The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > Hogan's Alley > Tactics and Training

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old October 16, 2014, 10:13 PM   #1
Dano4734
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 6, 2014
Posts: 730
A real life situation

About 10 years ago I was working late at a hospital repairing their computer system. The hospital was located in a rough part of the city, anyway when I left the hospital a young nurse walked out a head of me. While heading back to my car a guy jumped out of the bushes and went after the young nurse with a knife. I pulled a .45 colt commander screamed and he saw the gun and took off. She was fine. He came within 10 yards of her and had he not ran I would have dropped him.

When the police arrived all they were concerned about is did I have a license. Of course I did. I live in New York state and not many people have Concealed Carry license here but I do. . This is an awful state for our 2nd Admendment.

When she described the guy and then talked to me he said "well hey its a rough neighborhood and left.

I scratched my head and thought what would have happened had I not been carrying. They never caught the guy since I never heard anything again.

I look back and think maybe I should have fired as soon as I noticed a knife. I don't know the answer to that question .

I am new here, Thank you for listening my friends
Dan
Dano4734 is offline  
Old October 16, 2014, 10:23 PM   #2
Dano4734
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 6, 2014
Posts: 730
by the way

I have the highest respect for our police officers, I just wasn't impressed with the guy who took our statements. The nurse told me they never leave the building without being escorted but she had to go home for her son for some reason.

Amazing you are just going to your car, exhausted from working, just wanting to go to sleep and you have to go into a fight mode in a fraction of a second .. That real life situation made me aware now to be alert. It is really a hard thing to keep in mind for sure. Much harder than learning to group some shots in a target.

I no longer carry a .45 colt commander. I carry a glock 23. It is lighter for me and easier to conceal and a good shooter.

Last edited by Dano4734; October 16, 2014 at 10:30 PM.
Dano4734 is offline  
Old October 16, 2014, 10:31 PM   #3
Onward Allusion
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 17, 2009
Location: Back in a Non-Free State
Posts: 3,133
Be glad you didn't "drop" him. Paperwork is a major pain, not to mention the legal hassles. You are a prime example of a citizen using a gun to stop a crime but no shots were fired. Just know you did good.
__________________
Simple as ABC . . . Always Be Carrying
Onward Allusion is offline  
Old October 16, 2014, 10:44 PM   #4
Dano4734
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 6, 2014
Posts: 730
thank you

Thank you my friend. I was very glad I didn't fire for sure. The lesson I really learned is you never know when you have to go from your day to day thoughts and activities and a split second later have to use deadly force. I don't think most folks realize that if you are out or with you wife and kids and a split second later you are in a life or death situation. Really throws you brain into a tailspin.
Dano4734 is offline  
Old October 17, 2014, 02:32 AM   #5
HungryHunter
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 16, 2012
Location: Arizona
Posts: 164
I think you did phenomenal. Everybody went home that day. No one got hurt.
HungryHunter is offline  
Old October 17, 2014, 07:47 AM   #6
Skans
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 20, 2008
Posts: 11,132
I also think you did as good as you could. But, it is stories like this one that makes me soooo glad I don't live in New York/New Jersey. For so many reasons, but the main one being that the cops are more interested in persecuting folks for protecting themselves rather than chasing violent criminals. So wrong on so many levels it really disgusts me.
Skans is offline  
Old October 17, 2014, 08:31 AM   #7
Spats McGee
Staff
 
Join Date: July 28, 2010
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 8,819
Welcome to TFL, Dano4734!

I'm going to second Onward Allusion's comment. You stopped a bad guy from doing bad things, and did it without ending his life. Whether you had later been found to be in the right or in the wrong, it still could have been a tremendous hassle. That's at best. At worst, you could have gone to prison.

I went to a self- and home-defense seminar about a year and a half ago. Not a training session on a range, just a seminar. Nonetheless, to paraphrase one of the presenter's comments, and one that stuck with me: "Folks who want to defend themselves constantly ask, 'When can I shoot?' That's the wrong question. The question they should be asking is, 'Do I have to shoot?'"

