Have You Had To Use Your Carry Gun?

[lrrifleman]

Like Bushmaster1313, I too live in NJ where we don't have the legal right to self defense. That said, I do have a Utah non-resident CFP for when I am traveling out of state and will exercise it where honored. Fortunately, I have not had the need to utilize my sidearm, and hope I will never have to. But between the increase in road rage and the hazards of our pourous borders, I fear that may not be possible!

 

[Lt JL]

Yes. More times than a few. And like many of the other LEOs on the forum, that's all the answer you get.

 

[Model 19 6"]

1976 deer hunting shot a 6pt when I got to the deer I leaned my rifle against a small tree. I prepared to field drees the deer I heard is this the gun you used? 2 guys standing there 1 with my rifle in his hands. I asked him to put it down he said whrn I am done looking at it. When he looked back my Mod 19 was pointing at him, no more arguement.

 

[alwslate]

I've drawn my gun a few times but thankfully have never had to fire it.
I will just say that when someone has decided to assault you the sight
of your gun will most likely change their mind instantly.

 

[petepeterson]

I've drawn my gun a few times but thankfully have never had to fire it.
I will just say that when someone has decided to assault you the sight
of your gun will most likely change their mind instantly.

Fortunately, this was my experience, too. Twice.

 

[phonejack]

The most recent time, a robbery was averted just before he produced his pistol when he realized I was prepared to do the same. Being aware of what was about to happen had me alerted.

 

[Bozz10mm]

1976 deer hunting shot a 6pt when I got to the deer I leaned my rifle against a small tree. I prepared to field drees the deer I heard is this the gun you used? 2 guys standing there 1 with my rifle in his hands. I asked him to put it down he said whrn I am done looking at it. When he looked back my Mod 19 was pointing at him, no more arguement.

Scary. Reminds me of Deliverance. "You shore got a pretty gun".

 

[Old cop]

A few years ago my wife had to go to the emergency room in an ambulance at 3 AM. I followed in my car but had to park a distance away and started to walk to the entrance. I'm handicapped, walk with a cane and although big, look like an easy target b/c I'm a senior citizen. I saw someone from my left in the dark approaching quickly, asking me for a smoke. I pulled my 442 from my pocket and put it behind my leg just in case, and told him I could not help him in a very stern voice. He must have seen I had something and changed directions. When I got inside I reported the incident to the on duty officer there.

 

[OLDSTER]

Drew gun

Only once to dispatch a rabid skunk when on a hike with wifey Ended up to be a very smelly situation

 

[colt_saa]

I have drawn four times during my life while carrying as a every day citizen

Each time I am certain lives were saved.

Critter work not included in the above

 

[cmort666]

I've never had to pull a handgun on somebody since I got my Ohio CHL.

Back in the '80s, while driving back to Ft. Knox from Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis, MO, in the middle of the night, a guy tried to run a friend and me off of the interstate. I pointed my friend's HK93 at him and he took off fast enough to have probably damaged the engine in his little Datsun. Given the location and the time period, there's a non-zero chance that it was serial killer and child rapist/murderer Alton Coleman. At that time, cell phones were only a fantasy for most people.

 

[hangnoose]

POSTS 24 & 25

Just the sight of a gun scared them away. This MAY be true SOMETIMES, or it MAY precipitate the attack, DO YOU FEEL LUCKY? In a case where the BG is roid raging/ whacked out on drugs/ drunk/ mentally imbalanced/ irate beyond reason, or any combination, they won't be thinking sanely/ rationally/ or care about the consequences. Believing the sight of a gun is going to save you could get you killed. Then there is the legal aspects of brandishing/ assault which you can do time & lot's of $ even if 100% in the right if it is a he said/ he said or they said/ you said situation. Often whoever calls 911 first wins. A tip I heard was to take out your phone dial 911 & put it down, there will be a record
of the events. Provided you have the time to pull your phone before your gun, the recording will be live as it happens & the police aware before stuff goes down rather than after. Don't forget to give your location & description of the perps/events if able. Even if you lose, there are better odds of the popo finding who killed you. Tip #2 activate the car alarm on your key chain (if you have one), this may be scare away an attacker more than the sight of the gun, or distract them while you draw/shoot.

 

[Big Cholla]

I lived in Colorado when the state law was that one was legal to carry concealed IF one was traveling from one town to another. I worked in Denver and drove thru Brighton to get home, so I carried concealed. Thank goodness I did. I was confronted at a 7-11 near Brighton by two Mexicans that took umbrage at me driving a Cadillac with California plates. I pulled my Colt Govt. Model and told them to "beat feet or die". They left promptly leaving their tire iron and a set of brass knuckles. Which I still have today. There is more to this story and I have told it before on this Forum.

