Split Second Decision (CHL)

[creepycrawly]

This is probably the shittiest part about the whole deal. At the end of the day, this whole thought process being part of the "What If" changes the face of self defense because we actually have to question those repercussions. Not the standard repercussions of "was the shooting justified and in self defense", because the race card changes everything in society today.

Every day I have to drive through the shittiest part of my town where hood actions are the norm. There was a drive by shooting that claimed the life of a high school kid just down the road. I drive by the house on the way to work every day and the family still hasn't had the means to fix the bullet holes in the siding of their house. I haven't passed a single white person standing outside of one of those homes or waiting at a bus stop on that road in the 6 months I have been driving it. Yet I carry every single day. That same "what if" race card scenario has played out in my head a few times before after one guy on that road ran a stop sign, cutting me off, flipped me the bird, sped off then looked back when his dumbass ended up at the next light with me and made a "finger gun" and glared at me. Because at first glance, all I saw was something pointing at me with someone staring me down and I immediately grabbed my pistol off my console, but didn't show the weapon because I realized he was just being a ****ing thug.

I think you made the right call by leaving your gun holstered and not drawing on them. Your family wasn't the immediate threat, even IF you were being the good samaritan in that situation. No room for doubt. Now if one of those shitbags had even reached toward the door of your vehicle I would have not hesitated to end a life.

Makes me think of this video. I have watched it and thought a lot about it. I would have dropped this guy without a doubt. What say ye?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?sts=17093&utcoffset=-240&v=bAh-8WsEG4A&oref=https%3A%2F%2Fm.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DbAh-8WsEG4A%26itct%3DCBYQpDAYACITCJz%252F2LeP988CFU2pnAodKnkHTFIcY3JhY2toZWFkIHNtYXNoZXMgY2FyIHdpbmRvdw%253D%253D&has_verified=1&client=mv-google&layout=mobile

 

[TBItoy]

Dude with a bat/stick comes at me in my truck?

Yeah I'll just drive away...

 

[The Luke]

First thing I thought of was they were baiting you out of the car. I work in downtown Nashville in back alleys on a daily basis. I would say 1-2 a month I will see something similar to that. One guy will approach your passenger window and another will sneak the back of the truck to distract you. Overall I think you made the right call. And too be honest, I would have gotten out to check also. But as a paranoid/cautious third party looking back at the situation, if it had been my family in the car, I would have regretted getting out and leaving them "vulnerable". You know how fast someone can dive into the drivers seat while you're distracted with 4 dudes at the back of a Tahoe?

But like I said, I would have gotten out too.


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[creepycrawly]

Dude with a bat/stick comes at me in my truck?

Yeah I'll just drive away...

Did you watch the video? He specifically picked a car that was boxed in by traffic. Gives you something to think about. Avoid being boxed in whenever you can.

 

[Jon Piper]

That's a hard situation. So many pros and cons to anything you do.

A lot of you are saying that you wouldn't have done anything because it's not your family and I just couldn't disagree with that more.

These situations never work out in the real world the way we work them out in our minds..

You did what you did and it all worked out so that's all you can do. You all went home at the end of the day.

I'd sugggest you go get a bigger gun! :****:

What he said ....


To the OP what do you carry ? A revolver of some sorts ? Does your wife carry ?

 

[The Luke]

My ex stepdad took me out for my first driving lessons. He was royally jacked up in the head. One minute after leaving the house "always leave 3 car lengths in front of you at stop lights. That way if you are being followed or attacked you can run the asshats over".

He was raised in Oakland though....

 

[TBItoy]

Did you watch the video? He specifically picked a car that was boxed in by traffic. Gives you something to think about. Avoid being boxed in whenever you can.

Oh no doubt I'd have pulled on him, if he didn't immediately stop then I'd weigh my options of fight or flight.

Being securely in a car with one assailant attacking the passenger side front of your car is a bit different than a face to face attack or threat of attack.


Now if someone else in the same situation wanted to perforate his face with lead, I wouldn't fault them. Just saying that my immediate response wouldn't be to shoot a crackhead with a stick through my windshield from my driver seat.



Good reason to have a "truck gun" if you don't carry a full size pistol on your person. Until recently I carried a 7+1 9mm occasionally ( mostly anytime I was going anywhere other than my daily 5 mile rural commute), now I'm daily carrying a 6+1 .380 and intend to always have it on my person.

In reality I'd hate to face off 3 guys with only 7 rounds of 380... Especially if any of them were armed or determined.

 

[BPINAZ]

You're alive, your family is alive.........that's all that matters. You did the right thing. You followed thebasic human instinct of protecting your fellow man. That's a testament to your character.

My only advice, holster up before driving......LOL!

