Somebody’s Got to Pull the Trigger

Discussion in 'Gun Control' started by 6Gunner, Mar 5, 2019.

  1. 6Gunner

    6Gunner Banned

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    Read it again. "I also laid on the horn; for which I received a pair of one finger salutes from the backseat passengers before the car took the next off-ramp." Obviously they got back on after we passed; I check my mirrors religiously, but then one set of headlights tends to look like another during night driving, and there were a lot of headlights. When we were at the rest stop there was a couple of minutes before they showed up, so obviously they were quite aways behind us once they got back on the highway. I don't know what they did in the interim; all I know is what happened when they arrived.
     
  2. dave8383

    dave8383 Banned at Members Request Past Donor

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    It was at night? How did they know you were at the rest stop?
     
  3. 6Gunner

    6Gunner Banned

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    You do know some rest stops have LIGHTS, don't you?? A blue SUV with a big silver and orange trailer on the back kind of stands out.

    But, I get it. You don't want to believe it happened; people like you never want to acknowledge such incidents occur.
     
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  4. dave8383

    dave8383 Banned at Members Request Past Donor

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    No, you don't get it. Nothing to do with not believing it. It has to do with figuring out exactly what happened.

    If the rest stop was well light, were there people around? And if there were people around, they went after you with a tire iron in public view?
     
    Last edited: Mar 19, 2019
  5. Well Bonded

    Well Bonded Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Seven years back on March twelfth I pulled into a convenience store in the fifteen hundred block of N.W. nineteenth street in Fort Lauderdale, as I exited my vehicle I noticed a bank of payphones to the left of the front door, a young man appeared to be using one of them.

    Upon exiting the store with a cold drink the man hung up the phone and proceeded to follow me to my car, as I went to unlock the door he got what I considered too close and pulled a knife, I cleared my shirt on my right side and drew a Colt Officers ACP .45, the guy literally began backing up turned and rabbited, I re-holstered got in my car and left.

    I am quite sure had I not been armed I would have been robbed and maybe knifed as well.

    About a mile from the store I was pulled over by an FLPD officer who I knew wanting to know what just happened, it was explained and I was then strongly advised if such should ever happen again to stay put and call them, I was then ordered to return to the store where I discovered they had the guy with the knife in the back of one of their cars his ID and knife was on the trunk lid.

    My wife who was a Deputy Clerk of the Courts at the time pulled and followed the case and discovered he took a plea bargain and was sentenced to 6 months plus a years probation, which he POV'ed and ended up serving an additional year in prison.

    He was nineteen when sentenced.
     
    Last edited: Mar 19, 2019
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  6. 6Gunner

    6Gunner Banned

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    There was a semi parked in one of the truck spaces; guy was probably asleep. No one else was there but us. The tire iron was for intimidation; they must have figured we'd quiver with fear. But when they realized I wasn't impressed by the tire iron one made as if to draw a gun. If my wife hadn't had the shotgun to finally back them down I was fully prepared to shoot him.
     
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  7. An Taibhse

    An Taibhse Well-Known Member

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    So, were you in the margin or the young fellows? Of course, if you followed the correct GCA mythology ala Hollywood you would have MadMaxed them as expected. We are a scary lot.
     
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  8. dave8383

    dave8383 Banned at Members Request Past Donor

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    Anytime you have a confrontation on the highway and the car pulls off at the next exit, be highly suspicious. Don't pull into an empty, except for one semi, rest stop not too far down the road. Most of us know that.

    Funny how people who are walking around with the solution, find the problem, and those of us who don't, don't.
     
    Last edited: Mar 19, 2019
  9. 6Gunner

    6Gunner Banned

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    Blah blah. There was a reason to stop, so I stopped. I maintained vigilance and noticed the threat coming and was ready to respond. They focused on me and missed my wife getting into position. We were ready to erase them from existence, and had the tactical advantage.

