What is the most threatening self-defense situation you've ever been faced with?

[Echo40]

Folks often times discuss a wide variety of self-defense situations which they may conceivably find themselves in someday as well as what they carry to deal with that situation, but few folks ever discuss what situations they have actually been involved in or what they were carrying at the time.

Granted, many folks have never been in such a situation and are merely doing their due diligence by preparing themselves for such a situation in advance, while others simply don't like to talk about it, but I think that at the very least, everyone has had a close call or otherwise a situation in which they felt threatened by another person, even if it never escalated into an armed confrontation.

Personally, the most threatening self-defense situation I've ever experienced took place about 20 years ago when I was in my teens. I was confronted by a rather unstable, occasionally violent classmate brandishing a large kitchen knife who threatened to stab me with it over an argument we had earlier that day. Up until then, the worst he had ever done is take a few swings at me, (with his fists) so I never would have expected him to pull a knife on me.
I tried talking reason to him, but he wasn't listening, only becoming more agitated, so in what was in hindsight an extremely stupid move — but keep in mind, I was a teen — I charged him, grabbed him by the forearm with my right hand, then twisted his wrist with my left hand and forced him to drop it. When I let him go, he ran off. I reported what he had done, but the most he received was a reprimand and a warning. Fortunately, it worked, because he never tried anything like that again. In fact, he really wasn't violent at all afterwards until years later when he was in his early twenties and got into drugs, but the most he did then was threaten me verbally, to which all I had to do was respond that he was welcome to try, and that was fortunately the end of it.
However, I did take the threat seriously and purchased my first pistol shortly afterwards. Thankfully, I've never had to use it, nor have I ever been threatened like that by anyone since.

What about you? What was the most threatening self-defense situation you've ever been faced with?

 

[Breakaway500]

125lb dog in my front yard who wanted a piece of me.I was lucky and had boots on so a well placed front heel kick stopped the first charge while I headed to the shop for the shotgun. Lucky for the dog when I came back out it was gone. Plan B worked..but now my plan A is a carry firearm when outside. Threats can come from anywhere at any time.

 

[Echo40]

You know, I had never even thought of four-legged threats when I posted this thread, which is an odd oversight considering that there are few things more threatening than a hostile animal.

Fortunately for me, the worst I've ever had to deal with was a rabbid groundhog.

 

[brucev]

Most life threatening situation? Well, have had knives pulled on me in Jr. High, playing street ball outside the house, leading a Bible study w/ some high strung teenaged boys, in a client's home doing in home family therapy and crisis intervention, upset/angry church member (female). Have been shot at once while working at night in a shipyard (New Orleans). Have been invited out behind a drug store to "talk" by a man who had a habit of whipping up on women. Had a man who was in a bad mood get mad because I wasn't driving fast enough to suit him. So, he passed me and then stopped blocking the road b/c he wanted to give me a lesson in slam dancing. The one that really got my attention though was in Covington, GA about 1987. Saw a man stomping a woman at a ATM. She was not young. The attacker was maybe 18 yrs. old. About my size. Got him off her. He ran and I followed. About maybe a mile later, he was trying to get a gun out of his jacket as he ran. I had a couple of bricks in my hands. He kept saying he'd shoot me. I kept warning him I bust his head w/ a brick. Finally cornered him against a tall security fence. Police showed up. Drew their guns and aimed at me. Of course I had already been shot at when in New Orleans. Didn't want to repeat the experience. Those fellows were nice enough to let me drop my bricks. They arrested the attacker. The thought did run through my mind though ... there I was a 6' tall white man with a couple of bricks holding a black man up against a fence telling him I'd bust him up if he reached inside his jacket. Not a good position. Glad they were so calm and professional. And just think ... no one ever told me in college or seminary that these would be the sort of things I'd get to have fun handling as a simple country/city preacher. Sincerely. bruce.

 

[bigwheelzip]

During the cold war, the Czech border guards with AKs and snarling dogs spent hours making us think we'd spend the rest of our lives in a gulag because of a slight visa discrepancy.
Not much we could do about it at the time.

Sent from my motorola one 5G using Tapatalk

 

[dockmurgw]

My wife being away from home when the kids diaper needed changing.

 

[Camster]

Mom, with a wooden spoon in the 1950s.

 

[Echo40]

My wife being away from home when the kids diaper needed changing.

You see, this is why it's important to remember that firearms, knives, and other forms of weaponry aren't the only pieces of equipment that one should carry for personal protection, you must also have some form of defensive equipment.

In cases such as these, I would personally recommend having a pair of rubber gloves, a smock, and a full-face gas mask fitted with the appropriate NBC/CBRN rated filter on-hand.

