EDC Lesson

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Old cop

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I stopped to gas up my car mid afternoon today when I saw a young guy walking across the lot watching me closely. No other cars or people were around (no station attendant in sight) and I kept an eye on his progress as he got closer. While I can't articulate it I believe he was sizing me up. I look like an easy mark, past 70 and handicapped. My 340PD was in my L/F pocket so I slid my hand on it trying to look casual. He gave me a wide berth but kept looking over his shoulder at me and checking to see if anyone else was watching us. Needing both hands to finish I shifted the gun under my shirt, appendix, with my back to him, and got back in the car. He was still looking at me as I drove away. Maybe I'm just a paranoid old retiree and nothing was going to go down, but I was really glad to be carrying. Lesson: If you can legally carry do so all the time, not selectively when you think you might need to.
 
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Hand stays in pocket

Old cop said:
I stopped to gas up my car mid afternoon today when I saw a young guy walking across the lot watching me closely. No other cars or people were around (no station attendant in sight) and I kept an eye on his progress as he got closer. While I can't articulate it I believe he was sizing me up. I look like an easy mark, past 70 and handicapped. My 340PD was in my L/F pocket so I slid my hand on it trying to look casual. He gave me a wide berth but kept looking over his shoulder at me and checking to see if anyone else was watching us. Needing both hands to finish I shifted the gun under my shirt, appendix, with my back to him, and got back in the car. He was still looking at me as I drove away. Maybe I'm just a paranoid old retiree and nothing was going to go down, but I was really glad to be carrying. Lesson - If you can legally carry do so all the time, not selectively when you think you might need to.
Click to expand...
I've been fueling up and felt the same unease, hand in pocket...with off hand hung up the pump and replaced filler cap..discretely drew as I entered my vehicle, started the engine with left arm over the steering column..:eek:
 
Many people have a touch of being "psychic" and pick up on another person's thoughts or intentions. Most ignore these internal signals and blow them off as paranoia, or whatever. Ofttimes, those who ignore these feelings wind up having trouble descend upon them.

A lot of LEOs DO pay attention when their senses flare up... they get a "hunch" that something is about to happen, or "feel" that something just isn't quite right in a situation. For some , it may be experience ("I've seen this before."), it may be good training, or it may be keen observation. Whatever the case may be, they are on alert and ready to act.

Have you ever just met someone and taken an instant dislike without even speaking to that person? Or see someone you've never seen before and want to have a beer with them? I would bet large money that most of us have. Same kind of radar.

What do you "pick up" from people when you're in a crowd? Do you sometimes get uncomfortable, maybe even agitated?

Pay attention to your senses and act upon them. It could be the difference in getting home happy and in one piece, or becoming a statistic.
 
ExcitableBoy said:
Many people have a touch of being "psychic" and pick up on another person's thoughts or intentions. Most ignore these internal signals and blow them off as paranoia, or whatever. Ofttimes, those who ignore these feelings wind up having trouble descend upon them.

A lot of LEOs DO pay attention when their senses flare up... they get a "hunch" that something is about to happen, or "feel" that something just isn't quite right in a situation. For some , it may be experience ("I've seen this before."), it may be good training, or it may be keen observation. Whatever the case may be, they are on alert and ready to act.

Have you ever just met someone and taken an instant dislike without even speaking to that person? Or see someone you've never seen before and want to have a beer with them? I would bet large money that most of us have. Same kind of radar.

What do you "pick up" from people when you're in a crowd? Do you sometimes get uncomfortable, maybe even agitated?

Pay attention to your senses and act upon them. It could be the difference in getting home happy and in one piece, or becoming a statistic.
Click to expand...

There can be a fine line between "psychic" and "psychotic". If one thinks they can read minds, it is probably more a situation of the latter.
 
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I often fuel up after shift, which is often on the later side of midnight. I carry appendix and have had situations of cars pulling into the empty lot after me and the circling around slowly. I just skip my thumb up to my belt loop to keep hand close and keep watch. I don't know if it's the "sizing up" of they just realize their target is paying attention and they won't catch you sleeping. Either way, keep the head on a swivel
 
ExcitableBoy said:
What do you "pick up" from people when you're in a crowd? Do you sometimes get uncomfortable, maybe even agitated?

Pay attention to your senses and act upon them. It could be the difference in getting home happy and in one piece, or becoming a statistic.
Click to expand...

I'm often agitated in a crowd. Because I hate crowds and don't like being around a lot of people I don't know. But I don't think I'm psychic
 
Just being aware and keeping an eye on folks can be a preventative. I had a similar feeling a couple years ago when filling up late at night and was alone at the station. Found out they had a robbery later that night. Was it the same guys in the same car? No idea. But being aware and not keeping it to yourself is a great preventative IMHO.
 
Old Cop:

I had a similar incident a few months ago while pumping gas, but my "ute" walked directly towards me with his hands in his front pants pocket. I moved my off-hand into my front pants pocket on my New York reload (Model 38-0), smiled at him, and said "why don't you just keep walking before someone has a bad day?" The look on his face was priceless as I imagine his surprise that at least this old dog still had a few teeth left in his mouth, and wasn't afraid of biting. Yeah, he put his head down, turned around and walked away to bother someone else.

I'm glad things worked out for you. Stay safe.

Regards,

Dave
 
Old cop said:
I stopped to gas up my car mid afternoon today when I saw a young guy walking across the lot watching me closely. No other cars or people were around (no station attendant in sight) and I kept an eye on his progress as he got closer. While I can't articulate it I believe he was sizing me up. I look like an easy mark, past 70 and handicapped. My 340PD was in my L/F pocket so I slid my hand on it trying to look casual. He gave me a wide berth but kept looking over his shoulder at me and checking to see if anyone else was watching us. Needing both hands to finish I shifted the gun under my shirt, appendix, with my back to him, and got back in the car. He was still looking at me as I drove away. Maybe I'm just a paranoid old retiree and nothing was going to go down, but I was really glad to be carrying. Lesson - If you can legally carry do so all the time, not selectively when you think you might need to.
Click to expand...

Was it "coply intuition"? :D
413482352.jpg
 
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