    In the end, the punks confronted someone who wasn't a lamb to be slaughtered, and they exposed themselves for what they were without succeeding in their predation on others. I provided authorities with their descriptions and their vehicle information. Their freedom to confront innocent people on the roadside is now going to be reduced and their likelihood of capture and incarceration increased.

    I'm amused that you have a problem with that.
     
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  10. 6Gunner

    6Gunner Banned

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    Yep. I was about a heartbeat away from engaging him when my wife's timely intervention made it unnecessary.
     
  11. Texan

    Texan Well-Known Member

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    Having a wife who has your back is a beautiful thing.
     
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  12. Well Bonded

    Well Bonded Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Why should the law abiding have to modify their lives to avoid a one in a million encounter?

    They idiots aggressively cut you off, gave you the finger and took off leaving the highway soon thereafter.

    What are you supposed to do, drive to the next state before taking a leak, or worse telling the wife to hold it?

    That's living marginalized!

    And we don't do that in the U.S.
     
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  13. Well Bonded

    Well Bonded Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    More so when she works in the legal system.
     
  14. Texan

    Texan Well-Known Member

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    What you described is against the law and would cost you your defense to prosecution where I live. Your irrelevant scenario is irrelevant. Go figure.
     
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  15. An Taibhse

    An Taibhse Well-Known Member

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    Even if you take all the advised precautions possible avoiding being targeted as prey cannot always be avoidable. There are those the seek to prey on others, many that seek what they perceive as easy, no risk prey and a family or person alone can appear to be easy prey, particularly by multiple hyenas in a pack or mob. Often, the victim/s can be ancillary from the twisted internal expression of the bolstering of dominance in a pack where rather than risking internal group conflict, individual members compete to goad each other to externalization and project their violence in the direction of least risk where follow the momentary leader becomes the order of the day and the collective mindlessness of a mob emerges. Any perceived external challenge must be met, and individuals within the group perceive they are backed by numbers. It can happen with as few as two, but takes on a different dimension in larger numbers.
    It can happen anywhere in the blink of an eye, and sometimes can’t be avoided because the threats can be anywhere among the population in any environment. If seen by the group, any attempt to avoid conflict, like something running from big cat or bear, can trigger a predatory response. That behavior can be found in every society, but like in the wild, you don’t necessarily have to win against a pack, but demonstrate a potential and unpredictable risk. Having a gun can make you an unpredictable risk and can sometimes resolve some situations without inflicting actual injury on anyone.
    While I have multiple instances of defending myself or others from being victimized, in the past and some associated with owning a nightclub where alcohol is in the mix, What often comes to mind is a adedote from a couple decades ago. I had, and still have a close, liberal friend that always seeks to avoid any sketchy situation. He, if most were to observe him he would give an impression of carrying himself as a victim. We often frequented one music venue in town and walked down a darker portion of a Main Street. Between the locations outside a small grocer, several lads would hang in a group, generally standing around, blocking the path of anyone passing through. I always maintained my path heading directly toward the group without hesitation and looking anyone in front of me directly in the eye. On eye contact with any, there was a general reciprocated nod; I never had a problem. My friend often mentioned feeling uncomfortable, but safe with me. One time when I was away, he made the comment he he wished I had been along the weekend before. He made the trek and before encountering the usual crowd he went to cross the street to avoid them. One of the individuals emerged from the group, crossed the street, asked for change, then sucker punched him followed by several hits. It stopped only because a black and white was approaching. A number of days, later, we went the same path and I didn’t vary my routing, except, a fellow that wouldn’t look me in the eye and shrunk a bit behind the others while I continued to look directly at him (later my friend said he thought that was the fellow that hit him). Despite being out numbered, nothing. happened. I wasn’t armed (at least with a gun). Why not? I have my theory.
     
  16. 6Gunner

    6Gunner Banned

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    Nope. But I'm not surprised you don't understand that.

    So, you think a woman who gets raped brought it on herself. Telling.
     