 

[Bald1]

I was 24 yrs old driving home from the mall with my ex wife in her summer car. An 82 Fiat X/19 with targa top. I was 6’2” about 230 lbs so I didn’t fit in it very well. Some presumably drunk guy flies out of a bar parking lot from the left almost hit me. I blew my horn. Then the road rage kicked in. He was tailgating me down the road (2lane 40mph) flashing lights at me and making hand gestures.He was in an 80s Blazer with a lift kit. Well at that age I didn’t look for trouble but I certainly didn’t walk away from it. I pulled over thinking we were about to have an old fashioned fist fight. Instead of stopping behind me he pulls up diagonally next to me. As I was struggling a little to get out of this little car the passenger door flies open and I have a Baretta 92 in my face. Now my ex wife is screaming and grabbing me. He’s telling me to get back in the car. I told him I was gonna stick that gun right up his ***. Again he says get back in the car big boy, listen to your girl. He eventually put the gun away as they sped off. Looking back on it , it’s clear he wasn’t going to use that gun. These guys were in their 40s and thought they’d mess with some kid. I prayed for a long time that our paths might cross again. But they never did.

 

[TX-Dennis]

My closest brush with violent death came at the hands of my mentally unstable sister who several times charged me with large kitchen knives. I managed to disarm her without anyone getting cut each time, but they were definitely nerve wracking experiences. I know she loved me, but at those moments she definitely would have killed. She fought "demons" her whole life and died way too young.

 

[URIT]

It was a domestic at an illegal tri-plex. Of course, it was the illegal unit on the third floor. What's unique about these units is the lack of cover on either side of the door.

I knocked and the door opened immediately. The guy, about 20, put a revolver to my abdomen and pulled the trigger - CLICK! He had a shocked look on his face when there was no BANG.

I bet there was a shocked look on my face too. I yelled GUN to my partner standing behind me.

I grabbed for the revolver with my weak hand and caught the hammer on the webbing between my thumb and index finger as he pulled the trigger for the second time; then, twisted the gun from his hand while administering a palm strike to his chin with my strong hand. Lights-out for the lad.

He was cuffed and taken to the squad by my partner while I interviewed the girlfriend.

When I interviewed her, she stated he watched us get out of the squad; then, told her he was going to kill the first cop and she'd be sorry when the second cop killed him.

When asked, she admitted he hadn't threatened her with the gun. It was a neighbor that called because of the couple yelling and waking their baby.

Incredible. I sarcastically thanked her for not warning us and left her there.

Once I got back to the squad and seated behind the wheel, my knees started knocking for about ten second from the adrenaline rush.

The cartridge with the light primer strike fired when tested by our lab. Thank you Lord!

His case was plea bargained by the City Attorney after the County Attorney refused by file charges. Without my being asked, you won't believe this... he was allowed to plead to breach of peace.

I was livid when I heard. This was back in the late 70s or early 80s.

Today, I might be prosecuted for my actions by a criminal justice system more concerned about social justice than criminal justice.

 

[haywood]

A dog thought I looked tasty. Gave him a blast of pepper spray. Dog gone.

 

[Bald1]

URIT, Why is that not attempted murder? I’m no cop or DA but that was his intent.

 

[fishwishin]

1) Shot at with an AR-15 during a prolonged hostage stand off.
2) Shot at with an SKS during a wild pursuit with a wanted man.
3) Shot at with a .22LR rifle through a front door during a probation search operation. My chin caught some of the wood from the front door.

#3 still walks among us.

I would not trade my experiences at all- it is a blessed life and life is GOOD!

 

[Bill In Texas]

By the grace of God I've never had a gun pulled on me, other than a BB gun by a friend when we were kids.

Also, never had a dog problem that I needed a firearm to solve.

I have had an angry bison charge me with bad intent. And no, I wasn't in Yellowstone, nor was I trying to get to close for a picture.

I was carrying my normal edc instead of my usual hiking revolver, but I think I would probably have needed a much bigger firearm. Fortunately, I didn't have to use it. I think it would have only upset him more.

 

[biku324]

URIT, Why is that not attempted murder? I’m no cop or DA but that was his intent.

No blood, no foul. If you're in policing many prosecutors figure you get paid to get threatened with guns/knives, hit, kicked, etc. It's not like TV.

 

[mike campbell]

It all started when he cut his fishing trip short and came home a day early...

 

[SMSgt]

During high school, a sore loser in a drag race shoved a .45 Auto in my face at nose length. Wasn't much I could do about it except stare him down. So I did. Same guy also put a bullet crease in a friend's GTO the next week and then seemed to disappear from the area. I can attest that if you want to leave a lifelong impression, a .45 muzzle at smelling distance will do it.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

I was about a year into recovery from my stroke (I was in my late 50's), in a theater rest room I was attempting to exit when a 20ish man at the mirror, kept moving to block my exit. After the third block my hand flew into my front right pocket to draw my 49. At that movement he ran away, and the gun never cleared my pocket, And I didn't pursue!

Had a similar situation in a parking lot 6 months later, young toughs approaching from two directions. Hand went in the pocket and the toughs about faced!

I've never cleared leather but was ready for trouble. Glad trouble went elsewhere!

Ivan

 

[pawngal]

2AM, I'm sound asleep and my dog goes into super stranger danger mode as there is knocking at the door. Grabbed my M66 from the bedside table and at the ready. This went on for a few minutes and pretty soon the person got in their truck & left. I recognized the truck. Found out the next day he was up to no good, wanted to "borrow" the license plate off of a friends Harley that was stored in my garage. He had a stolen motorcycle that he needed a plate for so he could ride it. He was also a known drug dealer, I feel if he had gotten in I would have shot.