Have you ever had to draw your weapon in defense?

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99mikegt

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This topic may have already been beaten to death, but I'll ask it anyway. Has anyone ever had to draw down on someone or something that was threatening their life or their family members life? I'm new to this forum and to carrying. Everyone talks about the worst case scenarios, prepares for the worst , trains,etc... But has anyone ever experienced it? I live in ny so I don't even know when and if your justified to pull the weapon.
 
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Yes=it was a wild stallion. Didn't have to fire (so, I don't know if that counts or not).

As a guide, I had my pistol in my hand for possible defense many times-both for wild pigs and poachers.
 
At what point is a person justified to ward off potential threats? If someone is following my wife and baby and I out into a parking lot, and we are being harrased, can you draw on him and tell him to get away?

I'm not looking for trouble but would like to know why others opinions are on this issue
 
the gray area stuff ....
you can draw on him provided you have a gun ... might not be legal though.
but then, what are you looking to accomplish, your family kept safe? or brownie points toward sainthood?
 
Once, but not for a two legged critter, I was out during archery season and walking down an old logging road atop a steep ridge. I stopped to peek over the ridge and got the surprise of my life. A mountain lion coming up the deer trail right at me, it was oblivious to my presence, had my bow in one hand and couldn't decide whether to pull my phone out to take a picture or my pistol. I decided on the pistol, whistled a couple of times to get the cat's attention and it backed off and went the other way. According to the PA game commission there are no lions in central PA. Yeh, right.
 
99mikegt said:
At what point is a person justified to ward off potential threats? If someone is following my wife and baby and I out into a parking lot, and we are being harrased, can you draw on him and tell him to get away?

I'm not looking for trouble but would like to know why others opinions are on this issue
Click to expand...

You don't indicate your location, so it's hard to answer without knowing what your state law(s) have to say. Even then, it's not an easy question...the answer can depend on circumstances, etc.

As far as me having to draw and/or use a weapon in self-defense (and I mean with or toward another human being) no, I haven't. I fervently hope and pray I never do, either. If the need arises, though, I'd rather have the means to defend myself or my loved ones, than regret that I didn't.
 
venomballistics said:
the gray area stuff ....
you can draw on him provided you have a gun ... might not be legal though.
but then, what are you looking to accomplish, your family kept safe? or brownie points toward sainthood?
Click to expand...

I don't necessarily understand your question. What am I looking to accomplish?

I just want to swing my gun around in the air so I can feel good. Is that what your looking for?

I have a real question and was hoping for some real input, but thanks anyway.
 
yep, when walking my dog one night a LARGE loose Rottweiler charged my dog and I. I pulled my PPS put the sights on his melon and waited. his idiot owner came out screaming "dont shoot dont shoot!"...my only reply was "keep that horse on a leash".
 
99mikegt said:
I don't necessarily understand your question. What am I looking to accomplish?

I just want to swing my gun around in the air so I can feel good. Is that what your looking for?

I have a real question and was hoping for some real input, but thanks anyway.
Click to expand...

You misunderstood what venomballistics was asking you. Many of us who carry would rather violate the letter of the law and stay alive then to follow the letter and end up dead. The expression is "better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6".
 
i totally agree with you thndrchiken on the cougars in PA i have seen them and so have some of my other friends. and the question the game commission always asks is you sure it was not a bobcat and you just think to yourself no dumb *** the three foot freakin tail told me i was not a bobcat
 
although pulling your weapon is a serious commitment, and I wouldn't want to have it out without any intent to use it. It seems that doing so would possibly escalate a situation to a level that it may not have gotten to otherwise
 
Get a copy of Mass Ayob's "Gravest Extreme" and read it cover to cover. Although a little dated it provides excellent guidance for someone like you. Another alternative might be to take an NRA course or ask for assistance from your local LE agency. Please remember that your weapon is an absolute last resort and you should never pull it out on anyone unless you are justified in shooting them.
 
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Yes, in the defense of my life and the lives of my wife and (then) small children. It was an unprovoked attack by a knife-wielding thug in a parking lot. Unfortunately, I had little room to retreat and got cut up some. The attack, however, stopped. As far as I'm concerned, you don't draw unless you intend to shoot, and you don't shoot unless you intend to stop an attack. If the attacker dies, it's on him/her.

