm retired Law Enforcement even with Police Officers. Some people have trouble putting themselves into the place of the other Officers and assume everyone knows that they are a good guy, I even saw this in Iraq often with tragic consequences.

 

[greenwellg]

Why wouldn’t you leave gun inside or stick it in your pocket when you went outside?

At the time 50 years ago in retrospect it would have been prudent to do exactly that. My mind was not even close to thinking about getting killed. Light was on (otherwise very dark), I came out an overhead door and I wanted to catch the people who had basically terrorized my job site. They were running to the woods and were seconds from escaping, the reason I came out in the first place. I held my hands over my head with the gun dangling from one finger. I identified myself as the caller to them. The cop knew I was not a threat and they caught the active duty sailor and his two nephews who were the criminals. I stood there in that exact same posture until I saw them actually catch the 3 perps. No way I was going to stick it in my pocket, that could have got me killed.
In another incident I was stopped for speeding by a state trooper (grandfather was one in the same state during prohibition). I identified myself as a concealed carry holder, explained to the trooper that I was going to give him my carry weapon, with a single finger while I looked directly at him and did exactly that (wife was in the passengers seat). I then got my wallet, handed it to him and explained that my grandpa was a trooper when there were only 7 in the whole state.
You could see him relax physically with the gun and wallet in his possession and he gave me a warning for what could have been a reckless charge after I explained the circumstances (I was passed on the right then the driver merged in front of me illegally, so I just went around him to get away from an idiot and the trooper saw exactly what he and me had done).
After the warning he followed me for 40 MILES! then passed me and waved goodbye LOL.
This was the same year(first incident) they started selling Subaru's in the USA, my brother called my memory photographic.

 

[greenwellg]

Everyone criticizes the woman who ran outside with a gun and got shot. But in this case it’s ok? And then you debate the cop on how you want to surrender the gun? It’s either fictional or stupidity

I thought this deserved some clarification to understand PRECISELY what was going through my mind, thus the above post. My actions and the cops actions meant the perps were caught, period. I would have seen them escape had I not done exactly what I did. The cop saw me with my hands over my head and he trusted my intentions enough to get back in his car and catch them 150 yards away and running for the woods. There were no lights anywhere else except where I had just opened the overhead door. I stayed in that posture until The situation was stabilized.

 

[UFGator]

Never a good idea to confront a suspect in a property crime with a firearm. If the suspect doesn’t have a gun, it’s aggravated assault in TN.

 

[Fastbolt]

Folks, let's pause a moment and remember that quite a few off-duty or Plainclothes-U/C cops have been shot and killed by responding uniformed cops when some scene is chaotic and the only major identifier of the unknown off-duty and U/C cops may be 'man with a gun'. This has been recognized as a problem for many years. There was even a component discussing it in a Street Tactics/Plainclothes class I attended at the beginning of the 2000's, and it's become a part of in-house training for some agencies for their own off-duty/plainclothes folks.

 

[Doug M.]

Think about, study resources, and plan in advance so the odds of making poor decisions because you are suddenly in a situation you didn't plan. It can happen.

As for how well or not you are dressed, it is a nothing issue. Don't get bent because there is a female cop and you are in you boxers, for example. (Note I am citing "Smoke" because he provided that, which I doubt he would again based on learning since then; it is not to pick on him.). After my various medical care and surgeries, my care about dignity (if any is left), is pretty limited.

 

[Lemming51]

... No gun finish is worth a human life. I’m glad it went in your favor, but not all cops would have reacted that way.

+1
If it's a collectible or investment-grade it should stay in a the display case or vault, not be handed to an employee for defense. No matter how nice a finish or expensive a piece, if it's intended for self defense then it's just a tool to use. Drop it on concrete or gravel or mud or in the lake if commanded to by the police.