Have you ever just had to show you're armed?

[rugertoter]

Was just sitting remembering an incident that happened to me quite a few years ago at lafayette square. I was home on leave for Christmas from the Corp. and my girl wanted to go shopping. We were walking down the mall and I see three male teenagers (I assume) walking toward us....well they were three across and taking up the whole walkway....we tried moving to one side and the one closest to me shoulders me hard as they walked by. Obviously on purpose, so I turned around around and said "Dude WTF" and his reply was "shut up MF'er or I'll put a cap in your ass" and made a pistol with his fingers. Well I just stopped and they turned and started walking back towards us. Well being a young Marine full of **** and vinager I told them to **** off and slid my coat back showing my G19 I had IWB. Well they couldn't get away fast enough which actually surprised me.... I was expecting big problems because they were of age to be packing. Gangs were just getting started in that area. Looking back now I realize how stupid I was and would just blow it off, but got me wondering.

Have you ever had to just show you were armed to defuse a situation?

I had to draw down on some crumb-bum one time because he would not believe me when I said I did not have ten bucks to give him, but other than that I have tried hard not to let anyone know I am packing. Lets just say I like to have a low profile.

 

[charley59]

About 20+ years ago, while riding a motorcycle on a deserted 2 lane highway, in daylight, in northern Indiana. Had someone following me way too close in a pickup truck. I tried slowing down to let the truck pass. didn't work. So I sped up, didn't work, the truck continued to follow way too close. I lifted my jacket up and over, exposing my belt holstered Dan Wesson stainless .357. Seemed to do the trick. The pickup truck backed way off, soon disappearing from view.

 

[24Carat]

No display but the point was taken. My wife and myself and another couple were strolling around downtown Indy after a nice supper. I had been carrying my new Gen1 Glock 17 for about two weeks. Had it in a fanny pack . A big old grungy pan handler didn't accept my rebuke and had been following us for almost two blocks talking ****. As he got bolder and closer I turned around and made a finger gun and held it over the fanny pack. Bye bye annoyance!

 

[JoshuaRWhite]

Not yet. Hope I don't.

 

[A 7.62 Exodus]

Well, this one time.......at church camp....

 

[NapalmFTW]

For the most part I semi-CC or OC anyway so it would be easy to just open my jacket really obviously... not that anyone notices it when I'm OCing anyway.

 

[Caleb]

No display but the point was taken. My wife and myself and another couple were strolling around downtown Indy after a nice supper. I had been carrying my new Gen1 Glock 17 for about two weeks. Had it in a fanny pack . A big old grungy pan handler didn't accept my rebuke and had been following us for almost two blocks talking ****. As he got bolder and closer I turned around and made a finger gun and held it over the fanny pack. Bye bye annoyance!

Omg! A fanny pack?! lol

 

[.40caltrucker]

I haven't, but my uncle told me a funny story. He was stopped at an intersection in Houston and a bum wanted to clean his windshield for money. He told the guy no thanks and the bum wouldn't listen. As the bum proceeded to wash his windshield, he proceeded to tap his 44 mag on the glass. This got his attention. Needless to say, he left my uncle alone!

^^^

Waiting for our resident atty to weigh in on this one, but if I'm not mistaken, isn't this called "brandishing"? And isn't that at least a misdemeanor?

Op was legal but fountainjls uncle committed a class a misdemeanor in TX by not keeping his firearm concealed.

 

[minx]

I fear when they see the mouse gun. Will they run in fear, or die laughing?

 

[MickeyBlueEyes]

I remember one time on the Highway, when I was driving between two towns that I was injection plastic moldsetting in, I came up on this purple '78 Econovan from Michigan in the fast lane. I was about a half mile behind and closing fast, so I flashed my brights. The guy didn't get over, so I went around him in the Slow Lane. The Purple Van then got behind me, flashing his brights and sped up to chase me, at which point he made contact with my bumper doing 75 mph. I turned on my Dome Light, and used my Rear View Mirror to aquire the target, and suddenly the purple van didn't want to bump my rear end any more. I really didn't want a high speed crash, I just wanted to get to the plant that called me in, and get done, not die because some Douche Bag was playing power games in the fast lane on the Highway. Seeing as it was Vehicular and we could both die, I rationalized and justified that living through the experience was more of a benefit than intrastate relations. I did mitigate
the commision of a Class D felony against my person.
IC 35-42-2-2

(1) a Class A misdemeanor if the conduct includes the use of a vehicle;
(2) a Class D felony if:
(A) it is committed while armed with a deadly weapon; or
(B) the person committed aggressive driving (as defined in IC 9-21-8-55) that results in serious bodily injury to another person; or

 

[24Carat]

Omg! A fanny pack?! lol

Oh yeah, LOL !! I still have it but 100 lbs later I would need 8 2" extenders for the belt to wear it!

A fashion that will surely come back doncha think?

 

[Caleb]

Oh yeah, LOL !! I still have it but 100 lbs later I would need 8 2" extenders for the belt to wear it!

A fashion that will surely come back doncha think?

Maybe the day the red Elvis carpet becomes the current fad

 

[hoosierdoc]

I hope I never have to. It sounds like you were completely justified. Their intentions were obviously to try and do you harm, perhaps mug you. It sounds to me like you DE-escalated the situation.

No, their intention was to be jerks and intimidate as evidenced by the shoulder and keep walking. The "WTF?" comment escalated it to where the jek then threated to shoot the OP, to which the OP further escalated by showing his gun.

Take the shoulder, keep walking. Or, brace for it and have the dude get knocked back.

 

[melensdad]

Have you ever had to just show you were armed to defuse a situation?

I credit open carrying with the fact that I am alive today to respond. But in my story it was 2 gang-bangers.

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

Closest I've been is to have my hand on my IWB under my coat, ready to click the safety, but not showing, while I explained to the guy I was running plastic just then and didn't have any cash on me. I fire left handed, but do other things right handed, so it's pretty easy to distract most people. Kind of a magician thing.

 

[Mgderf]

I took the Utah CCW safety course a week or so ago. They told us that in Utah that "showing" your sidearm is considered "brandishing", and is punishable by law. You do NOT need to pull it, only present it.
Actually, they said Utah is a concealed carry ONLY state, and if you even accidentally let your firearm be seen, you could be arrested and charged with "brandishing".

I would guess it could be construed to be "brandishing" in Indiana, and I believe that is a crime here as well, unless you can prove self-defense that is.

 

[Creeper26]

Only once, two guys walked toward me at a gas station in Fort Wayne while I was
Pumping gas, one from the front one from the back, pretty shady. I just lifted my shirt to show the 1911 and they made tracks. If it weren't 3am I probably wouldn't have done that.

 

[melensdad]

I would guess it could be construed to be "brandishing" in Indiana, and I believe that is a crime here as well, unless you can prove self-defense that is.

Indiana has NO BRANDISHING law on the books.

We are also allowed to OPENLY CARRY.

 

[printcraft]

I usually do it like this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z5JFc8-TQM

 

[Mgderf]

Indiana has NO BRANDISHING law on the books.

We are also allowed to OPENLY CARRY.

Open carrying is one thing, and "brandishing" by that term, may not be illegal in Indiana. I am fairly certain however, that a good prosecutor would make an intimidation charge stick if they really wanted to. Who knows, they may even go for assault. It only escalates to battery if you use it.