Is this a good way to handle a situation while carrying

Status
Not open for further replies.
Flyboy73

Flyboy73

Member
Joined
May 5, 2004
Messages
1,038
Location
AZ
I was driving back to Saginaw, MI to meet my wife when a situation came up and thought I would throw out to see if it was handled right.


I drove down to Flint to pick up paycheck with my two sons. I work part time for a company in Flint as an armed security guard. Since the office is not in the nicest part of town, I put my Taurus 85 in my coat.

Got back up to Saginaw, cashed my check and since my wife was not out of work yet thought I would get some gas.

Pulled into the gas pump and just put my CC when a gut comes up begging for money, you know, need money so I can get a room, don't want to go the shelter, blah, blah, blah.

I put one arm in my coat, while the other was on the pump.

Thought I don;t want a problem, while armed, with my sons in the car, so I gave him a buck, and told him it was all I had. Since it was all I had, and I normally don;t carry cash, But happened to have the dollar left over from a USPS money order I sent off earlier for a Browning HI-Power.

He thanked me and took off. Another lady came up and told me he was just begging for crack. I told he I know, I just gave him a buck to go away.

What do you guys think? I really wanted to avoid trouble while being armed and my sons a foot away.

Brion
 
Some might criticize you for letting the beggar get so close, but all in all, I think you did fine.
 
Its never a bad idea to carry a bunch of change, if thats all he really wants you can toss it and he should go running after it. If he keeps coming at you after you toss some quarters, then you know you've got a situation to deal with.
 
situational awareness, yellow state, head on a swivel, blah blah blah vomit everywhere. :barf::barf::barf:


dude, you did fine. the guy thanked you and left. Sure, now you've got one twentieth of a hit of crack on your conscience, but he's living his life just like you're living yours and it's not gonna kill you..

Remember your kipling: Once you pay the dane-geld, you never get rid of the dane. That is, the guy might recognize you next time.
 
You must not have many homeless people in your area. I generally get haggled for money every time I go to pump. I tell them I have no cash and they leave me alone. You handled it fine, but I'm a firm believer in NOT giving beggars money.
 
Whats wrong with that....nothing.

Freaking out about people getting near us; well thats kind of silly in most situations. (Some people really need to relaaaaax.) People come up and talk to other people in a society thats just what happens.

People really strike me a paranoid if they are worring about a homeless guy looking for change. :rolleyes: I bet you saw that guy coming from 50 feet off and knew exactly what he was going to ask you. ;)

But him remembering you??? NOPE. I've have people here ask for money as I go into the store AND as I leave the store 5 mins later. :scrutiny: But being drunk or high does that to you.
 
You don't indicate there was any threat from the guy. Why not just say no? Not all beggars are evil. Most of 'em are just down on their luck.
 
Last edited:
You did just fine, I dont give money to transients but thats because there are so many in Portland and if you give to one the others will bug you big time. I just tell them to get a job.
 
You must have stopped at the station on the east side of Saginaw on Holland Ave. If you go inside take a look at the wall above the cooler, there is a few bullet holes in the wall. Not a nice neighborhood but the gas is usually cheaper there than anywhere else as long as you pay in advance day or night.

Pretty soon the temp will hover around 20* and the ground will be white, the true beggers will be gone and anyone coming at you begging is begging for trouble.
 
Next time take him inside the store and buy him a sandwich or a snack, he will then get enraged, because he just wanted money for drugs or alcohol. Then you will have a situation to talk about. Or you can just say No, sorry and he would have walked away.
 
Smart Move

What you did was FAR better then what could have been a dangerous altercation with a druggie up or drunk.

Plus.... Your way didn't end up costing you 4 days of paperwork at the local police station either. The fight may be over when you take it out of the holster, but the paperwork is just starting.

I'd say that was a fairly cost effective use of a buck.
 
I really wanted to avoid trouble while being armed and my sons a foot away.
Click to expand...

Avoiding trouble is always at the top of my list, however, any time I can't avoid it, I hope I'm armed at the time. Especially if I have kids nearby.

It's sort of the whole reason I carry a gun to begin with.

And for what it's worth, I'd have just told the fellow to take a hike. It's my standard reaction to such whether I'm armed or not.

Anyway, you did fine. No harm, no foul, no dead bodies on the pavement. Can't ask for much better than that.


J.C.
 
Did the guy do anything to indicate he might be a threat? I don't mean that he had to produce an Uzi from underneath his Tactical Hobo Camo, just anything that might have got those little hairs on the back of your neck to stand on end? A slight, gut-instinct, heebie-jeebie?

I'm a big beleiver in going with one's gut, as it usually isn't wrong...

That said, sometimes a homeless beggar is just a homeless beggar. Give the guy a buck if you can spare it, tell him you have no cash if you don't, and life goes on. There are beggars who want food, shelter, or drugs... some really do just need bus fare.

