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Would you get into a fist fight while carrying?

16K views 109 replies 61 participants last post by  Lish 
#1 ·
I know the title is misleading. I'm not that stupid and arrogant to look for fights while carrying. Hell I actually have cut out going to the bar and club strips in downtown but lets just say hypothetically you don't want to shoot but you're the only immediate help in the area. What do you do?

What got me thinking about this hypothetical situation is the gang/group voilence that our youth and senior citizens is facing today. I can remember being jumped some days when I was walking home from the school bus... I was a nerd lol. Or for a more recent and more serious example, a young gifted man in Chicago trying to escape a gang fight then being beat senseless with a railroad tie he died that day or a couple years back there was a high school girl that was gang raped at Prom. Or say you stumble upon a home invasion in progress against a elderly couple. I'm not trying to be a super hero but other than calling the cops what can or what should I do if I saw a innocent being harmed? What should my mindset be about situations like this?

I live in PA so shooting in self defense for another victim or a voilent crime (such as rape) is "justified" but again that's all up to a jury of my peers. So I have thought about this.
 
#56 ·
In my opinion, an assault unjustly brought against you might not be avoidable, but if they brought it, I will try finish it as quickly and dirty as I can.

But by definition, a fight is a mutual combat deal brought on by two or more people unwilling to walk away, and in that case, just straight up fights should be avoided at all costs. Was that snarky comment you just made to the jerk cutting in line really worth finding out if the other person is a golden gloves boxer or not?

And in any fight, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and sometimes you lose REAL BAD!

When you are laying on the ground getting kicked, well, that is a really bad time to consider that just maybe you should have not gotten yourself into the fight to begin with.

For me, unless something is life or death right this moment, I can walk away, or can I make an excellent witness, and I know how to call 911.
 
#67 ·
Working in furniture mills all night through high school and college, I got into quite a few physical altercations. These were people who had been in and out of prison and didn't care if they went back. That was the situation I was in and I learned how to manage in it. I'm now a professional financial executive with a successful career in my mid 40s with two young kids. This is the situation I'm in now and I have learned how to manage within it...and getting into physical altercations isn't part of the equation. I'm still physically capabe, but I'm much wiser in how I handle myself and situations. I just can't see anything good coming out of getting into an altercation. The only thing worth fighting over is someone posing physical harm to my family...and if that is the case I am prepared to handle that situation in a completely different manner.
 
#68 ·
Yes everyone that says walk away, ignore them, etc is right. But sometimes a fight is brought to you by no act or action on your part. In that case then yes hit them back!!! As long as you don't escalate the situation by bringing a gun into play without cause. Twice in my life I got into this situation. First I was mistaken for someone else and hit twice in the face before realizing there was even a threat, I had done nothing wrong and had no reason to suspect the guy walking the other direction was going to take a poke at me. That situation ended with his arm in a hammer lock with possible ligament damage and he might have "accidentally bumped" his face on the concrete a couple times before the campus security guard got there. The second and last time was when one of my buddies apparently made an inquiry as to someones parentage that may have been perceived as an insult. My good friends left the establishment in all due haste but chose not to interrupt my conversation with a girl I had not seen in years, I was really doing well too. The afore mentioned individual with questionable lineage knew I had come in with the other monkeys and got my attention with a pool cue. Fortunately he hit a pole on the way around and the blow didn't knock me out, definitely not like tv it hurts a lot. This guy ended up in a full Nelson with his face "bumping" the wall until he calmed down. I tossed him out the door that was held by the bouncer. Returned to the girl to find out I had just tossed her date. I heard she never saw him again but she didn't see me again either.

My point is that yes a fight can find you and there is nothing wrong with defending yourself as long as you use only the force necessary to stop the aggression. I would say look into some martial arts and maybe OC spray as levels of force if needed. Guns are only for making people dead, the only reason to make people dead is for you or a loved one to stay alive.
 
#71 ·
In some states, if you are justified in using lethal force, it is an absolute defense against all criminal and civil liability so no fear of being sued (or at least it going very far) and don't forget that people use firearms btwn 1.5 and 2.5 million x's per year (estimated) to stop crime and most never have to fire a shot.
 