We had a guy, he's no longer with our agency, who shot through the windshield of his vehicle. It happened in a similar scenario as yours. He was a victim of what is known as sympathetic reflex. Basically, when one hand (the one gripping the firearm) reacts to the actions of the other hand. Also, that's why we never place our finger inside the trigger guard until we are aimed in and have made tye decision to use the weapon.

 

[money_pit_yj]

I was in a completely different yet similar situation. We were leaving the house in a violent lightning storm and as we turned the corner we saw a guy laying there who had been struck by lightning (actually struck a house and went through the cable he was working on). My reaction was to jump out of the car, but then I realized I had a 5 year old and a 2 year old in the car and I do not know CPR and the storm was insanely violent. I struggled with my decision to stay in the car and get my family away from the scene. Nothing bothers me but this screwed me up but I was encouraged by many men, most men of faith that reminded me that my first priority is to protect my wife and children and by calling 911 and directing them to where he was we gave him a better chance at survival because there are protocols and procedure when dealing with trauma victims and we most likely would have done something wrong.

When it comes to my weapon, I do not pull it out unless I am 100% committed to using it. I have come close 2 times and neither ended up being worth the fallout had something happened. I thin you did right.

 

[Bumpers]

Re:

You first and most important responsibility is to protect your family. It's hard to say and without being in the situation nobody knows how they would react. But there are a number of different outcomes that are a possibility. There are a lot of "what if's" but most of them would be a bad outcome for you and your family. The best thing you could have done like you did is gather all the info you can to help catch these pos.

The outcome of shots fired would likely have put you in jail or worse where you wouldn't see or be there to protect your family if another situation were to arise.


Now if this would have been a threat to your families that would be a whole different situation and the repercussion would be well worth your families safety.

I think you 100% ended up doing the right thing.







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[CheapJ7]

I really can't say what I would have done in that situation. I'll have to really thinK about that for a while. I believe you acted in the best interest of your family and that is the most important thing.

Here are a few things that I can immediately take away from the situation. These aren't necessarily directly related, but are some things that have been on my mind since reading.

1. My EDC every day carry gun is a smith bodyguard .380. 7 shots and not the gun I am most accurate with, but it's comfortable. My mindset is that it's better to carry a gun that I will actually want to put on my person every day instead of carrying my fullsize and leaving it in the truck. After reading the story, I am thinking about exploring more holster options and making my fullsize my EDC. 17 vs 7 plus fullsize accuracy could be the difference between life and death in an actual gunfight.

2. If you aren't carrying period, I suggest you start. I also suggest familiarizing yourself with your state's gun laws. Since I have made a point to become more gun law aware, it has amazed me the sheer amount of hear say and just blatant lies that surround gun laws. The majority of the population has no clue what their actial rights are. If you are in Alabama, I suggest looking up Bamacarry. Great group of knowledgeable straight forward guys who even have monthly chapter meetings in different parts of the state.

3. If you are carrying, good job. Here is the test though. If a guy wanting to harm you or your family was in your face right this very moment how long would it take or how hard would it be to get to your firearm. In our crazy world, it's almost impossible to make a decision on what situations and where you need to carry vs not carry. It's actually quite simple, always carry. A gun on your night stand only helps you at night, a gun in a safe is useless, a gun in a glove box is useless, your gun in your truck while you are in the store is useless.

There are probably some more things I will think of later. Overall, Good Job Wyatt. Don't get down on yourself thinking about the what ifs. You protected your family and gave the info to the authorities to help them do their job. That's how it should be.

 

[jeeptj99]

I really can't say what I would have done in that situation. I'll have to really thinK about that for a while. I believe you acted in the best interest of your family and that is the most important thing.

Here are a few things that I can immediately take away from the situation. These aren't necessarily directly related, but are some things that have been on my mind since reading.

1. My EDC every day carry gun is a smith bodyguard .380. 7 shots and not the gun I am most accurate with, but it's comfortable. My mindset is that it's better to carry a gun that I will actually want to put on my person every day instead of carrying my fullsize and leaving it in the truck. After reading the story, I am thinking about exploring more holster options and making my fullsize my EDC. 17 vs 7 plus fullsize accuracy could be the difference between life and death in an actual gunfight.

2. If you aren't carrying period, I suggest you start. I also suggest familiarizing yourself with your state's gun laws. Since I have made a point to become more gun law aware, it has amazed me the sheer amount of hear say and just blatant lies that surround gun laws. The majority of the population has no clue what their actial rights are. If you are in Alabama, I suggest looking up Bamacarry. Great group of knowledgeable straight forward guys who even have monthly chapter meetings in different parts of the state.

3. If you are carrying, good job. Here is the test though. If a guy wanting to harm you or your family was in your face right this very moment how long would it take or how hard would it be to get to your firearm. In our crazy world, it's almost impossible to make a decision on what situations and where you need to carry vs not carry. It's actually quite simple, always carry. A gun on your night stand only helps you at night, a gun in a safe is useless, a gun in a glove box is useless, your gun in your truck while you are in the store is useless.

