11B3XCIB
Well-Known Fanatic
It seems like once a year I will have an extremely close call, a situation that almost leaves me no choice but to draw my weapon. In years' past, some of the incidents have included a machete brandishing guy who I thought was on drugs, a paranoid schizophrenic homeless person who thought I was "out to get him", and most recently, a gas station encounter with a man trying to bum some money off of me. I do have a SC CWP and a Utah CFP, so I can legally carry in Georgia where the most recent incident took place.
I was coming home from a sunny Florida vacation, just missing a week of pouring rain and then two days ahead of Tropical Storm Debby. My wife and I had packed up all of our belongings and left the Florida gulf coast around 10pm and planned on shift driving through the night. We were due to check out of our rental property the next morning, but since we'd packed 90% of our stuff, we decided to beat the traffic and just go. We loaded up the dogs (and the remaining gear) and hit the road. We stopped for fuel once around 12am, and kept going. Somewhere in Georgia, we spotted a well-lit gas station in a relatively small town, around 3:30am. My wife pulled up to the pump and went inside to look for a snack and freshen up. I began fueling our vehicle, talking to my 3 dogs (full doberman, doberman mix, and german shepherd mix) through the gap I left in the rear window so they could get fresh air and smell the local smells. Prior to getting out of the SUV, I'd taken my .45 out of the console and put it back in my waist holster. A 9 hour drive is much more comfortable without a 25 ounce piece of steel between my back and the seat. Even before I exited the vehicle, I'd noticed a man about 15-18 meters away, waiting by the corner of the gas station, seemingly waiting on someone to pick him up. There was a pay phone by him, so I'd figured he had called for a ride and was just waiting. I wasn't focused on him, but remained "aware", and kept most of my attention on the pump and on my dogs. I heard him saying something like "Hey, hey man..." but never realized he was trying to get my attention. My wife returned to the car, got in the passenger seat, I gave her the key and locked the door and headed inside to take care of my own business. When I exited, the "pay phone guy" was now out halfway between the pumps and the gas station, not directly in my path, but close enough that he could close with me in a matter of seconds. I made eye contact with him, and he began shouting at me something like "You think you're too good to talk to me" among other things. He had been stepping closer and closer to my vehicle, and then finally said "I have a good mind to come over there, snatch you out of that Jeep, and drive off with it." At that point, my hand went behind my back to my pistol grip, that sits about where the right kidney is, kept moving to my vehicle, and said (I didn't shout it, but I said it forcefully) something along the lines of "If you come any closer, I will be forced to defend myself and my family". He immediately did a column half left and began moving away, still shouting threats but leaving my immediate area. My wife unlocked my door, I got in, relocked it, and we left.
I served 2 tours in Iraq as an Infantryman, and having pulled the trigger on a human being more times than I can count, so I know I am able, but I've never utilized my CWP or killed an American. It seems with my track record, it's only a matter of time before the situation arises. I don't trivialize taking a life, but if it's "them or me", I am definitely siding with "me". These things can happen anytime, anywhere, through no fault of your own. I wish you all luck and safe shooting.
I was coming home from a sunny Florida vacation, just missing a week of pouring rain and then two days ahead of Tropical Storm Debby. My wife and I had packed up all of our belongings and left the Florida gulf coast around 10pm and planned on shift driving through the night. We were due to check out of our rental property the next morning, but since we'd packed 90% of our stuff, we decided to beat the traffic and just go. We loaded up the dogs (and the remaining gear) and hit the road. We stopped for fuel once around 12am, and kept going. Somewhere in Georgia, we spotted a well-lit gas station in a relatively small town, around 3:30am. My wife pulled up to the pump and went inside to look for a snack and freshen up. I began fueling our vehicle, talking to my 3 dogs (full doberman, doberman mix, and german shepherd mix) through the gap I left in the rear window so they could get fresh air and smell the local smells. Prior to getting out of the SUV, I'd taken my .45 out of the console and put it back in my waist holster. A 9 hour drive is much more comfortable without a 25 ounce piece of steel between my back and the seat. Even before I exited the vehicle, I'd noticed a man about 15-18 meters away, waiting by the corner of the gas station, seemingly waiting on someone to pick him up. There was a pay phone by him, so I'd figured he had called for a ride and was just waiting. I wasn't focused on him, but remained "aware", and kept most of my attention on the pump and on my dogs. I heard him saying something like "Hey, hey man..." but never realized he was trying to get my attention. My wife returned to the car, got in the passenger seat, I gave her the key and locked the door and headed inside to take care of my own business. When I exited, the "pay phone guy" was now out halfway between the pumps and the gas station, not directly in my path, but close enough that he could close with me in a matter of seconds. I made eye contact with him, and he began shouting at me something like "You think you're too good to talk to me" among other things. He had been stepping closer and closer to my vehicle, and then finally said "I have a good mind to come over there, snatch you out of that Jeep, and drive off with it." At that point, my hand went behind my back to my pistol grip, that sits about where the right kidney is, kept moving to my vehicle, and said (I didn't shout it, but I said it forcefully) something along the lines of "If you come any closer, I will be forced to defend myself and my family". He immediately did a column half left and began moving away, still shouting threats but leaving my immediate area. My wife unlocked my door, I got in, relocked it, and we left.
I served 2 tours in Iraq as an Infantryman, and having pulled the trigger on a human being more times than I can count, so I know I am able, but I've never utilized my CWP or killed an American. It seems with my track record, it's only a matter of time before the situation arises. I don't trivialize taking a life, but if it's "them or me", I am definitely siding with "me". These things can happen anytime, anywhere, through no fault of your own. I wish you all luck and safe shooting.
