Self defense at the gas station

[444 Magnum]

I have a friend-we'll call him Bob for the post- who is 78 and has open carried as long as I have known him. At first it was .32's, then .380's, then 9 mm, and now .45 acp.

Bob doesn't believe in credit cards and doesn't have one. His wife does and they get by with hers when needed.

We visited the other day and here's the story he related.

Bob went to the gas station and laid a $100 bill on the counter. "I'm going to fill up," he said, "and I'll be back for the change."

As Bob got the pump ready, he looked up and saw a man walking toward him with a hatchet in his hand. Bob said he recognized the man from inside the store and figured the man saw him pay with a $100 bill and probably thought he had more.

Bob pulled his pistol and pointed it at the approaching hatchet-wielding man. "I hope you're not planning on using that hatchet on me" he said. The man looked at Bob, looked at the pistol, and ran away.

This was daytime on the poorer side of town but not in an area that would be considered dangerous.

I think situational awareness and firearm readiness helped avoid a bad situation. I also think "Bob" needs a credit card, but that's probably not going to happen.

 

[Onomea]

Well done, Bob!

(All's well that ends well.)

 

[Beemerguy53]

Kudos to Bob! And...

This is a perfect example of a situation where a gun saved someone's life without ever being fired. I wonder how many times each day things like this happen in this country? Probably a lot more than most of us realize...

 

[STCM(SW)]

Kudos to Bob! And...

This is a perfect example of a situation where a gun saved someone's life without ever being fired. I wonder how many times each day things like this happen in this country? Probably a lot more than most of us realize...

Yea, but would make the good guys look good....

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

The guy with the hatchet is so misunderstood! He's just getting his life back together. He had finished delivering a load of bundled firewood to the convince mart. He'd been paid in small bills from the register and was going to ask bob if he could use the small bills to buy the larger bills to lighten his wallet's load. The hatchet? Oh, That's all a small misunderstanding.

Good job Bill!

Ivan

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

I'd have said "Thank you for giving me that hatchet."

 

[mike4sigs]

Bob did a good job.

 

[s&wchad]

...Bob for the post- who is 78 and has open carried as long as I have known him. At first it was .32's, then .380's, then 9 mm, and now .45 acp...

So, Bob was open carrying a .45 auto...
I wonder why the miscreant decided to bring a hatchet to a gun fight!

 

[kozmic]

Two of the most important words I try to impress upon my loved ones "situational awareness".

 

[6518John]

I really think that the most dangerous place that "regular" people encounter these days is the modern convenience store. They are far worse than an ATM because the banks have their security run off any foot traffic. And the trend to have those blaring AV monitors on the pumps is horribly dangerous. They destroy situational awareness for me, because I can't hear anything else going on around me.

I had a miscreant approach directly behind me—and he easily could have parted my hair with a hatchet—because i could not hear him approach or speak to me, because the ad on the pump monitor was so loud. Fortunately, he was just begging for money, not intent of committing a crime.

I have started a new policy. I start the gas with the automatic shut-off nozzle set and get back in the vehicle and lock the doors. It is far more comfortable in bad weather and is far safer too. I have not had another problem since I started following this policy.

 

[NFrameFred]

I was not there. ALL I know about what transpired is in the original post.
Having said that . . .

I'm glad Bob came through it unscathed and the mope with the hatchet showed at least a little common sense and beat feet.

BUT . . . drawing your weapon is a decision that can save your life or ruin it (or at least severely complicate it and not for the good) depending on factors that change by the second, distances involved, and who is watching (or will eventually watch the video surveillance footage).

As qualified in my first statement, I myself would probably done the same thing as Bob. But it's sad that, depending on multiple factors (some involving ethnicity) that there are places in this country Bob could have found himself the one to eventually be in more trouble than the 'poor misunderstood victim' who was only carrying his hatchet to "later trim his toenails". The need for Bob to maybe change his habit of flashing large bills in a seemingly innocent situation as a precipitating cause has already been discussed.

I say all this to speak to one inevitable type that most of us have encountered - the gun owner/packer that has never had any formal training, fires little if any rounds in practice, couldn't likely hit the side of a barn from the inside but insists "Well, I could do it if I had to". I've encountered such on the range, with gun and ammo at hand that could not or refused to even try to demonstrate their assertion of sudden competence when push comes to shove - in a controlled environment with no imminent threat.