There are probably some more things I will think of later. Overall, Good Job Wyatt. Don't get down on yourself thinking about the what ifs. You protected your family and gave the info to the authorities to help them do their job. That's how it should be.

There are so many options for holsters now and with winter coming up a full size is so much easier to conceal. You make several good points. Some of my friends make fun of me for practicing my draw and reloading in awkward positions, 1 handed, or laying on my back things like that. BUT you play how you practice.

 

[Dwill817]

I really can't say what I would have done in that situation. I'll have to really thinK about that for a while. I believe you acted in the best interest of your family and that is the most important thing.

Here are a few things that I can immediately take away from the situation. These aren't necessarily directly related, but are some things that have been on my mind since reading.

1. My EDC every day carry gun is a smith bodyguard .380. 7 shots and not the gun I am most accurate with, but it's comfortable. My mindset is that it's better to carry a gun that I will actually want to put on my person every day instead of carrying my fullsize and leaving it in the truck. After reading the story, I am thinking about exploring more holster options and making my fullsize my EDC. 17 vs 7 plus fullsize accuracy could be the difference between life and death in an actual gunfight.

2. If you aren't carrying period, I suggest you start. I also suggest familiarizing yourself with your state's gun laws. Since I have made a point to become more gun law aware, it has amazed me the sheer amount of hear say and just blatant lies that surround gun laws. The majority of the population has no clue what their actial rights are. If you are in Alabama, I suggest looking up Bamacarry. Great group of knowledgeable straight forward guys who even have monthly chapter meetings in different parts of the state.

3. If you are carrying, good job. Here is the test though. If a guy wanting to harm you or your family was in your face right this very moment how long would it take or how hard would it be to get to your firearm. In our crazy world, it's almost impossible to make a decision on what situations and where you need to carry vs not carry. It's actually quite simple, always carry. A gun on your night stand only helps you at night, a gun in a safe is useless, a gun in a glove box is useless, your gun in your truck while you are in the store is useless.

There are probably some more things I will think of later. Overall, Good Job Wyatt. Don't get down on yourself thinking about the what ifs. You protected your family and gave the info to the authorities to help them do their job. That's how it should be.

I almost posted the exact thing last night and then back out..

I'll add some advice..

If you don't want a full size, look into a gun the size of a G19 or an M&P 9C, both are around 13rnds.

When it come to carrying a larger gun, a good GUN belt will make all the difference and a decent holster.

It's very possible and quite easy to conceal a full size or midsize gun with just a T-shirt.. You have to realize how many people are clueless and glued to their phones..

And +1 to everything you said especially the part about not leaving it in your truck, etc. it does no good if you don't have it!

 

[InDaShop]

What he said ....


To the OP what do you carry ? A revolver of some sorts ? Does your wife carry ?

Its still 90 degrees here on the gulf coast, so shorts, tshirt and flipflops is my daily apparel. With this attire, I carry a Ruger LCP (380) in a Uncle Georges pocket wallet. Right front pocket. Prints like an Iphone.

I really can't say what I would have done in that situation. I'll have to really thinK about that for a while. I believe you acted in the best interest of your family and that is the most important thing.

Here are a few things that I can immediately take away from the situation. These aren't necessarily directly related, but are some things that have been on my mind since reading.

1. My EDC every day carry gun is a smith bodyguard .380. 7 shots and not the gun I am most accurate with, but it's comfortable. My mindset is that it's better to carry a gun that I will actually want to put on my person every day instead of carrying my fullsize and leaving it in the truck. After reading the story, I am thinking about exploring more holster options and making my fullsize my EDC. 17 vs 7 plus fullsize accuracy could be the difference between life and death in an actual gunfight.

2. If you aren't carrying period, I suggest you start. I also suggest familiarizing yourself with your state's gun laws. Since I have made a point to become more gun law aware, it has amazed me the sheer amount of hear say and just blatant lies that surround gun laws. The majority of the population has no clue what their actial rights are. If you are in Alabama, I suggest looking up Bamacarry. Great group of knowledgeable straight forward guys who even have monthly chapter meetings in different parts of the state.

3. If you are carrying, good job. Here is the test though. If a guy wanting to harm you or your family was in your face right this very moment how long would it take or how hard would it be to get to your firearm. In our crazy world, it's almost impossible to make a decision on what situations and where you need to carry vs not carry. It's actually quite simple, always carry. A gun on your night stand only helps you at night, a gun in a safe is useless, a gun in a glove box is useless, your gun in your truck while you are in the store is useless.

There are probably some more things I will think of later. Overall, Good Job Wyatt. Don't get down on yourself thinking about the what ifs. You protected your family and gave the info to the authorities to help them do their job. That's how it should be.

