ccw

[old semperfi]

i live in southern indiana,i have had a ccw permit for many many years.i have never as a civilian had to pull my handgun and point it at anybody.after saying that,there has been three different times in my life so far that simply by displaying that i had a gun may have saved my life or saved me from serious harm.i will not go into the stories now but has anyone else had the same experiance. old semperfi

[CampingJosh]

I've been fortunate. I've never had to show anyone that I carry.

[TheGunClinger]

I have never had to draw my weapon against anyone so far. I am not sure that I could. In Fla. if I pulled a gun on an attacker and the act of pointing a gun at the attacker stopped the attack, then according to the law as I understand it, I could be arrested for brandishing. And if I pull a gun to defend myself from an eminent attack where I feared for my life but didnt shoot, the the attacker would be within his/her rights to shoot me, as they would be fearful of their life...etc. Quite a quandry. I hope that one day, if I or my wife are put in the position that we have to take a life to save ours that we could do it and do it before we suffer severe bodily harm and or death. With the laws we have now, I am thinking that if we fear for our lives, that I should not try to just hold the attacker at bay with my weapon til the cops get there, and then be subjected to a brandishing charge or whatever and the perp goes free, but to just defend ourselves and be done with it. It would be a tough choice. I hope that my trepiditions on this matter wont cost me or mine, our lives when it really counts.

[FTK87]

Thats a tight spot Clinger, I don't have my liscence yet but hope to in the near future, I do always keep an unloaded handgun in the truck and ready to use it.

[UncleFudd]

oldsemperfi;
I guess being able to show that one is armed has worked for many people over time. But I now of two events here in Az that the same action caused the person to be charged with several felony charges. So it depends upon where you are and what the laws of the state may be as to whether or not one can legally display.
If it works, it seems to me to be the best of both worlds. If it prevents an attack it seems to me it would be worth it.
The bottom line comes down to common sense and knowing when and even how to display to reduce the threat.

I have not had to display but I have had to use my gun and I lived through it. In that situation I had no time and no choice but to go to the gun immediately as the other guy was already shooting.

But on another incident four years ago the Saturday before Thanksgiving in broad daylight in the Bashas parking lot I had to make a choice. I was literally being chased by a guy half my age and twice my size and very pissed. He was screaming and yelling about what he was going to do to me. I was frantically trying to get into my truck but was not going to make it so I sprayed pepper spray over my shoulder and apparently he ran into some of the spray. It was enough at least to put him down screaming that I had blinded him. If not, I would have had no choice except to shoot him as I was not going to let him beat on me.
I was extremely lucky and I never did produce or show my gun.
This all happened so fast it sounds like I had time to think or plan, but I didn't. The spraying was a fluke, I did not plan it, I was trying to stay away from him to either get into and lock my truck or pull and shoot him. Spraying was actually a desperation, last chance event but it worked. I have no idea how it hit him or where although from the way he was groveling around on the parking lot it had to have hit him or gotten into his eyes.
I was able to get into my truck and go to another store to get my popsicles.
I was so scared after I left I was not thinking clearly at all and did not call the cops as I should have. I had plenty of witnesses.
I never heard a word about it and to this day have never been contacted.

I have no doubt that displaying can and has stopped the threat or reduced it so everyone went on their way. But be careful and be aware of the laws in your state.

UF

[TheGunClinger]

Originally Posted by FTK87

Thats a tight spot Clinger, I don't have my liscence yet but hope to in the near future, I do always keep an unloaded handgun in the truck and ready to use it.

An unloaded gun is a hammer. I have plenty of hammers as I suppose you do also. Cant you keep a LOADED gun in your glovebox where you live?

[Mac's!]

I have used a firearms twice to protect my Family. I was ten years old the first time but it was amazing how intimidating a little kid with a big shotgun can be. It was 1968 and four slightly drunken a**holes were going to gang rape my Mom. Afterwards, it was actually kind of funny the way they screamed and took off. The last time was just a few years ago.

We're kind of out in the booneys here and it takes quite a while for help to arrive so we're usually close to a firearm anywhere in the house or shop. People that have a firearm for self defense really need to be aware of the laws and know what to do after the shoot. Here in Arizona, the self defense laws were recently changed to innocent until proven guilty. (Yeah, it was backwards for a while) I think the law was changed again even more recently, that under certain circumstances displaying the weapon is not brandishing. Keep yer powder dry, Mac.

