My experience tonight

[aguyindallas]

After reading a few threads lately regarding home invasion today, it has gotten me to a higher sense of awareness. As such, thank you all for posting your expereiences..

Now, let me share mine...

We keep our grill in the garage, which is in the front of our house. As such, we cook with the grill at the very edge of the garage (our patio in the rear is kinda small and we have a large lab back there too). Anyway, I was walking out to the garage this evening to start the grill. I opened the door and began to walk towards the edge of the garage where the grill is. At this point, it is already dark outside. As I get about halfway, I hear a voice from outside say "Hello sir..." as he is walking towards me. At this point, he is halfway up the driveway. My instinct was to move my strong side back one step, raise my cover garment slightly, release the retention strap on my CCW holster and quickly put my hand on my Sig all as I say "please don't come any closer".

The guy introduces himself and states he is selling newspaper subscriptions to the local major market paper. Of course, he meant know harm, he is just trying to do his job.

It bothers me that he is out in the dark doing this sort of work, however, I realize that this is at about 7:00, when most people are home from work. I really can't fault him for that.

I have to admit, I was very proud of my instant response. I did not even give a second guess to what was going on. I was highly aware and felt ready to retreat and defend as needed as soon as I heard his voice. I did not draw (of course, not justified), and I did not brandish as I moved my strong side away when I put my hand on my weapon.

All in all, no big deal, but it really got me thinking. I live in a quiet little lake town, but you just never, never know what can happen.

Your thoughts.....?

 

[Arc-Lite]

You did good, good reaction... but I would put in a motion sensor light over your drive way tomorrow.... if it were someone charging your position from the dark....this post would have been written different. How was the BBQ ?

 

[P95Carry]

motion sensor light

Yes indeed ... bath the driveway with light as someone approaches. Even better considering you would be near the light - looking away and so not too dazzled - the ''visitor'' however will be slightly. Gives an immediate edge. Very cost effective.

I think you did about what most of us would do - calm preparedness.

 

[aguyindallas]

With regard to the motion lights...

I have "coach" lights on each side of my garage that were on at the time, as well as my interior garage light.

Good thinking though!

BBQ was great too!

 

[P95Carry]

Actually - it occurred to me you'd have had some light - but I guess reason for enthusiasm over the motion sensor unit was - imagining it to be a tungsten halogen and so - cast somewhat more of a beam ... and further.

Glad the BBQ turned out good!!!

 

[Maxinquaye]

Live and Learn...

I have not had my CCW very long. About 2 months ago, I was walking between our garage (separate building in back of home) and house. A guy was standing directly outside my back gate, already on my property. As I saw him, he looked surprised, then started panhandling. I told him to get out of my yard, and he complied. I did not cover my weapon, and basically froze up I was so surprised. There was a fence between us, and had he started to go over it / thru the gate, I would like to think I was prepared, but honestly I wasn't.

Fast forward about a month and a half. Since then a couple neighbors have reported seeing the same guy...apparently he's going up to front doors and giving a line about how he needs $15 for blah blah emergency. This time I'm readin on my front porch at about 11 PM. SAME GUY starts saying something as his foot touches the first of three steps to get on our porch. By the time he takes a second step, I have stood up, put my right hand on my weapon IWB and told him forcefully to get off my porch. He steps back and I can tell he know I'm carrying, even tho I did not draw. I tell him I caught him trespassing before and that if I ever see him in the neighborhood I will detain him until the police arrive (bit of a bluff there since it's illegal in NC). He takes off QUICKLY. I have asked around and he has not to my or my neighbors knowledge returned to our neighborhood.

Point is, mental preperation and training should be done BEFORE a first encounter. I got lucky with mine. Others may not have the luxury.

 

[aguyindallas]

Maxinquaye: So correct, mental and true training are really the answer here. I have to admit, I have very little formal training. I have been around a few good instructors over time and picked up some good information. The thing that surprised me and made me happy was that I did not even think about it, it was just natural for me to get my hand on my weapon.

 

[taliv]

my experience tonight was quite unpleasant, but it turned out ok... i'm still alive at least

it started when i decided to go to a mexican restaurant that serves alcohol. in order to maintain my status as law-abiding citizen, of course, i have to leave my ccw in the car.

so...i finish eating and return to my vehicle. in the meantime, my ccw has assumed ambient temperature (14 degrees F).

all i can say is that law is really chapping my cheeks, literally! well, one of my cheeks, anyways

it warmed up eventually, of course, but i'm thinking i may have to go to a two-gun carry; or else, the assymetrical freezing and thawing is going to net a serious chiropractor visit

 

[Arc-Lite]

good to hear the BBQ was good.... if you do decide to go with a motion sensor light, go high watt... and aim it, so it blinds anyone coming up the drive way.... good yard security, and it coming on..is usually enough to take someones attention to the light itself... they now have just the sensor units....and a remote light, allowing more of a custom set up. Your current lights, did not alert you, to your visitor.... the motion sensing light would....something to consider.

 

[Bob F.]

aguyindallas: Hey, man, what kinda lab ya' got in the back there man??

Seriously, ya' done OK! Glad you didn't burn the ribs! (ribs?). Yrs ago, without formal training out with the cops (long story, nobody cares) had occassion to draw on a man and found myself holding .357 "gangsta style" and pointing with left hand "there he is!!!!!"