I was confronted in my own construction office by three thugs after quitting time and after everyone else had left. When they came in I sat down at my desk and placed my hand on my S&W Model 10 2" that I kept in the office in a desk drawer. When they made their demands, I pulled out my handgun and told them to leave NOW. They did so in such haste that one knocked another down and ran over the top of him. I promptly called the PD. The responding officer took the report and told me that I made one mistake........That I should have just shot all three of them. I told him that I would have had to shoot two of them in the back. He said, "We could take care of that." ..... Turned out that they were carnival workers and were making extra spending money by shaking down business people right at quitting time. ...........

Later in life as a LEO, I drew many times in various situations.....never had to shoot anyone. ..........

 

[16thVACav]

Nope, but then I do make an effort to avoid questionable people, places, and situations. So far, so good.

 

[hangnoose]

ONE SIDE OF THE STORY.

I'm happy for all those that the mere sight of a gun scared the BG away. Unfortunately for many of those that the gun did NOT scare the BG's away, they are no longer here to talk about it. I've brandished (a gun) twice, both times the BG fled, 1 after I told him not to move. 1 time no harm/ no foul. The 2nd I got charged, a they said/ I said. In court it's about what can be proven & how the jury is swayed to vote, not what the facts may have been.

 

[Mainsail]

A friend of mine and his wife were leaving one of the theaters in Seattle late one night and walking to the parking garage where they'd left their car. Two youts saw them walking and crossed the street to cut them off, he said he was 100% sure they intended to rob them. They were completely isolated and had nowhere to go, so he pressed his wife against the brick wall with his left hand and reached under his coat for his gun with his right. The youts saw this and changed direction in the middle of the road, telling him, "There's no problem man..."

The kicker was he wasn't armed at all. He went down the next day to apply for his CPL. He figured he got lucky with the bluff, and the next time he might not have as much advance warning.

 

[cmort666]

Nope, but then I do make an effort to avoid questionable people, places, and situations. So far, so good.

I do likewise, but unfortunately they don't always reciprocate...

 

[Mainsail]

I drew my sidearm once way back in the mid 80s, and in hindsight realized it was probably inappropriate.

I had just gotten to Charleston SC and was flying C-141s out of CAFB. My wife hadn't arrived yet so I went to one of the malls one Saturday afternoon just to kill some time. After about a half hour I noticed this short disheveled guy in my periphery- never in my line of sight but always just left or right. If I looked at him he'd avoid me. Suddenly he started walking up to me and whispering something as he passed, but I couldn't hear what he said. This happened three times- he'd come out of my periphery, say something I couldn't hear, and then slink away.

Well, three strikes and I was out of there. I waited until he was walking away and abruptly changed directions and made for the exit. As I got into my car I spotted him slinking up between the cars straight towards me. BTW, it was a convertible Triumph with the top down (what was I thinking?) I reached under the seat and pulled out my AMT Longslide Hardballer just as he got to the drivers door.

You'll have to fill in the blanks now. This time, audibly, he said, "I got a big ____, you want to ____ it?" The Hardballer was already coming up to the window and it was too late to stop it, so as it leveled to an aimpoint between his eyes (and I'll never know from where it came) I said, "Yeah? So do I!"

The look on his face was priceless. That giant hole at the end of the polished stainless steel (long)slide had his total attention, and he almost tripped himself running away. I never called the cops because there wasn't really a threat (to my safety or heterosexuality) and carrying under the seat was illegal; loaded in the glove box was legal, but the AMT didn't fit.

It's not a story I tell often for the one obvious reason, but also because as I said, drawing a firearm in such a situation was inappropriate. In my defense, I was sure it was a druggie about to rob me right up until he said what he said, and by then the wheels were already in motion.

 

[Old cop]

Many years ago, right after we'd purchased our first house, I ran out to pick up some milk for the baby in the early afternoon. I did NOT take my off duty gun. Two cars were drag racing, coming right at me. I blew the horn and pulled to the shoulder at which point both cars turned around, came after me and boxed me in. When three "tough" guys came up on me I told them I was a cop and reached under my shirt. They decided to leave quickly, I was lucky and it was the LAST time I went out w/o a gun. About a week later I found all four of my tires flat in the driveway . . . wonder who did that?

 

[Doug627]

I am a Certified Pistol Instructor through the NRA, teach the concealed carry class in Ohio and I am an attorney. When the incident occurred in my original post, I knew I was on solid ground as to the real facts. I also knew the other party was going to lie. If I had gotten a police officer with an agenda, it could have gone very bad fro me.