Mugging defense senario

[urbanassault]

I do not mean to put you down for the way you go about personal protection it just seemed (to me) a little extreme. I am a 21 year old guy, I am 6'3" with a shaved head and 4guage earings and tattoos, I dont have any respect for people who look at me in a dark parking lot and think that I am going to hold them at knife point and kick their wife in the teath, so incorporating a firearm in that equation would make ME a target, for old fashioned, liberal, anti gunner's being targeted by society is a worse feeling than being targeted by a 17 year old kid with a knife who wants to get his arm broken.

[invention_45]

ROFLPIP !

I never thought I'd hear being liberal referred to as "old-fashioned" !

Um, urbanassault... First, it looks like 3guns is looking at you in the parking lot so he WONT go there and risk having to shoot you if he sees you and, from your appearance, concludes you are a threat. Not so that he WILL go there and shoot you. Sounds like a live/let live attitude to me.

But maybe 3guns doesn't look for appearance as you are assuming. Maybe he looks for behavior. Are you leaning against a car alone and not smoking or talking on a cell phone? That's what I'd look for, whether you are in a tux or naked.

Curious you should use the word "paranoia".

And thanks for the laugh.

[threegun]

Besides your looks (what many would consider strange) you would not draw anymore concern from me that any other strange (again not meant in a insulting manner) people out their. This country is loaded with different people. My job as a father and husband is to look for threats to my family. Not all criminals are tall,shaved head, pirates. The key here is suspicious activity not strange looking.

I asked you how your brain keeps you safe. I think I know your answer......avoiding trouble ect. What do you do when your brain detects trouble but avoiding it is not an option any longer? That is why I carry.

[urbanassault]

ROFLPIP=? never heard that. rolling on floor laughing pooped in pants?

....pirates.

Im a pirate? Now im rolling on the floor pooping in my pants. I wish I was a pirate, have a cap and ball as my CCW! I think that you are wrong in ruling out looks as part of the suspicion, although you say it Im pretty sure its in the back of your head maybe subconcious. Your point has been made, I understand what you are getting at. I did not mean for the questions to be a direct threat. I can understand somebody who is standing in a dark parking lot by themselves as suspicious, but looking inbetween cars for something suspicious, is well suspicous. Also I do not think that I am strange looking but that is part of the "old fashioned" paranoid, generalizations I am talking about....

The key here is suspicious activity not strange looking.

[threegun]

I use an equal opportunity badguy radar. Black, white, weird, doesn't matter. Everybody gets radared.

By pirate I was refering to the earrings.

BTW, I am clean shaven myself. No tats or other body disfiguring thingamabobs though.

OK we are cool then. You understand that there is a difference between paranoia and prepared and I understand your not wanting to be judged or targeted by your "strange" looks lol.

[urbanassault]

I could see if I was sitting on your porch when you got home,

then it would be okay to be allarmed, but it is unappreciated in public

[invention_45]

it's "rolling on floor, peeing in pants", but you were close.

I'm still curious to know what's old-fashioned about being liberal. I thought old-fashioned was being a virgin, or maybe wearing your hair in a bun, or building a TV set with tubes.

Far as your looks (as you describe them) I see waaay stranger than that every day.

Looks like we have 2 people here who both judge books by covers, and to the point that they let appearances scare them.

Both of you (3guns and urbanassault) would do well to take the advice described earlier (I forgot who). Take an advanced self defense course or two (they don't just teach how to hit a target) and if you can't afford it, read up on the matter.

Two texts I highly recommend:

www.nononsenseselfdefense.com

and

The Gift of Fear - Gavin deBecker (most likely available at Barnes & Noble).

Both are long reads. Neither is political. They're like textbooks. When you're done, you'll know what it's all about. Then, finally, take a long look at your state's statutes in two areas. Firearms/Weapons and Use of Force. In Florida they're different areas.

Put all that together, go to the range once in a while and you should be able to confidently protect yourself without being paranoid.

[threegun]

Looks like we have 2 people here who both judge books by covers, and to the point that they let appearances scare them.

Wow! I judge books by their covers? Really I don't. I assume all "books" are potential threats, even those which don't appear (looks) to be. My goal is to never be surprised. Like you said I45 your inner sense tells you when something isn't right. You said it in one word, behavior. If your behavior sets off warning bells in my head, I will avoid you at all costs. I don't judge books by their covers though. That innocent looking one might just get you.

[urbanassault]

yes that was not a very good assumption and you know what happens when you assume.....anyways, speaking of books, I like to shoot phone books, I tape two together and see how far my lead goes into them.....

[threegun]

Urban, Nice AR. Shooting off the back porch, must be nice.

then it would be okay to be alarmed, but it is unappreciated in public

How would you know I was armed ? How would you know that I offended you by thinking that you might be trouble? I don't wear a shirt saying I got a gun. Nobody would ever know.

[urbanassault]

Yeah shooting off the deck is pretty nice, the one thing that I enjoy about living at my parents again is being able to shoot whenever and right outside of our kitchen at that.

How would you know that I offended you by thinking that you might be trouble?

I would know you offended me because you would be offending me, I would know you thought I was trouble by the look (yes there is a look)

[rwking]

this is something that cant be avoided, it can happen while backing out of your garage at home or in a well lit parking lot with lots of people around. what works for one incident will not work for another, the brain is the only smart weapon you have, the body will react to the brain.

