.455_Hunter
Member
Here are a couple of encounters that happened recently that remind me that you have to always be on your toes. Let me say upfront that neither of these events warranted ANY sort of armed response, but they definitely made me think about what I did wrong. Please comment as you see fit. Thanks!
Event #1- My wife, son (3), daughter (newborn at the time) and I decided to eat dinner at the Breckinridge Brewing Company just northeast of Coors Field in the Lodo section of Denver. We needed to get out of the house for a while (new baby and all ) and Sunday evening was a perfect time to go- beautiful Indian Summer weather, the Broncos had just lost an away game and there was no baseball or basketball. The restaurant was not crowded, and we had a pleasant meal. Due to the pattern of one-way streets in the area, we parked just over a block away from the restaurant. I like to think that I am always operating in a higher level of awareness in Lodo, just because of the nearby proximity of places like the Denver Rescue Mission and the general rates of criminal activity. However, I also strongly believe that if possessing a CCW makes you so paranoid that you can’t get out of your house and enjoy life, then the bad guys have won.
Just before we get to the car, we are confronted by a man who repeatedly asks me if I can take his five one dollar bills and give him a single five dollar bill. Of course, my canned response is “Sorry, I can’t help you. I don’t have any cash” and we hurry towards the car. I am not sure what his motives were, most people would ask to break a five dollar bill, not vice-a-versa . One thing I knew for certain was that I was not going to get my wallet out and start digging in it in front of a perfect stranger on Denver street in the fading twilight while carrying a newborn in a car seat!
After getting to the car, I realized my major tactical mistake- Being left handed, I was naturally carrying my daughters car seat in my left hand. If things had gone REALLY bad with Mr. Five $1 Bills, guess where my CCW piece was? That’s right folks- completely inaccessible in my left front pocket! I would have had to transfer the car seat to my right hand in order to draw the 1911 production Iver Johnson Safety Hammer Revolver (5 shot .32 S&W) I was carrying that evening. Now, I try to carry the car seat in my right hand at all times when in public areas.
Event #2- My wife and I got our son a bike for Christmas. The weather in Denver has been very cold, so it was just last weekend before we could take him out for a good ride. We drove to a nearby by “open space” trailhead that has a relatively flat concrete path used by all sorts of walkers, runners, bikers and hikers. My wife was carrying our daughter in a Baby Bjorn front pack and my job was to help our son with his bike (with training wheels). The trail was not crowded in any sense of the word, with a few widely spaced groups of people. About 200 yards from the car, my attention was focused on our son pedaling about 10 yards in front of us on the path. I was walking on the right edge of the concrete and my wife was beside me on the right side of the “center line” of the trail.
Out of the blue, a man (a runner) blows by me on my right side with just inches to spare. I nearly elbowed him out of pure instinctive reaction! He comes up behind my son and tries to do the same thing, but nearly plows him over due to my son changing course at the last split second. What an idiot! :banghead: Why didn’t he “pass” on the clear left side? I yelled at him, but he had a set of iPod buds shoved way too deep into his ear canals. The main tactical mistake I made here was that I was so focused on my son’s activities that a guy was able to run up and take me completely by surprise from behind. I should have been paying more attention to our surroundings!
Event #1- My wife, son (3), daughter (newborn at the time) and I decided to eat dinner at the Breckinridge Brewing Company just northeast of Coors Field in the Lodo section of Denver. We needed to get out of the house for a while (new baby and all ) and Sunday evening was a perfect time to go- beautiful Indian Summer weather, the Broncos had just lost an away game and there was no baseball or basketball. The restaurant was not crowded, and we had a pleasant meal. Due to the pattern of one-way streets in the area, we parked just over a block away from the restaurant. I like to think that I am always operating in a higher level of awareness in Lodo, just because of the nearby proximity of places like the Denver Rescue Mission and the general rates of criminal activity. However, I also strongly believe that if possessing a CCW makes you so paranoid that you can’t get out of your house and enjoy life, then the bad guys have won.
Just before we get to the car, we are confronted by a man who repeatedly asks me if I can take his five one dollar bills and give him a single five dollar bill. Of course, my canned response is “Sorry, I can’t help you. I don’t have any cash” and we hurry towards the car. I am not sure what his motives were, most people would ask to break a five dollar bill, not vice-a-versa . One thing I knew for certain was that I was not going to get my wallet out and start digging in it in front of a perfect stranger on Denver street in the fading twilight while carrying a newborn in a car seat!
After getting to the car, I realized my major tactical mistake- Being left handed, I was naturally carrying my daughters car seat in my left hand. If things had gone REALLY bad with Mr. Five $1 Bills, guess where my CCW piece was? That’s right folks- completely inaccessible in my left front pocket! I would have had to transfer the car seat to my right hand in order to draw the 1911 production Iver Johnson Safety Hammer Revolver (5 shot .32 S&W) I was carrying that evening. Now, I try to carry the car seat in my right hand at all times when in public areas.
Event #2- My wife and I got our son a bike for Christmas. The weather in Denver has been very cold, so it was just last weekend before we could take him out for a good ride. We drove to a nearby by “open space” trailhead that has a relatively flat concrete path used by all sorts of walkers, runners, bikers and hikers. My wife was carrying our daughter in a Baby Bjorn front pack and my job was to help our son with his bike (with training wheels). The trail was not crowded in any sense of the word, with a few widely spaced groups of people. About 200 yards from the car, my attention was focused on our son pedaling about 10 yards in front of us on the path. I was walking on the right edge of the concrete and my wife was beside me on the right side of the “center line” of the trail.
Out of the blue, a man (a runner) blows by me on my right side with just inches to spare. I nearly elbowed him out of pure instinctive reaction! He comes up behind my son and tries to do the same thing, but nearly plows him over due to my son changing course at the last split second. What an idiot! :banghead: Why didn’t he “pass” on the clear left side? I yelled at him, but he had a set of iPod buds shoved way too deep into his ear canals. The main tactical mistake I made here was that I was so focused on my son’s activities that a guy was able to run up and take me completely by surprise from behind. I should have been paying more attention to our surroundings!
Last edited: