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

[serger]

In 1972 my family moved from Ft Stockton Texas to Rawlins Wyoming. I was in 7th grade.
In late September I was in the boys locker room getting dressed from PE class.
One of the local bad boys and his gang decided they were going to beat me up because
I was the new kid. Being the son of a Seismographer and moving about every year or so I got
thumped regularly. I also got very fast at running away from trouble and thinking quickly.

Since my locker was in the corner of the stack they came at me from both sides. I had been a
Cub Scout in Texas and was a Tenderfoot when we moved to Wyoming. As such I had gotten my
Totin Chip and carried the blue Cub Scout knife.

You know the type, awl, flat point screw driver with bottle opener and spear point knife blade.

I pulled out my knife and opened it. The bad boy said something like," You think you can get all of us
with that little knife?" and as I recall I said, "No but I'm going to get you." He leaned back like he was
going to punch me and at that time the Coach came in and broke it all up.
One of the other kids had ran to his office and gotten him.

I have never been so scared in my life. All the bad boys left and the coach took my knife.
After I got dressed he took me to my teacher Mrs Olsen and gave her the knife.
She made sure I was on my bus that day with out getting thumped.

The following week I asked her if I could have my knife back and she asked if I knew
right and wrong about having one.I took out my Totin Chip from my wallet and showed her.
She said not to make her regret it and gave me my knife back.

Turns out the kid who got Coach was a red head who was picked on also. We became really
good friends and when we were studying world war II I helped him carry a mauser ,
springfield and arisaka his uncles brought back to class.

The following spring I had to show the knife outside of the bowling alley with some of the same bunch
of kids. After that, word was out I knew how to knife fight (I didn't) and everybody left me alone.

Different times for sure.

 

[biku324]

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

ALWAYS call home from a couple of hours away if you're sensitive.

 

[ladder13]

When I was banned/suspended on the forum for the first time.

 

[Critch]

I've only had to pull my sidearm twice on humans. Once when 4 members of the sideways-hat-society came at me in a motel parking lot in St Louis..I pulled my Browning HP and told them to get away from me..they did. I called the police, told them what happened and never heard from them. About two years later, I was at a stop light in Memphis and a guy jumped in my truck, I didn't realize it was unlocked..I pulled my Taurus 357 and his eyes go as big as saucers...he jumped out and took off running but two Memphis PD tackled him. They saw the whole thing...they never even asked me if I had a CCW. I was in my Air Force uniform so I doubt they were worried about it. But, the only time my heart was in my throat was in northern Wyoming when I walked up on a wolverine that feeding on something. I wasn't 20 feet from him. I stopped, he stopped,,,when I started to reach for my pistol he moved closer...two friends of mine who saw what was happening started throwing rocks and whooping and hollering and the beastie ran off...that scared the **** out of me...I just knew I had a few more seconds of life..

 

[Capt. F.]

Thirty years ago our two kids were in college so just my wife and I alone at home.
Two thirty one morning my wife woke me up saying someone was in the house down stairs.
I listened and yep, could hear noise in the kitchen.
Got up, grabbed my Model 29 6 1/2”. Didn’t turn on the light and when I tried to find my bathrobe all I could find was my wife’s pink bathrobe.
I’m 6’ and 260 lbs. My wife is 5’4” and weighs 140. Getting the picture here?
Put on the wife’s bathrobe, sleeves only going partway up my arms and no where near covering my large center.
Tiptoed down the stairs, .44 at the ready.
As The .44 and I peaked around the half wall on our stairs, a young lady was standing in our dining room staring back at me, eyes growing to the size of grapefruits. She hollered “Mike” our sons name and my son came in from the kitchen.
He and the young lady he was dating had driven home from college for the weekend to “surprise” us. Don’t know who was more surprised- the young lady or me.
He introduced us and I went back to bed. Afterwards, being a city girl, she asked if that was a real gun and does your dad always wear a pink bathrobe that’s way too small.
They parted the ways not long after. Always wondered if my attire and choice of “accessory” had anything to do with it.