Carrying for self defense requires one play the "what if ?" game and have at least a minimum of practical experience and competence - training, either formal or even informal. In an emergency situation you revert to your training, or if you haven't trained freeze up and do nothing or do the absolute wrong thing and find yourself in the trick bag. I know I'm 'preaching to the choir' here, but we see threads here all the the time about arm chair commandos and bloviating gun shop "experts" and the general opinion of such by most who will comment. Those who may recognize themselves as the subject of such discussions surely decline to post about it.

Like I said, good for Bob. I've just seen too many that don't take it as seriously as they should considering they carry a firearm. As the story here shows, it can happen anywhere anytime.
.

 

[Krogen]

Some thoughts about the gas station scenario:

The blaring pumps at a local station can be silenced. One of the buttons adjacent to the display is MUTE. Of course, they don't label it as such. But one day somebody had written MUTE with a Sharpie on the keypad. I use it all the time now. You might find the pumps you use have the same button. It's worth a try. If random button pushing gums up the pump, oh well.... At the worst, you can dispute incorrect charges with your credit card company.

Second, the vehicle can act as a barricade blocking a crook's access to your 6. The downside is that it also blocks your movement in that direction. That can be a problem particularly if two perps approach from the sides. The hose from pump to vehicle can be a trip hazard as well. So, pick your position with some of this in mind as you fill up. And watch your surroundings, not the flashy pump video.

I'm certainly not the first to say it, but situational awareness can help you derail bad stuff before it gets into your zone - just as Bob did.

 

[Bald1]

I wonder if the muzzle flash from a gun could ignite gas fumes in the air ? There's a reason you don't smoke while pumping gas. That would be a hell of a thing to blow yourself up while trying to defend yourself.

 

[Protocall_Design]

Don't forget, the gas pump nozzle is a large caliber deterrent. Getting gasoline sprayed all over you is NOT a picnic.
If things are getting really bad, you can just flick your cigarette on them, too. You do smoke while filling the tank, just in case, right?

 

[rockquarry]

Not a criticism, but there is no way of knowing if you're getting the complete story in posts like this one.

 

[Onomea]

While I have not encountered gas pump advertising, that sounds irritating as hell. Seeing Krogen's post on muting, I looked these up:

I wonder if the muzzle flash from a gun could ignite gas fumes in the air ? There's a reason you don't smoke while pumping gas. That would be a hell of a thing to blow yourself up while trying to defend yourself.

Jeez, Bald1! Now we got something else to worry about!

Regarding the possibility of getting in trouble for pulling a gun on a crazy guy with a gleam in his eye approaching with a hatchet, better to get in trouble than to have a hatchet stuck in your skull...

 

[mckenney99]

Don't forget, the gas pump nozzle is a large caliber deterrent. Getting gasoline sprayed all over you is NOT a picnic.
If things are getting really bad, you can just flick your cigarette on them, too. You do smoke while filling the tank, just in case, right?

You mean, like this:
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nOuiNtcf88[/ame]

 

[Protocall_Design]

Exactly like that.

 

[wood714]

I have started a new policy. I start the gas with the automatic shut-off nozzle set and get back in the vehicle and lock the doors. It is far more comfortable in bad weather and is far safer too. I have not had another problem since I started following this policy.

Three times in my life, I've had the auto shut off nozzle not shut off.

I was standing right there, so it wasn't too bad. Had I not been standing there, who knows.

 

[NYlakesider]

I really think that the most dangerous place that "regular" people encounter these days is the modern convenience store. They are far worse than an ATM because the banks have their security run off any foot traffic. And the trend to have those blaring AV monitors on the pumps is horribly dangerous. They destroy situational awareness for me, because I can't hear anything else going on around me.

I had a miscreant approach directly behind me—and he easily could have parted my hair with a hatchet—because i could not hear him approach or speak to me, because the ad on the pump monitor was so loud. Fortunately, he was just begging for money, not intent of committing a crime.

I have started a new policy. I start the gas with the automatic shut-off nozzle set and get back in the vehicle and lock the doors. It is far more comfortable in bad weather and is far safer too. I have not had another problem since I started following this policy.

Automatic nozzles are not allowed in NY state. Also using a device of some kind to hold the nozzle open is also illegal.