Training, mindset; mindset, training...... Yeah, ya' dun gud!

Max, you dun OK too!

Stay safe.
Bob

 

[SMLE]

Taliv;

I feel your pain man!

Here is an idea, wrap the gun in a "Therma-Care" heat wrap. It will be toasty warm when you return to the car. After all, happiness IS a warm gun!

aguyindallas;

Good job keeping your cool.

 

[Mixlesplick]

aguyindallas: Hey, man, what kinda lab ya' got in the back there man??

I think he means a dog. A big dog can wreak havoc in a small space when excited, especially with a wildly wagging tail.

 

[jobu07]

I don't want to hijack the thread, but I'll just say this about preparedness. I do a lot of work for people running for public office. And as we all know, the first step to running is getting your name on the ballot. In order to do that you need to carry petitions and accumulate the required number of sigs. so you can have your name on the ballot, yadda yadda yadda. Well, in doing so, I have to just walk up to thousands of complete strangers front doors and greet them etc. Of course i'm working for someone and don't want to tarnish their name so I'm acting super nice, (not that i'm ever not super nice ). But it just occurrs to me, the number of elderly people that just let me in thier house after minimal conversation, even younger people. Some folks are woefully unprepared. Should I have been some sort of BG my job would have been much easier.

 

[TechBrute]

Hey, man, what kinda lab ya' got in the back there man??

LOL... his lab is of the golden variety...

 

[spacemanspiff]

seems like once a year groups of youths will try to sell magazine subscriptions, sometimes they come one at a time, sometimes in twos. they are pretty forceful with their sales pitch and all of them have said 'i'm so close to winning whatever prize there is for selling the most subs!'

they dont take the first 'No thanks', so they've obviously been coached on how to run a sales pitch.

however, something they havent been told is about personal space. the last one was trying to stand in the doorway and about 3 feet too close for my comfort zone.

 

[Bob F.]

Figured it was a dog, but couldn't resist..............

"Meth labs" all to common anymore!!!

 

[Al Thompson]

Sounds like everything worked out and you validated your plans.

I, too, live in a sleepy southern town, but we've had our problems in the neighborhood. Nice thing here is that having a concealed weapon on your on property is fine. I've had dog problems and pushy sales people problems.

Keeping a can of OC close helps expand the tool box when needed.

 

[blacksuit]

Could have been alot worse

It could have been the Kirby vacuum salesman and then you would of had to shoot him...

 

[secamp32]

Maxinquaye, you could have put him off balance

without hurting him by blasting him in the eyes with a 60 lumen Surefire. That should give you a few seconds to react.

 

[GlenJ]

Really good response better than the one I had in December. An irate neighbor (whom I already don't get along with) came to my door about an incident that happened in the park between our homes earlyer that day that was of no concern of his at all. I stepped out on the porch telling him to leave my property which I had to tell him several times to do. It ended up with a threat being made against my life and the police being called. After it was over I realized I had went throught the whole thing with out any number of self defense weapons at my disposal including a ball bat, OC spray, side folder, or my carry gun. I should mention that he was acting very crazy flailing his arms around telling me he had 15 years hanging over his head. It just shows that you never know who your dealing with even people who live close by. After some investigating on my own I found out he's been in trouble several times.

 

[HighVelocity]

I know how you felt. I pulled up one night after returning from dinner with my friends at about 10:30 pm to find a very disheveled looking man standing on my porch, turns out he was attaching a flier to my door knob for some pizza place. My adrenaline shot up big time.
Just a few nights ago a man in street clothes and a heavy coat knocked on my door at 10pm. I did not open the door but barked, What do You want! The guy holds up a binder that says SBC on it and tells me he just wants to save me money on my phone bill. At 10pm?!?!
I barked again, GO AWAY! He did and I called the police and told them about it and gave them a description.

 

[Havegunjoe]

jobu07 has a good point about our older citizens.

Once, while out in the country, coming home from my sister and brother-in-laws the wife and I spot a black lab running loose on the road. Not wanting the thing to get hit we tried to coax it over to us but it wouldn't come near. Even my beautiful chocolate lab female couldn't entice it over. We stopped at a near by farmhouse to see if it was their dog. From the porch I could see a little old lady and a young girl in the kitchen. I knocked, the old lady opens the door, I explain myself but it's not their dog. Before leaving I told her, "she should never open the door to a total stranger, just to be safe". She thanked me and I hope she took it to heart.

 

[LeonCarr]

Some college students go door to door selling the newspaper. It was amazing that the worse the weather got, the more of them that would come knocking. One night it was about 30 degrees outside and this guy came to my door wanting me to subscribe to the Chronicle, and I told him if you have to get out in this kind of weather to make minimum wage, get a job at Wal-Mart. It is warm inside the store . He didn't come inside, my roommate had a 133 pound Rottweiler named Capone, and I had a shotgun named Wingmaster.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[DarkKnight01]

many good stories here =) and what it all falls under is target identification.. know your target before you shoot it.. =) that doesnt just mean know that its a person you dont know of course, it means know that they are a threat before you shoot them, yall have done well... Good Luck !

 

[Sean85746]

I think you did a great job...but where was the dog?

My yard shark would have barked like she was ready for dinner.