 

[jbtrucker]

I only showed my handgun once 1993 at a dark rest area in Mississippi. A car drove by slow turned off the lights and parked . Could barely see doors open and two guys walking back toward me . I turned on the map light and set my Model 581 on the dash , they went back to the car and left . There was a lot of hi jacking back then ,one driver was shot in the back with shotgun while talking to his wife Christmas eve . Woman driver a small lady was beat up robbed at a truck stop she got away crawling under the truck.

 

[YeshuaIsa53]

Those are times best left in the past, at least for me. I was logged off the forum after just thinking about them.

 

[scott1970]

I was shot at with a rifle during an all night manhunt for the guy who shot a co-worker twice on a traffic stop. I’ve been in a good number of tight spots but the Lord saw me through all of it unscathed.

 

[Inusuit]

Had a knife pulled on me in the high school bathroom, circa 1960.

On two different occasions, had dogs act in a threatening manner. Once was in Mexico so I was unarmed. Wasn't harmed either time.

 

[Rammer Jammer]

I got "interviewed " by a guy who wanted to sell me a knife past midnight in a highway rest stop in Tennessee. Hand on my LCR the whole time and also noticed what I assume to be his accomplice circling around behind me. Dude got the vibe that my hand in pocket was more than playing pocket pool and soon left me and my senior dog to resume our road trip.

 

[Photog]

I was traveling from Tucson to Santa Fe. I stopped at a rest stop about 2 a.m. I exited the stall and headed toward the sinks. A "gentleman" was standing in the entrance to the restroom. He had a folding knife, about 4" blade open and he was cleaning his fingernails while leaning against the side of the door, blocking my exit. At the time I had a 4" M29-2 stuck in my waist band under my coat. Had stuck is there when I exited my car. He made some small talk, and then stood up straight, knife in hand at his side and started to enter the bathroom. I put my arms above my head like I was stretching, thereby lifting my coat enough so that he could see what was in my waist band. I put my arms down, resting my hand near the pistol. His eyes got sorta wide, he immediately closed the knife very slowly and put it in his pocket. I stepped with my back to the wall and told him to come on in, and to please go to the urinal that was farthest from the door. I left, keeping my eye on him, and wishing him a good evening. Don't think it would have been too good for me if I hadn't had my pistol on me.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

Three times I expected to have to produce a handgun whilst driving. Once was a maniac behind me at a red light who was getting ready to leave his truck with a chain. Road rage thing. Oops, sorry, green light, buh-bye!!!

Many years later a truck twice the size of mine nearly ran me off the road. We wound up at a red light and I was so angry that I was screaming at the kids in the other truck. The kid in the passenger seat was telling me to open my window. I could not see his hands, and I suspected evil was afoot, and he could not see my gun in my lap. OH! LOOK! Green light! Easy right turn! [That I wasn't planning on but, hey, ya gotta do what ya gotta do!] Buh-bye!!!!

Again, some road rage, guy was angry with me, I forget why, I didn't have to show him my weapon because, hey! - Easy right turn! Buh-bye!

It's just weird that these SD situations were all similar.

Years have passed - I had to think about this!!!

 

[LimaCharlie]

My motion detector camera with floodlight picked up a car pulling into our driveway. The car doors opened and they saw the camera with floodlight. The doors closed and they drove away.

 

[biku324]

Once a rattlesnake rattled at me.

 

[oddshooter]

Hard for me to believe, but

I've been:
attacked by 3 different dogs.

lived thru a pissed off Grizzly 3 feet away from our heads sleeping in the mountains of Montana

woke up to a giant Moose standing over our heads high mt lake in Idaho.

had a wild angry wolverine come right at me over a small hill 35 miles west of Flathead Lake.

lived thru a confrontration with havelina family in the desert, shots fired

had one of my full-blown crazy patients stand over us while we slept in our dome in the woods; next morning, he parked my truck on the railroad tracks and he got arrested for felony terrorist act. Three days later, the Sheriff begged me to take him back.

had spanish La Guardia put a machine gun barrel on my nose

had mexican police put a machine gun barrel on my nose

had Moroccan border police point machine guns at us and say, "Leave !"