If you ask me, throwing coins at him or dropping the cash on the ground is just silly. The homeless often have pretty battered self-images, and would feel (imho rightly) insulted by such a gesture. Once insulted, they may become very angry and try to start a fight.

Give'em a buck if you can spare it, tell them no if you can't.

Nine times out of ten, that will send them on to the next guy... maybe with a "Can ya spare any more?" before they go. But face it, panhandling is not known as a lucrative line of work... These uys know that a buck or two is the most they're likely to see from any one person.

If they do try to start something, your best bet is to "put them in the spotlight," by calling a lot of attention, making a scene, and making them want to scatter. Use that 'Command Voice' they always talk about in S&T:

"Sir - You Are Standing Too Close! Back Away! NOW!"

If that doesn't work after a few repeats, and the guy keeps coming, hit `im in the jaw or give `im a swift knee. If he tries to keep the fighting, then you should pull your weapon.

But really, sometimes a bum is just a bum.
 
As he approached, you noted his hands were in the clear and empty,right?
So look him in the eye and at @ 12 feet in your best stentorian voice ask
"Hey buddie, got a dollar? I'm trying to buy some gas here!" You've beat him to the punch and it will be thursday before he can come up with a reply.
robert
 
I really wanted to avoid trouble while being armed and my sons a foot away.
Click to expand...

So if your sons weren't there and you weren't armed, you would have actively repulsed the beggar in a manner that could get you into trouble?

So if there was trouble, you would rather have to deal with it unarmed versus being armed?

You said that you are a security guard. Does Michigan not have training for security guards that involves this sort of situation?

As you apparently did have limited situational awareness, weren't in condition yellow (not the "yellow state" mention by Pax Jordana), and didn't have your head on a swivel, you most certainly did let the guy get too close. The fact that you had to hand the guy a buck meant that he was too close. Pax Jordana says you did fine and that such security considerations make him vomit. You did do fine but only because nothing bad happened, but nothing bad happened not because you were vigilant in your personal security, but because the beggar wasn't a bad guy. Keep that in mind.

Look at it this way, if the beggar was close enough to you for you to hand him a buck and your kids were a foot from you, just how far away was the beggar from your kids? Answer? Not far enough.
 
Thain approaching and asking for change IS how they close the distance to mug you. I don't think anyone could count high enough to number all the times that's how a robbery or worse started. Flyboy was prepared, though, so that's all there was to it.
 
the only 'problem' I have with the story is that you had to choose to carry because of going to pick up a paycheck in a bad part of town. In my opinion trying to judge when to carry is not a good idea... carry when ever you legally can... and then some. The chances of a bad thing happening to you are slim to none either way.... but if it does, there are no second chances.
 
I think you did well, even if he was a crackhead then $1 isn't going to get him much closer to a rock and in the end he left you alone. But then, if he was just down on his luck, $1 could get him significantly closer to a sandwhich, or a blanket or something else vital to survival.
 
If memory serves me correctly, Mas wrote in his book that he kept a ten (or was it a twenty) tied around a book of matches with a rubber band for times when somebody approach him for money and tossed it to them saying that he didn't want any trouble and to buy themselves some cigarettes or some beer on him.

If they still kept coming, I believe he suggested that it was time to either "fight or flight".
 
I was at the gas station on michigan just south of Genesse.

I allways use a pocket holster. I use this gun as my backgun when i work, i normally keep it my pants pocket, but jeans would not allow it, so i kept in my coat pocket.

I saw the guy over towards the other pump and when i was distracted pulling out my wallet, he came up to me. He did make me uncomfortable, my first thought was get rid of him.

As far as my security training, thats another story, my training was practically nill. I am not happy with the company. They have been calling me to work the projects, but i have been mostly working weddings.

I would say with my sons there espcially, didn;t want ant trouble.

It only take a second for someone to come up to you. Turn your head and someone can come up on you.

Brion
 
Alan, I think Mas said he carried that tossable tenner in case there were a group of guys that might be troublesome (something along the line of "buy the guys a beer on me".

Ten bux to avoid a multiple attacker scenario is cheap; ten bux for every individual panhandler and you go broke at best, become "suddenly popular" at worst. I think the OP did fine.
 
You are indeed correct about the 'group' and "buy the guys a beer on me".

You are also right about not giving $10 to every panhandler that comes along but only to those that appear bent on getting your money. I think the $10 would be a much cheaper route to take in that instance.

And yes, the OP handled it just fine.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

T
  • Locked
How would you react to this situation if you carried?
2
Replies
42
Views
2K
Templar223
T
M
  • Locked
Gas Pump Strategy
2 3
Replies
66
Views
4K
velojym
velojym
TomJ
  • Locked
Food for thought after being pulled over by a LEO for the first time while carrying
2 3 4
Replies
77
Views
5K
bikerdoc
bikerdoc
C
  • Locked
How could I have handled this better?
2 3
Replies
55
Views
3K
TallPine
T
C
  • Locked
Handling Road Rage Situations
Replies
8
Views
365
Sam1911
S
Back
Top