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austin wrote:If you have not read this book, go get it and read it.

Here is the first part of it.

http://www.enotalone.com/article/4555.html

The Gift of Fear...GREAT book.

I have it and have read it. Need to read it again. I think DeBecker is anti-gun, but a great book nonetheless. I recommend that everyone read it AND get their wives to read it.

For what it's worth, I appreciate everyone's feedback (including Austin's).

kauboy wrote: On a side note, did you think through the decision about dousing a man with diesel who was actively smoking? I personally don't know how combustible that fuel is in the open, but you wouldn't want a dirty haired hippie weirdo running wildly around a gas station while ablaze.

What I was thinking was that a shot of diesel in his face would slow him down long enough for me to create some space and draw my gun...or better yet, convince him that it just isn't worth it. The fact that he had a cigarette didn't factor into that one way or the other.

However, it takes more than a cigarette to light diesel fuel. If anything it would have put his cigarette out.

txinvestigator wrote: I am not so sure that going for your gun should have been your first and only option.

I think too many of us (CHL holders) see the gun as our only means of defense to ANY situation.

Just to clarify, I did NOT draw the gun, but I did slip my hand in my pocket and grip it. My instincts were telling me something was up and I trust my instincts.

As I said, my plan if he had tried anything was to douse him with diesel fuel (that was my non-lethal option at the time) while drawing the P3AT (and firing if necessary but hoping it never came to that).

Anyway, it was all very strange to me. I'm glad nothing happened.

...I thought I might have to draw my gun in self defense.

I posted this on GlockTalk so I thought I'd post it here too.

Yesterday on the way home from work I had to stop to fill my truck up with diesel. I stopped at a large Texaco station on I-35 in North Austin / Pflugerville (the one at Grand Avenue Drive if you're familiar with it). The station is situated with about 8-10 vehicle pumps on the west side, 8-10 truck pumps on the south side and a large what I will call a "turn-around" area on the north side. I was filling up at the far north vehicle pump near the turn-around area when this occurred.

A late model white Ford F-150 pulled into the station at about 5:30 PM as I was filling up. There were two men in it. The truck drove through the lane opposite the pump I was at and proceeded to drive out into the turn-around area, where it stopped in the middle (where he stopped was about 30 yards from the store itself and about the same distance from me). When it stopped, a tall thin man about 6'-5" and weighing I'd guess 200 pounds stepped out of the passenger side of the truck. He had long dirty grayish colored hair and a very dark tan. Honestly, he looked like some of the homeless we have in the area.

I thought it was odd that the truck would stop there and even more so that the passenger would get out right there since there were parking spaces open immediately adjacent to the store entrance. When he got out he looked in my direction and begin walking towards the tailgate of my truck. I immediately became more alert because this man had no good reason to be walking towards my truck (which was between us at the time). I slipped my hand in my front pocket and gripped the grip of my P3AT (wishing I had my G22 but thankful I had the P3AT).

When he got within about 6 feet from the tailgate of my truck, he turned and went towards the trash can that was located about 6 feet from me. It appeared that he put something in the trash can, although I never saw anything in his hands. He then stood there, about 6 feet away from me, with his back towards me and facing the truck that he just got out of...his right hand holding the cigarette in his mouth and the left hanging at his side. I looked towards the guy driving the truck, who was looking at the man standing near me and the trash can. Not doing anything...just looking at each other.

Both pumps in the lane adjacent to mine were empty, so they were not waiting on me to finish fueling up. He stood there, facing the truck he got out of, appearing to be waiting for something. I was waiting too...although I didn't know what exactly I was waiting for. Just waiting...and ready.

Sensing something was up, I tightened my grip on the P3AT and on the pump handle that was filling my truck (the pump handle and hose was between me and him and I had already decided that if he made a rushing movement toward me I was going to douse his face with diesel fuel while drawing my P3AT and trying to put some space between us).

After standing there for approximately one minute, he did another peculiar thing. He turned around, grabbed the trashcan and moved it into the lane opposite the pump I was on...as if he didn't want any cars to pull up to that pump...almost like he was reserving it for his friend in the truck. Shortly after that, the truck pulled over into the lane NEXT to the lane he had just blocked and began filling up. The tall guy looked in my direction and then walked into the store.

About this time I finished filling up, got in my truck and left.

I really don't have a clue what this guy was up to. It was strange to me that he got out of the truck sort of out in the middle of "nowhere". It was strange that he immediately began walking towards me. It was strange that he pretended to throw something away (or maybe he actually did but I didn't see anything in his hand). It was strange that he stood there next to the trash can (6 ft. away from me) looking at the guy in the truck (who was looking back at him) for as long as he did. It was strange that he moved the trash can into the pumping lane, and then that his friend pulled into a different lane to fill up. Finally it was strange the way he looked at me and then just turned and walked in the store.

Maybe it was something, maybe it was nothing, but for the first time in my life I felt the need to actually prepare to draw if I needed to. Luckily I didn't.