Yes, I have been accused of being cold-blooded about it. My only nightmares are when it replays and I can't seem to find my revolver.

ECS
 
99mikegt said:
I don't necessarily understand your question. What am I looking to accomplish?

I just want to swing my gun around in the air so I can feel good. Is that what your looking for?

I have a real question and was hoping for some real input, but thanks anyway.
Click to expand...

well now .. we're starting to drill it down a little ...
what you'd have done right there might be referred to as brandishing a weapon. which is to the letter of the law, a violation in many areas.
But thats what we end up with in the gray areas of self defense, the potential for violations.
 
elm_creek_smith said:
Yes, in the defense of my life and the lives of my wife and (then) small children. It was an unprovoked attack by a knife-wielding thug in a parking lot. Unfortunately, I had little room to retreat and got cut up some. The attack, however, stopped. As far as I'm concerned, you don't draw unless you intend to shoot, and you don't shoot unless you intend to stop an attack. If the attacker dies, it's on him/her.

Yes, I have been accused of being cold-blooded about it. My only nightmares are when it replays and I can't seem to find my revolver.

ECS
Click to expand...

In the state of Utah you would be justified in shooting the assailant as you were threatend with a weapon.
 
john45 said:
In the state of Utah you would be justified in shooting the assailant as you were threatend with a weapon.
Click to expand...

Where I was, the police asked if there was anything they could do for me and gave me my EDC back once the paramedics finished bandaging my cut up hand.

"HOMICIDE, n. The slaying of one human being by another. There are four kinds of homicide: felonious, excusable, justifiable, and praiseworthy,..." - Ambrose Bierce's Devil's Dictionary

ECS
 
Plenty of weekend warriors get in trouble pulling their Roscoe out when they should not have. You need to study up on the law in your state.

Really easy to pull it thinking you'll scare someone off, only to have them take it away from you as you weren't actually prepared to shoot someone. Dont pull it unless you are (theoretically legally) prepared to destroy the subject target. You can turn a so-so situation into a bad one if you end up in a wrestling match while holding your pistol.

As noted above, improper brandishing / display can lead to a night in jail or even a felony type charge like aggravated assault w a firearm.

Study!!!
 
john45 said:
In the state of Utah you would be justified in shooting the assailant as you were threatend with a weapon.
Click to expand...

which is something to think about ... if our actions can be interpreted as brandishing a weapon ... we become a legit target. Do not for a moment underestimate a perps capacity for creative interpretation
 
Yes, on a few occasions, and I was awfully glad to be armed. In one, a car full of "yutes" accosted my girl friend and myself while we were on an evening walk around the block. At the time, Texas did not have a CHL provision except for "bona-fide travelers". The police had a wide degree of latitude in interpreting whether a traveler was "bona-fide" or not. When they drove their car across our pathway, I told the girl friend to run and hide in the tree line, and then I drew my Colt Government Model on them and told them to "halt". I'm sure I could have gotten a "brandishing" charge quite easily, and that probably would have been my least serious charge. As it was, I think the little dears got the point and the threat was neutralized.

On another occasion, I had a home invader late one night. Long story that I won't bore ya'll with, but it turned out to be a bad joke that could have resulted in a fatality. When he broke through my front door, I was bringing the GM up to bear, and had an excellent front sight hold on his chest and was already starting to mash the creep out of the trigger. Thank God for CQB training in the Army as I was able to issue good commands that he followed to the letter. My confidence increased exponentially after I had him in a leaning rest against the front door with his back to me and I told him that I was calling the police, and that if he moved, I was going to kill him. His response was for me to go ahead and call the police and to ask them to "please hurry".

For me, a .45ACP semi-auto or revolver is an excellent tool for potentially bad social situations.

Best of luck,

Dave
 
Once, in 4 years of carrying. The wife and I were walking a new puppy around the block, when a huge dog jumped it's fence and came straight for our little Molly. My wife scooped up Molly at the same time I drew my weapon. I had pressure on the trigger when the attacking dog stopped, followed by it's owner yelling for it to stop. The owner jumped the fence to retrieve his dog while I was still holding my pistol on it.
In Texas, I was perfectly legal to draw.
 
