quidni....
that was exactly why I was 10 feet away. Had a better view of what was around us, things in that area of town are kinda squished together. Where I was located I had a wall to my back so I knew I wasn't going to be approached from that side. In response to another question, if I was to try pumping the gas I would have had to keep my gun holstered and my attention in an area that I couldn't see the surroundings very well. I had given that option some thought at first but saw the problem I would run up against if I did so.
Besides, I KNOW I can hit what I'm aiming at from 10 feet away (Ask me sometime about the two off duty police officers who had set up next to me at an indoor range one day. ), and I was ready to close the distance if those two guys had continued on their course towards my sister. I figured that if I just shifted my weight as I did it would make them aware of my presence, which is what occurred. And I knew that just from my presence and demeanor they would not press the issue.
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Return to “20 years carrying-once out of the holster...”
- Sun Mar 29, 2009 8:20 pm
- Forum: Never Again!!
- Topic: 20 years carrying-once out of the holster...
- Replies: 11
- Views: 2299
- Sun Mar 29, 2009 6:14 pm
- Forum: Never Again!!
- Topic: 20 years carrying-once out of the holster...
- Replies: 11
- Views: 2299
20 years carrying-once out of the holster...
This happened a short while back. I got some flak from some people that I shouldn't have had it out of the holster, I should have had a gas can in my trunk, shoulda been prepared, etc. That kind of response.
In response to "being prepared" it was an unknowable event that put me in this position. Personally, I feel I acted in the right manner. The scenario:
My mother had passed out while driving on the PA turnpike. Fortunately she had felt it coming on and managed to pull over to the side and stop her car in time.
My sister got a call from the highway patrol that mom had been taken to Mercy hospital in Pittsburgh, which she relayed to me and we met at the hospital to check on mom. She was OK, but they were going to hold her overnight for observation. My sister had been out for the evening and was dressed nicely with her necklaces, earrings, bracelets, etc. when she had received the call and rushed to the hospital. As we were ready to leave she discovered she was, basically, out of gas, the needle sitting below empty.
The ONLY gas station in range was a few blocks from the hospital. Anyone in here from the Pittsburgh area knows what the area around Mercy is like. Let's just be polite and say it isn't the nicest neighbor"hood"
to be in.
Told sis to follow me to the station and pull up to the pump but NOT to get out of her car until she saw I was out of mine. I pulled into the corner of the lot-about 10 feet from the pump- and got out of the car with my arms crossed over my chest with my right hand inside my coat. In that hand was my Para-Ordinance 14-45.
She saw I was ready so she got out and started pumping her gas. As she was doing so two . .. how do I say this politically correct?... neighbod"hood" youths walked by and the one saw her, nudged the other one and gestured at her with his chin. At that point they started heading in her direction, they had not seen me standing there. On purpose I shifted my weight from side to side just to make a movement, nothing extreme, aggressive, or obvious. It caught the attention of the first guy, and, once again, he nudged the other and gestured with his chin at me. When he saw me they both changed direction and proceeded in their original line.
As I've said, I got flak from some that I had it out of the holster prior to HAVING to have it out. But I have seen police approach situations with an un-holstered weapon that didn't require they HAD to have it out. It was a precaution on their part, I do NOT fault them at all. I felt THIS was appropriate.
I felt having it out (though NOT displayed) was the prudent thing to do in the area I was in - let's call it "drive-by central" - where having it holstered and having to reach for it and draw (IWB - 4 o'clock) would be a provocative, and maybe too late, action on my part. Which is why I had SIS pump her own gas.
I FIRMLY believe that the two guys who were heading for my sister TOTALLY understood the situation. They KNEW the how, what, when, and why I was standing there. Especially HOW, secondarily WHY. Which I, just as firmly, believe prevented a bad situation from turning worse.
As stated, I've CCW'd for more than 20+ years and this was the only time I've felt a need to withdraw it from it's holster. But only as a precautionary move. I really wish and pray there never comes a day when there will be a need to use it.
Do I wish I didn't have to be in that situation? Unquestionably. Could it have been avoided? Yeah......if I had a gas can in my trunk, sis had had a full tank, the moon was in the right phase, whatever.
What would you have done in the same situation?
Dan
In response to "being prepared" it was an unknowable event that put me in this position. Personally, I feel I acted in the right manner. The scenario:
My mother had passed out while driving on the PA turnpike. Fortunately she had felt it coming on and managed to pull over to the side and stop her car in time.
My sister got a call from the highway patrol that mom had been taken to Mercy hospital in Pittsburgh, which she relayed to me and we met at the hospital to check on mom. She was OK, but they were going to hold her overnight for observation. My sister had been out for the evening and was dressed nicely with her necklaces, earrings, bracelets, etc. when she had received the call and rushed to the hospital. As we were ready to leave she discovered she was, basically, out of gas, the needle sitting below empty.
The ONLY gas station in range was a few blocks from the hospital. Anyone in here from the Pittsburgh area knows what the area around Mercy is like. Let's just be polite and say it isn't the nicest neighbor"hood"
to be in.Told sis to follow me to the station and pull up to the pump but NOT to get out of her car until she saw I was out of mine. I pulled into the corner of the lot-about 10 feet from the pump- and got out of the car with my arms crossed over my chest with my right hand inside my coat. In that hand was my Para-Ordinance 14-45.
She saw I was ready so she got out and started pumping her gas. As she was doing so two . .. how do I say this politically correct?... neighbod"hood" youths walked by and the one saw her, nudged the other one and gestured at her with his chin. At that point they started heading in her direction, they had not seen me standing there. On purpose I shifted my weight from side to side just to make a movement, nothing extreme, aggressive, or obvious. It caught the attention of the first guy, and, once again, he nudged the other and gestured with his chin at me. When he saw me they both changed direction and proceeded in their original line.
As I've said, I got flak from some that I had it out of the holster prior to HAVING to have it out. But I have seen police approach situations with an un-holstered weapon that didn't require they HAD to have it out. It was a precaution on their part, I do NOT fault them at all. I felt THIS was appropriate.
I felt having it out (though NOT displayed) was the prudent thing to do in the area I was in - let's call it "drive-by central" - where having it holstered and having to reach for it and draw (IWB - 4 o'clock) would be a provocative, and maybe too late, action on my part. Which is why I had SIS pump her own gas.
I FIRMLY believe that the two guys who were heading for my sister TOTALLY understood the situation. They KNEW the how, what, when, and why I was standing there. Especially HOW, secondarily WHY. Which I, just as firmly, believe prevented a bad situation from turning worse.
As stated, I've CCW'd for more than 20+ years and this was the only time I've felt a need to withdraw it from it's holster. But only as a precautionary move. I really wish and pray there never comes a day when there will be a need to use it.
Do I wish I didn't have to be in that situation? Unquestionably. Could it have been avoided? Yeah......if I had a gas can in my trunk, sis had had a full tank, the moon was in the right phase, whatever.
What would you have done in the same situation?
Dan