Agree on gun laws. And EDC makes you a very cognizant observer of your surroundings. People are zombies these days. Walking around clueless zombies.

Exactly Jrich. I carry a comfortable, but ****s worth of inaccurate little pistol. But its always there. And no one knows or notices either. About a month ago, was picking up my daughter from a pool party, and the moms all swimsuited up and drinking margaritas were all talking about getting their CHL's and shooting , etc as I got there. They started asking me about guns, and I said, I'll gladly take any one of you to the range, or loan you a pistol for you to try out, and go with your husbands, etc. I said I carry everywhere. and they called BS. No kidding right there in front of 10 suburban moms and probably 20 kids. Multiple moms are like, where? So I pull it up and out enough they see its real. And I got high 5'ved by a few, and a few got silent. All thought it was my cell phone.

As for carry, I had not gone to a "truck" gun but that changed. I started stabbing a Glock17 butt up between the seat and the console. Something more permanent in the works.
If someone had come though my window, I couldnt have drawn my LCP anyway, its folded in leg bend, and has a seatbelt over it. Lotta no good its going to do there...

I know I did the more right thing on Sunday. But sucks thats the breaks.

 

[TBItoy]

Check out the new LCP II for a pocket gun.

Love mine, and way more accurate/easier to shoot than a gen 1 LCP.

 

[creepycrawly]

Its still 90 degrees here on the gulf coast, so shorts, tshirt and flipflops is my daily apparel. With this attire, I carry a Ruger LCP (380) in a Uncle Georges pocket wallet. Right front pocket. Prints like an Iphone.






Agree on gun laws. And EDC makes you a very cognizant observer of your surroundings. People are zombies these days. Walking around clueless zombies.

Exactly Jrich. I carry a comfortable, but ****s worth of inaccurate little pistol. But its always there. And no one knows or notices either. About a month ago, was picking up my daughter from a pool party, and the moms all swimsuited up and drinking margaritas were all talking about getting their CHL's and shooting , etc as I got there. They started asking me about guns, and I said, I'll gladly take any one of you to the range, or loan you a pistol for you to try out, and go with your husbands, etc. I said I carry everywhere. and they called BS. No kidding right there in front of 10 suburban moms and probably 20 kids. Multiple moms are like, where? So I pull it up and out enough they see its real. And I got high 5'ved by a few, and a few got silent. All thought it was my cell phone.

As for carry, I had not gone to a "truck" gun but that changed. I started stabbing a Glock17 butt up between the seat and the console. Something more permanent in the works.
If someone had come though my window, I couldnt have drawn my LCP anyway, its folded in leg bend, and has a seatbelt over it. Lotta no good its going to do there...

I know I did the more right thing on Sunday. But sucks thats the breaks.

That is exactly what I carry. Mine goes in my back pocket so it's easier to get to. My truck has pistol holsters sewn in both front seat covers between my legs for a full size truck gun because I know I can't get to my back pocket quickly sitting in traffic.

I also prefer this because I am not taking my carry gun in and out like some folks. I tried that and learned that I would occasionally forget it while pumping gas or making quick excursions from the truck. Not worth it.

Carrying all day, every day means that it's there whether I need it or not.

Sweet little setup.

 

[InDaShop]

Once it gets cooler, i switch to an LC9 on my waist, and my LCP fits in the top of my boot.

Tell me about this gen1 gen 2 lcp stuff. I hadnt seen anything on that.

 

[jeeptj99]

Once it gets cooler, i switch to an LC9 on my waist, and my LCP fits in the top of my boot.

Tell me about this gen1 gen 2 lcp stuff. I hadnt seen anything on that.

http://www.ruger.com/products/lcpII/models.html

They changed the grip, put a pocket holster in the box, made it hold back after the last round, and raised the price ha. We have only gotten a few in at work. Havent had a chance to shoot one yet. The super tiny 380's don't fit my hands that great, my 43 is on the small side, but all that gun is for is to get me to my car/truck and then the game really changes.

 

[creepycrawly]

I hadn't seen the lcp2. Looks like I may try to put my hands on one and decide between it and an lcp custom. I'd definitely like a little more real estate in the sight department. The trigger improvement is also welcome!

What I found is that the hogue grip for my lcp makes the gun much much more pleasant to shoot. The tradeoff is that it is thicker and makes it less pleasant to carry/sit on.

 

[Dwill817]

Y'all could easily carry something like a Shield, G34, LC9 etc all year round no matter what your wearing..

Those little pocket guns like LCPs are so hard to shoot when your standing still trying to shoot good, much less so when your in a bad situation.. you gotta realize that you are accountable for every shot that doesn't hit your intended target as well as the ones that do..

I promise once you get used to it, it's much more comfortable to carry a near full size gun year round..