[jondar]

Only once. I was traveling down an improved road by a large lake and had to make a left turn onto another road at right angles. There was an old Dodge truck with the nose clear out into the intersection so that I had to swing way out right, then back left. He started hollering. I thought he said he was broken down so I pulled over and stopped. He came running toward my car screaming, "You want some of me!" "You want some of me." It was too late to start the car and leave. I got the only gun I had with me, a NAA .22 LR derringer and took a two hand hold and when he was three or four yards away pointed at him and thumbed the hammer back and said, "You want some of this?" He did a quick 180 and took off back toward his truck, yelling "No Sir!. That NAA may be small but he didn't want any part of it.

[wpage]

Love it...

Originally Posted by jondar

Only once. I was traveling down an improved road by a large lake and had to make a left turn onto another road at right angles. There was an old Dodge truck with the nose clear out into the intersection so that I had to swing way out right, then back left. He started hollering. I thought he said he was broken down so I pulled over and stopped. He came running toward my car screaming, "You want some of me!" "You want some of me." It was too late to start the car and leave. I got the only gun I had with me, a NAA .22 LR derringer and took a two hand hold and when he was three or four yards away pointed at him and thumbed the hammer back and said, "You want some of this?" He did a quick 180 and took off back toward his truck, yelling "No Sir!. That NAA may be small but he didn't want any part of it.

[jondar]

The story didn't end there. I was driving a little 1979 Mazda GLC which was old at that time and took three or four seconds of grinding before it would start back up when the motor was warm. By the time I got the car started he had got back to his truck. I didn't know if he was armed and even if he wasn't, that three quarter ton Dodge truck could demolish that little Mazda. I could see in my mirror he was coming about a quarter mile back and I ran the first red light I came to, thinking maybe a LEO would see and come after me, then took evasive action in a residential district and lost him. Three days later I was watching the six o'clock news from the big city about fifty miles away and they were showing the capture of two men at a motel who had carjacked a 75 year old man, cut him up badly and stolen his car. The police spotted the car at the motel and arrested both men. The larger of the two men I swear was the one I encountered on that lake road.

I had only one tour of combat duty but I took back this lesson: situations are laid on you where there is no time to think about what you are going to do, the object is to avoid death or injury and you do what you have to do to avoid either.

[Old John]

Well, I have carried for over 30 years, various handguns. And, I never had to show my weapon or as they call it here, "brandish it" with another human being. I have no doubts about being able to do it. That's what a lot of practce is for...to build up your reactions and muscle memory.

The only time I did use my handgun was when I was mowing brush with a DR brushmower. It's a walk-behind.
A copperhead snake came out from under the back of the machine. And, he was mad! He wouldn't move away from it. I was carrying a Ruger SP101, 2" .357 magnum. That little 110gr. HJLHP tore the snake nearly in two.
I generally only carry WWB 110 gr. HJLHP's. I think they are hot enough to
do the job. YMMV.
Take care.

[carver]

Originally Posted by old semperfi

i live in southern indiana,i have had a ccw permit for many many years.i have never as a civilian had to pull my handgun and point it at anybody.after saying that,there has been three different times in my life so far that simply by displaying that i had a gun may have saved my life or saved me from serious harm.i will not go into the stories now but has anyone else had the same experiance. old semperfi

Like you I have had to pull a gun three times in my life. Unlike you, I did point the gun at all three. The last time was 30 years ago. Times have changed. You can find yourself in a world of grief if you pull a gun on someone these days. My mind is set to this fact: I have a CCW, and I carry at all times. If I have to pull my gun on another person it will be because there is no other way. I will try to inform them that I am armed, and hope that this is enough to diffuse the situation. If not, then someone is going to get shoot if the gun comes out. My attorney told me not to pull the gun unless I intend to shoot.

[Vladimir]

Never pulled, I can cite one clear example where I was glad I had it.

I was sitting in my room and heard someone walking over the rocks in the backyard, which always startled me but I lived in a duplex so the idea of backyards was different, and the neighborhood kids always ran around back there, so I thought nothing of it. Then all the sudden I heard the back door slide open and someone walk through the blinds.

I popped out and it was one of my roommate's girlfriends, supposedly she rang the doorbell and I just didn't hear it . Suffice to say she was a little surprised a year later when she found out my USP had been in hand under my shirt the entire time .