USC 1968 had a 6'6" Black Panther turn on me at my south central LA local grocery and say "What r u doing here?" A local kid pushed him back and said,"That's coach, leave him alone".

Katrina disaster I had derelict car pushed in front of me, then car behind me, then surrounded by folks coming out of the darkness; multiple times with bullets flying overhead, feral dogs everywhere. had heavily armed guards patrolling perimeter fence which had razor wire. Daily danger.

South Florida at a convenience store with 4" bullet-proof glass (should have been a clue) wouldn't let me in. Then got surrounded by 6 random, nasty looking folks wanting my soul, offered $20 to the biggest meanest one and said "help?". He growled, "Back UP" to the group.

These are just some of the self defense situations. The could/should have died stories are different.

My wife and I have been together since 1967, 56 years. It's never been boring. I've got about 600 pages started on the book so far. No one will believe it.
I have drug my lady through dangerous situations too many times, especially in the backcountry. But it is nice to have confirmation when folks claim, "Bull Sh!!"


Prescut

 

[AzShooter]

I got forced off the round in South Phoenix years ago and the guys jumped out with baseball bats and started running at my car. To their surprise I was on my way home from our weekly pistol match and still had my .45 on my side.

I pointed it at them and said " Do you really want to do this? " They all turned around jumped back in their car and drove away.

 

[dwh]

I once had guy tailgate me on a country road of a 4-5 miles. He then passed me an and cut me off. He proceeded to come at me with a pick handle. He was screaming bobby I’m going to kill you for taking my women. First my names not Bobby,second my 1911 shoved in his face convinced him of his mistake. He apologized and left the pick handle which still resides over my loading bench.

As to my potential most deadly situation happened working around horses. I entered a stall to pickup an empty water bucket. When stood up the horse started kicking the block wall behind me. Hoofs were landing on either side of my head for what seemed like forever. All I thought was is going to be one hell of way to die getting your head kicked in against the wall. I found a break in the action and vaulted the stall wall. My handed me a beer and said man I thought you were a goner. Back to work we had a barn to finish cleaning. Horses are the most dangerous animals I’ve ever work with.

 

[LimaCharlie]

In 1967, I woke up around 2:30 am to hear a bolt-action rifle loading a 30-06 round. I got out of bed and he had the muzzle of the rifle against my chest. He was the recent ex-boyfriend of the girl in bed with me.


He still had a key to her apartment and was extremely drunk. He stated he was going to kill us and then himself.

We talked to him until he sat down in a chair and passed out. I unloaded the rifle and took the bolt out. I put them in the trunk of my car and left.

She called me the next morning and told me he had sobered up and was very sorry. I took the rifle back to her apartment and never saw either of them again.

 

[BW460]

I never really was in a position to "defend" myself. I had some farmers shoot a shotgun over my head when I was working on a road right of way for a project they didn't like. Had another farmer threaten to shoot my team if we left any of his cattle gates open. When he turned to leave, my coworker flashed his vest open revealing a 44 mag. I knocked on a door once and a lady came through the door and pushed a 30-06 rifle into my throat. Someone had stolen her hogs the night before and she was taking no chances. And there was the crazy lady who didn't like me working in an easement in front of her house. She, not so politely, came out with a 38 special revolver and told us to get the F off her property. The rest of that work was completed with a sherif's car parked next to our truck. Fortunately no one was hurt in any of the incidents but they all could have gone sideways.

 

[oldcop71]

Had a misdemenor assault warrant to serve. Suspect met me at the door with a .22 rifle in hand. Had a Glock 21 .45 in hand in seconds. Talked him down after several minutes. Drunk *** nearly had a mag dump on his butt. Thank God I didnt have to shoot him