[threegun]

Urban, If you don't want those types of looks then why do things to your body to draw attention to it? Some will look at it as cool and some will think weirdo. Me, I try to avoid giving anyone "that look" as it could lead to trouble. The easiest way to start a fight (at least back in the old days) was to give "that look" to someone you wanted trouble from.

In the real world you wouldn't even know I was carrying (as it should be) and you would never know that I even looked twice at you. In 14 years, I have never been caught staring or thinking bad thoughts.

How does that Olympic Arms shoot?

[GUNSMOKE45441]

Urban, I think your signature says all I need to know. We all were young and bulletproof once too.
An old person is like a Slinky: Not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you see one tumble down the stairs.

[urbanassault]

gunsmoke: (not bulletproof though )
3gun: I hear what you are saying, the people who give me the wierd looks are just old fashioned but.....the times are changing. The Oly shoots good, its an older one (has the stop sign thing on the lower) but it works good. I tore it down the other to find a piece of one of the gas rings missing so now I gotta fix that but otherwise it runs awesome, unless I run Wolf then it jams every 3 rounds.....just got a bayonet for it to and that really sets it off. Im trying to keep it original looking without all the doodads and gadgets, Ill build a carbine for that.

[threegun]

Gunsmoke, Are you saying that someday Urban will be fun to look at falling down the stairs LOL. At 6'3" he's gonna be really fun to watch.

[urbanassault]

'picturing an inked up old man laying at the bottom of the stares tangled up in a walker....'
that will be after my 30yr old wife pushes me, soon to find out I spent my millions on gold plated AK's and other miscelanious firearms....

[threegun]

Wasting money on gold plating an AK and you deserve to get pushed.

[Big Calhoun]

Generally I try to park in areas where there are less cars. It makes it easier to see around and under my vehicle. Never carry my keys in hand, I leave them in my pocket with the engine key just outside. If I feel I'm walking into a dangerous situation, I will have my hand ready to draw, but not directly on or near my firearm.

My biggest thing is look alert, not stupid. Muggers generally look for those not paying attention. The 'surprise' factor lends alot to a succesful robbery. The 'weak' looking aren't always targeted...you never know what's in that purse. Same logic applies to those that look 'strong'. In some instances, that can actually be an invitation to trouble as someone might feel they want to test you. Just best to look alert.

[Hook686]

02-27-2006, 10:22 PM #1
Doug.38PR
Senior Member


Okay:
You are walking through the parking lot one night to your car. It's after the movie is over. How do you spot and confront trouble when it is looking for you?


I try to watch in between cars, I watch what is in the cars around me if I can, I try to watch for suspicious cars going through the parkinglot or down the street (driving real slow as though spying me).


But what if I did spot something suspicious? It's too easy to say "Just pull your gun." But at what point? What exactly are you looking for? A subtle approach? A quick strike? What in detail qualifies as suspicious?


Doug.38PR

Doug the more I think about it, the more I think you just have to accept there will be times you are just going to have to accept you are going to be "Dead meat".

I drive slow through a parking lot ... looking for a closer parking spot, to avoid animals present ... a "Suspicious car" can be any other than belonging to someone I know ... anyone can appear to be "Spying you", especially another "You".

A well setup ambush will be successful every time ... you gonna have to relax and enjoy the movie I'm thinking.

[urbanassault]

finally!!!!!!!!!

[threegun]

Hook, You are right. I just prefer to try to see the ambush before it is sprung and avoid it. Doug is asking for help that is very difficult to give, given the multitude of probabilities. Despite the difficulty, we should do our best to help, if we are able to.

[Trip20]

I don't feel it's advice that is difficult to give. I think common sense and a little situational awareness will handle 99% of the potential dangers.

Can't it be that simple?

I refuse to do barrel rolls on my way to the armor plated mini van after taking the kids to see a movie.

[mete]

Trip, yes it's simple - Alert, Aware, Avoid, takes care of most problems....... There is a violent murder in NY in the news . A college student . But in all the discussion I hear no comments about the fact that she was bar hopping . Out to the odd hours of the morning, mostly alone ,hardly the way to insure safety !!!

[threegun]

Trip, Some people get the impression that we live paranoid. I don't go crazy looking in "grassy knolls" ect. I do scan for danger as I walk to my vehicle. I sit facing the door in restaurants, preferrably close to an escape route (exit). It is not living worried just being careful.

I don't feel it's advice that is difficult to give. I think common sense and a little situational awareness will handle 99% of the potential dangers.

Can't it be that simple?

For me it is. For Doug it isn't. He seems unsure what to do and when to do it. We can say use common sense but I'm sure he already does. He claims to scan for danger but here

But what if I did spot something suspicious? It's too easy to say "Just pull your gun." But at what point? What exactly are you looking for?

He doesn't know what to do. He sound worried about doing the wrong thing. Different scenarios call for different resolutions. They say to never pull your gun unless you are going to use it yet many have pulled it to defuse a situation before it came to deadly force levels. What is correct? I think that is what he wants an answer to. The answer is, it cannot be answered. You have to make the call, live. This is probably why Doug makes all these scenario posts. I tell you that I enjoy hereing how others have handled situations.