a CHL does not mean you're Clint Eastwood

[MONGOOSE]

I live close to Juarez Mexico , threaten to pull out a bigger gun here and the other guy may pull out a Mac 10 and call you...... Soooo no threats from me, if action is warranted....just do it. Takes a lot to get a reaction out of me these days.

[SA_Steve]

hey now, armed = polite
but only if they know you are

[LabRat]

I consider myself extremely fortunate that in 14 years of carry in Texas that I never once pulled my weapon.
There were a couple of times where I could have and once where I should have, but I was able to solve the problem without pulling my handgun.
Isn't that the ultimate goal of all of us?
I was confronted by 3 drunks at a service station on I-10 east one morning at 5:30 and punched for no reason breaking my nose. My initial reaction was to punch him back, which knocked him to the ground. I was wearing a dress shirt, not tucked in, and a belt-slide with a 92f. As he went down, I immediately put my hand on my weapon. I knew, in that instant, that I was not going to be killed by 3 drunks. I knew in that instant that if they came at me I would shoot. I told the two men trying to help the guy I hit get up "do not let him get up. If he gets up I will hurt him very badly". I said it in a very strong voice. I knew I had a free pass on this one. There were several witnesses standing there that saw the whole thing. There was a video camera pointed right at us. I repeated it twice more, each time raising my voice. I said "it's over, he hit me and I hit him. Now I'm going to walk to my car and leave, which I did but never turning my back to them. I drove off thinking "well, I guess "dispute resolution" really works.
The other time was less severe. I was riding my Harley down Almeda-Genoa and a drunk ran a stop sign and pulled out in front of me. Just to let him know I was there, I gave him a short toot with my horn. At the light at Monroe he pulls up next to me and rolls down his window and yells "what if I get out and just whip your butt?" I very casually looked over at him and unbuttoned my vest and said in a calm voice "what if I pull out the biggest gun you've ever seen and shoot you?" at which point, he turned right and sped off...again, problem solved.
It is not always about just throwing rounds down range.
Think before you act.
Just my opinion folks.

I'm wondering how you allowed 3 drunks to get that close to you in the first place? I would have moved myself much farther away, well before they managed to get that close. I would have retreated in order to tone down the situation (if possible) and to minimize the contact with said drunks.

When faced with the possibility of using your weapon, you can just about guess that just about everything will go wrong, i.e., no witnesses, no cameras, or someone heard you threaten or saw you hit the other person, etc.

Threatening to pull a gun is not smart in any situation. Either you need to pull it and use it - or- you don't. There is no in-between.

LabRat

[mojo84]

This sounds pretty Clintesque to me.

I very casually looked over at him and unbuttoned my vest and said in a calm voice "what if I pull out the biggest gun you've ever seen and shoot you?"

Thinking "pot meet kettle" at the moment.

[karatedad]

I guess my John Wick persona is out of the question too? Watching that movie made me want to buy another gun.

All kidding aside, I've even become a more mild mannered driver since getting my CHL. My wife doesn't understand the change in behavior.

[Taypo]

I guess my John Wick persona is out of the question too? Watching that movie made me want to buy another gun.

All kidding aside, I've even become a more mild mannered driver since getting my CHL. My wife doesn't understand the change in behavior.

Awesome flick. It was the beginning of my blossoming love affair with HK.

[ron_houston]

as for the three drunks, I was going inside to pay as they were coming out. I even opened the door for them. As the third one came out he bumped into me and instantly threw a punch. Yep, he caught me completely off guard. He then came at me for a second punch but I guess he was just a little too drunk. He missed and I connected and he went down. This all happened in a 30 second time span or less. Also, just FYI, they were all three in their mid twenties and reasonably physically fit and I was in my early 60's. Plus, I really did not expect to run into three drunks at 5:30 am on a weekday morning. There was also a slight language barrier. I would have loved to be able to put more distance between me and them, but my back was against the window to the service station and they were in front of me maybe 15 feet away.

[ron_houston]

oh, and as for the driver of the pick-up. The choices as saw them were 1. to sit there looking straight ahead and hope that he didn't get out with a tire iron and kill me. 2. Look at him and say nothing and hope he didn't get out with a tire iron and kill me. 3. Look at him and say "Gee, I'm sorry for tooting my horn. Please forgive me Sir" 4. Show him that I had the upper hand, even if I didn't, and hope it would stop there.
I chose #4 and it turned out to be right for me in that situation.

[troglodyte]

oh, and as for the driver of the pick-up. The choices as saw them were 1. to sit there looking straight ahead and hope that he didn't get out with a tire iron and kill me. 2. Look at him and say nothing and hope he didn't get out with a tire iron and kill me. 3. Look at him and say "Gee, I'm sorry for tooting my horn. Please forgive me Sir" 4. Show him that I had the upper hand, even if I didn't, and hope it would stop there.
I chose #4 and it turned out to be right for me in that situation.

Until he gets out of the truck options 1,2, or 3 are appropriate, 3 being my pick.

Always be polite to everyone you meet but have always have a defense plan.

It turned out OK for you and that is the situation we all want. Monday morning quarterbacking doesn't change that. You did what you did and it worked but it may not have been the best option. A discussion may help the rest of us think about how we appropriately handle a similar situation.

[threoh8]

The common saying here is 'a CHL isn't a Batman license" - welcome aboard.

I don't remember Batman ever using a firearm. Guess I'll have to go and watch the movies again.

Better yet, read the really old comic books.

[Michael Scofield]

I was going inside to pay as they were coming out.

Pay at the pump.

[Kkpsiknl]

For the record Batman uses guns, they are just vehicle mounted.

[RoyGBiv]

"what if I pull out the biggest gun you've ever seen and shoot you?"

FYI, that is the opposite of de-escalation.

[Abraham]

I love being lectured as it promotes discussion, often on what not to do...

[ron_houston]

I've said my piece. All the armchair warriors can say what they want, but until they are in the exact situation, then they really are only guessing what they would do.
God Bless you all, and I sincerely hope that none of you ever find yourself in a bad situation.