You did it, you lived, the bad guy was thwarted, and your legal hassles were minimized. That's about as good a result as you can reasonably hope for when you've had to pull a gun on someone.
__________________
I'm a lawyer, but I'm not your lawyer. If you need some honest-to-goodness legal advice, go buy some.
Spats McGee is offline  
Old October 17, 2014, 10:42 AM   #8
Hiker 1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 7, 2011
Location: Colorado
Posts: 596
You did everything right. Who knows - maybe nearly getting shot sent that guy down a different road in life.

Curious - did you get a vibe or a feeling that something was going down? It sounds like you were on top of a fluid situation very quickly and that's highly commendable.

I was in a very similar situation about 20 years ago and I swear, I felt it coming even before it did. No shots fired, either.
Hiker 1 is offline  
Old October 17, 2014, 11:19 AM   #9
kayakersteve
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 17, 2007
Location: Western NY
Posts: 925
Well, technically you probably broke the law...

All hospitals in NYS are off-limits for guns unless an officer on duty. Just be glad the cop didn't catch onto the fact that you just walked out of hospital where you were packing.
__________________
See Ya!
kayakersteve is offline  
Old October 17, 2014, 11:28 AM   #10
g.willikers
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 28, 2008
Posts: 10,442
He may have been aware, just not interested in persecuting the innocent.
Not all cops, even in NY, blindly follow unjust laws.
Or maybe he didn't want to have to do a bunch of paperwork either.
It might have been close to the end of his shift.
__________________
Walt Kelly, alias Pogo, sez:
“Don't take life so serious, son, it ain't nohow permanent.”
g.willikers is offline  
Old October 17, 2014, 12:01 PM   #11
skoro
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 30, 2008
Location: Texas
Posts: 1,952
Resolving the situation w/o gunfire or injuries is the best possible outcome.
skoro is offline  
Old October 17, 2014, 01:11 PM   #12
Dano4734
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 6, 2014
Posts: 730
Hospital

They are not off limits, you check your firearm at security. You pick it up on the way out as you do on any campus. No you don't carry inside. I was completely legal

Last edited by Dano4734; October 17, 2014 at 01:58 PM.
Dano4734 is offline  
Old October 17, 2014, 09:27 PM   #13
James K
Member In Memoriam
 
Join Date: March 17, 1999
Posts: 24,383
You just created a new recruit to the cause of gun control, and Bloomberg will welcome him with open arms and a medal. After all, how can a poor, downtrodden robber and rapist expect to thrive if people are allowed to carry guns?

Jim
James K is offline  
Old October 17, 2014, 09:33 PM   #14
Dano4734
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 6, 2014
Posts: 730
Amen

So true my friend
Dano4734 is offline  
Old October 17, 2014, 09:50 PM   #15
colbad
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 3, 2012
Posts: 506
There is a trend on Youtube where young idiots think its funny to pull various pranks on the general public and film it. Of course as I point out to my own kids, stupid pranks can get you killed by someone who takes it serious. Your scenario is one that "friends" have been known to pull on friends thinking it funny.

In retrospect, the positive result is proof that you made the right choice. Calling out first avoided a shooting.....although he probably deserved to be shot. In any event, he was probably not going to kill her on the spot but take her away for rape, etc at knife point. As such, you had opportunity to use less immediate options.

With the cavalier attitude you stated the woman exhibited to the whole event, who knows what support she would have given you had you shot him. What if she said she was not afraid and had not fear? You would then being in the uncomfortable position of proving the imminence of death or grievous bodily harm over her own words.....not a good position.
colbad is offline  
Old October 17, 2014, 10:23 PM   #16
Dano4734
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 6, 2014
Posts: 730
No

She was quite shook up and crying. I apologize if I did not get into the details. I am only thankful I didn't have to shoot. Had he kept going it would have ended bad for both of us. You don'ttthink about the after when a situation is so bad it doesn't matter. You don't have time you just trust that you are reasonable person. You just don't have time you just react and hope your up bring keeps you on path
I would have shot had he force it. But his running away the threat was gone and she was safe and me

Last edited by Dano4734; October 17, 2014 at 10:37 PM.
Dano4734 is offline  
Old October 17, 2014, 10:44 PM   #17
Dano4734
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 6, 2014
Posts: 730
I

I always been a person who helps others not hurts them
However if I am forced I will but if there is any other way it is always a better choice. In that split second I think you just rely on your gut. No time to think of the after till theaafter
Dano4734 is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:57 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.08252 seconds with 8 queries