  17. An Taibhse

    An Taibhse Well-Known Member

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    Team work is nice if you’ve the right partner.
    Half the battle is not reacting as a victim, triggering a predatory response. Carrying confidence and situational awareness makes you an unpredictable risk. No need to bluster, to be goaded into anger or escalation. And, in your case, having a gun and a partner, despite willingness to commit (something that can be read in your posture) probably saved lives. Hmmm... Lott & Kleck?
     
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  18. Well Bonded

    Well Bonded Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Sometimes the best way to avoid a confrontation, when a threat appears, is not to cross the street and try to avoid it and therefore attract it.

    Animals, which criminals are, always go for the weak targets.

    The problem is too many stand down and are willing to kneel down and accept what the animals offer, even if it is serious injury or death.
     
  19. Well Bonded

    Well Bonded Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    An un-predictable risk is what animals avoid, if you look like someone that will explode in their face they write you off and move on.
     
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  20. An Taibhse

    An Taibhse Well-Known Member

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    I was probably 7 years old when I learned that. In school I was told a small group was waiting up the hall to ‘****’ my ‘***’. I had no where to go without being confronted. While somewhat scared, I walk directly to the group to pass and when the largest of them blocked my path to initiate the usual posturing ritual, I smacked him as hard as I could with the spine of the two books I had and kept hitting him as hard as I could until dragged off by a couple teachers. I got punished by the school and my parents (though my uncle secretly said...’Right thing to do’). I was never bothered again in primary school.
     
  21. a better world

    a better world Well-Known Member

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    From the article:

    <<<There are 3,142 counties (or equivalent jurisdictions) in the United States. 63 of those counties, just 2%, accounted for 51% of all murders annually. 157 of those government entities, a mere 5%, accounted for 68% of gun murders!>>>


    Echoing Trump's 2016 campaign statement:

    "You are living in poverty, your neighbourhoods are like war zones, your schools and hospitals are broken...."

    Referred to as "liberal shitholes" by another ideologically-blinkered poster on this thread.

    Note: "It's the economy, stupid" (Bill Clinton).

    So how do you propose to rid the nation of these regions of poverty?

    I've yet to see a reasoned proposal from a Conservative perspective.... allocating blame for poverty, when in fact the resources to eliminate poverty do exist, is not good enough.

    Interestingly, another poster has the tag line: "America is at peace because the CIA is at war".

    Some contradictions with that proposition? America is at peace... yet many feel unsafe to the extent of needing to carry a gun?

    As for the CIA, its mission to promote US interests alone will in no way ameliorate conditions overseas that led to, eg,
    Trump's own (not very helpful) proposition that the Mexican Wall is vital, to keep out refugees from "shitholes" in Africa and Latin America.

    In short we are all in this together, whether gun lovers or gun haters.

    Lets get rid of poverty wherever it exists.

    Starting point: UN Universal Dec. of Human Rights, article 25:

    Everyone has a right to above-poverty participation in the economy.

     
  22. dave8383

    dave8383 Banned at Members Request Past Donor

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    What a bunch of sh*t but it's interesting to see that you think of yourself as a woman.
     
    Last edited: Mar 19, 2019
  23. dave8383

    dave8383 Banned at Members Request Past Donor

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    You're the one who can't drive down the highway without getting in trouble.

    Next time you leave the house, try bringing your brains and leave the gun behind.
     
    Last edited: Mar 19, 2019
  24. dave8383

    dave8383 Banned at Members Request Past Donor

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    Well, in the game of survival of the fittest some need an extra edge. Their brawn and brain aren't enough so they carry. Too bad, they're allowed to reproduce and it throws off the gene pool.
     
    Last edited: Mar 19, 2019
  25. Well Bonded

    Well Bonded Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    That's called planning, like owning a fire extinguisher.

    That's true, sometimes they mate with a looser and produce anti-gun liberal wimps who prefer to drop to their knees and do as they are told, versus defending themselves and their family.
     
    Last edited: Mar 20, 2019
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