OK, now that I think I understand the question, my criteria for drawing my weapon are:
1) I will not be tied up.
2) people start getting shot (Mine or others)
3) I am attacked with a weapon or am sure (in my mind) that I will be.
 
Four times, three as a civilian. The one on duty involved a couple of thieves who made it clear that I was going to be run over if I didn't get out of their way to the exit. I pointed the 38 at the driver's nose as he approached, and he changed his direction. No shots fired. (The local cops told me I should have shot him anyway.)

The other three involved two attempted robberies and an attempted carjacking. The robbers were following me on foot and I outflanked them, when they re-acquired me I was pointing a gun at their head from a couple yards away. Both were disarmed (one had a BB gun, the other had an empty RG 38) and were sent packing, no shots fired again.

The attempted carjacking involved two miscreants, one with a large stainless steel butter knife. As he leaned closer and reached for the (locked) doorhandle, my .380 clunked into his forehead. Things got very polite, the knife was quickly tossed away, and I left. No shots fired. The other guy apparently vanished into thin air when the gun came into play, I never did figure out where he went.

The first incident occurred at 3AM, the attempted robberies between 7 and 9AM, and the attempted carjacking at 4pm on a beautiful fall afternoon in a busy area four blocks from home.

There is no peace in Condition White!
 
Did'nt actually draw it on someone but once as i was driving into the parking lot of a local convienience store i noticed a man had a woman pinned against the hood of a car and had her in a kind of bearhug holding her very tightly and she was very obviously crying and trying to elude his grasp. I thought to myself, "domestic dispute",couple fighting, and just sat in my truck for minute to see how it was going to play out. After a couple of minutes of her trying to get away, there was no punches thrown by the way, her cries for help got to me. I Got out of my truck and at the same time made sure he saw me putting my model 66 in my belt from under the driver seat where i keep it. I approached him telling him to calm down and let her go. I got to within 10 feet of them all the while repeating to him to let her go. She started screaming, help me he's going to kill me.. But he had no weapon of any kind visible. So i told him i was going into the store to call the PD and he best be off. When i headed through the front door, all the while keeping a close eye on him, he jumped into his car parked close by and took off like a bat out of hell.
 
Consider this..... If you point a gun at someone, they have the legal right to kill you. What would you do if someone pointed a gun at you?

Forget the law, use common sense. You'd better be damn sure you or someone's life is in danger before you draw.

Suppose the person you think is following you and your wife in a parking garage is a LEO walking to his car or heck even a drug dealer walking by. Either way drawing on them if going to have very grave consequences. Brandishing charges are the least of your worries.
 
In Texas, you must be able to articulate that you were in fear of your life or grave bodily injury. And from the way I understand it, you're only justified in drawing your weapon if your justified to use it. The thing is that what one person considers to be justified, the other (LEO) may not. Then there's the "disparity of force" clause. If there's 3 of you and one of me, or if you're a small woman going up against a large man, you're justified.
 
almost. i was putting gas in the car, wife and daughter in the car. i was the only car filling up and at the pump farthest away from the building. it was cold out, i was wearing my lined leather jacket and had my .380 in a pocket holser in the inside jacket pocket. a cadilac pulled in and parked near the gas station building entrance. 4 males exited the car and started walking towards me, they split into 2 groups and were coming towards me from 2 different angles. my wife tapped her window to let me know she thought that was suspicous. i reached my hand into my coat and placed my hand in the pocket with my gun. i never removed the gun from my pocket. i just stood there with my right hand in my coat pocket and my left hand was placing the fuel nozzle back on the pump as i was trying to get away from there asap. the group seemed to notice my hand in my coat as they abruptly stopped and went back to their car. i quickly got in my car and left the area making sure i wasnt being followed. my wife said that was realy odd the way the started approaching us and the way they turned back. afterwards, i was thinking maybe they just wanted directions, but the way they approached and the way they were dressed (i wont elaborate) was not normal behavior.
 
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