Have Gun — Can Still Lose

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So, you carry a handgun for self defense. Your CCW is up-to-date, you go to the range at least every few weeks and practice, and have attended a shooting school or two. Great, you’ve checked most of the blocks to make you well prepared and ready to deal with any threat you may encounter. Or are you?

Consider the following situation. You are returning to your car parked in the local parking garage. It is late, you notice that the area your car is parked in is not well-lit. As you approach your car, two young males step out of the shadows and move toward you. You quickly move toward your car making sure your jacket is open so you can get to your sidearm. A few feet from your car you hear the words, “ Nice ride buddy — how about giving me the keys?” Great …

You turn carefully as your hand goes to your pistol. One look tells you these guys plan on causing you trouble. A mil-lion thoughts go through your head as you draw your handgun to a good low ready position and you announce: “Leave me alone, get away from me.” At the sight of your gun, these two bad guys suddenly decide there’s something pressing they have to attend to, mumble something about wanting no trouble and disappear like a whiff of smoke. You stand there for a few seconds with the strange feeling of “What in the hell just happened” then quickly check your flanks to insure there is nobody else waiting to ambush or harm you. You quickly re-holster and get into your car.

As you put the key in the ignition you note a slight tremor in your hands. What would have happened if you hadn’t had your handgun for protection? After all the training and practice, not a shot was fired and when the bad guys saw your gun they left in a flash. “Wow,” you think, “This self defense stuff really works.” You feel positive about how things went. With care you back out of your parking stall and leave the parking garage plan-ning on returning home with a story to tell your family.

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise

After driving only four or five blocks you are surprised to see flashing blue lights behind you with a police officer signaling you to pull over. A voice from the speaker in the police car orders you to shut off your car, drop the keys out the window and show your hands. “What the hell is going on here,” you wonder.

What has happened is the two bad guys who were prepared to borrow your car and wallet have called the police and reported they were threatened by a crazy man with a gun in the parking garage. Guess who has the problem now?

Understand that in our society, he who cries wolf first is often considered the “victim.” And in America today, police agencies react very quickly to “man with a gun” calls. The response time is typically short and numerous officers tend to respond. The fact is that the police are going to treat you like the criminal, disarm you, and may actually take you into custody unless you are really good when you “’splain the situation” to them. Many agencies don’t give an officer that much of an option on what he can do on a call like this. It’s likely you may be arrested — even if he believes your story. You may find yourself in-custody as they attempt to figure out what “really” hap-pened. If the reporting party is anonymous, it may even be more touchy.

In most states, pointing a firearm at another is at least a misdemeanor, and in many it is a felony. Either way, you may find yourself in need of an attorney and subject to the criminal justice system. Oh joy. All the time you will be saying to yourself — and anyone who will listen — “Hey, I’m the good guy in this.”

Wolf! Wolf!

What did you do wrong? If you have to show your sidearm to defend yourself, make sure you are the first person to call the police, or ask someone else to report the fact you had been threatened and you had to defend yourself. Make sure the complaint to the police comes from you and not someone watching or the cretins who just tried to rob or intimidate you.

As soon as you’re sure the scene is clear and you are safe, dial 911 and report fact you have been assaulted. Give the description of those involved and the direction they fled. Good or bad, this is the way the system works. Make it a point to cry wolf first — and the loudest. It may not sound like the actions of a real tactical tough-guy, but it will give far better results than being on the receiving end of a cop yelling “Show me your hands – now!”

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