#72 ·
Thus far in my life I have avoided mutual combat. Hopefully it stays that way. Hopefully I'm always able to avoid fights, always able to avoid taking a life. I carry a 3oz can of Fox Labs on me most all the time for potential situations that don't warrant deadly force. A drunk accosting my wife and I during a night on the town, accidentally offending someone's honor by bumping into him, who knows. Having never tested my ability to engage in fisticuffs, I would much rather just hose someone down with pepper spray and see where things go from there. Again, hopefully I never even have to do that, but I've still got more years ahead of me than behind me, so it's hard to say for certain.
 
#73 ·
Our CCWs are not badges. However, if I witness a rape and I KNOW it's a rape, I'm going to stop it. I doubt I'd have to shoot as he'd probably run off but the assailant would see the business end of my M&P9c. I've also thought about carrying pepper spray for the non-lethal engagement. That would work quite well for a rape scenario. The convenience store robbery, however, will likely be conducted using a firearm. It depends on how much of a threat the robber seems to be. If he's obviously not going to shoot, I'm going to be a good witness. If I think he's going to shoot the attendant then I will prepare in case he does.

Just my $.02...
 
#74 · (Edited)
Our CCWs are not badges. However, if I witness a rape and I KNOW it's a rape, I'm going to stop it. I doubt I'd have to shoot as he'd probably run off but the assailant would see the business end of my M&P9c. I've also thought about carrying pepper spray for the non-lethal engagement. That would work quite well for a rape scenario. The convenience store robbery, however, will likely be conducted using a firearm. It depends on how much of a threat the robber seems to be. If he's obviously not going to shoot, I'm going to be a good witness. If I think he's going to shoot the attendant then I will prepare in case he does.

Just my $.02...
Wow. Who mentioned a rape? Some of these posts just creep me out. This thread was started about fist fights while carrying.

How many rapes-in-progress have you stumbled upon in your life? Anyone? Bueller?

Most women are raped by someone they know. I think you can shelve your little damsel-in-distress fantasy life with your gun. The likelihood of coming upon a rape-in-progress at your local Walgreens, the mall, or your gun range is pretty slim.

Weird. Just weird.

Perhaps you're reading too many books with covers like:

Illustration Mythology Art Painting Visual arts
 
#76 ·
OK, here's a refresher wrt the original post:
What got me thinking about this hypothetical situation (bar/club fight) is the gang/group voilence that our youth and senior citizens is facing today. I can remember being jumped some days when I was walking home from the school bus... I was a nerd lol. Or for a more recent and more serious example, a young gifted man in Chicago trying to escape a gang fight then being beat senseless with a railroad tie he died that day or a couple years back there was a high school girl that was gang raped at Prom. Or say you stumble upon a home invasion in progress against a elderly couple.

So the post started out as an allusion to a bar fight and progressed to gang violence, death, and rape.
 
#79 ·
This is different that going few rounds, I thought the OP was about. If someones well being or life is at risk I will do whatever is needed to stop the threat. I could not live knowing I was some spineless coward that let a girl get raped or some innocent man get beat to death as I stood by and did nothing. Not how I was raised and I have way to much respect for mom and dad than to bring shame like that to our name. Believe it or not it was not so long ago that everyone felt the same. That someone standing by being a good witness was a disgrace and made national news.
 
#78 ·
I have been in fist fight when carrying. Seeing it coming a loud obnoxious drunk begging for a beat down. I discretely hand off my weapon to a bro or the wife once. The understanding is I can take a butt whipping if it comes to that fat lips black eyes broken jaws are on me. After all I volunteered but if it gets out of hand, more than one person is putting the boots to me, they will act in my defense. As I have aged that is less of an option but back in the it would have been pretty sad if packing meant I could not go a few rounds.
 
#81 ·
Hey, I'm a newbie, and this is my first post. This topic caught my attention and got me to join.

I have always heard that any fistfight while you are armed is actually a gunfight. I can't foresee any good coming from engaging in hand-to-hand combat while being armed. Too many chances to lose retention of my weapon in the scuffle (fistfights generally wind up as wrestling matches) . I carry a back-up, but I don't really like the idea of possibly giving an unarmed assailant 10 rounds of .40 to use on me. :dead:

Having said that, I think it would depend on the situation. This scenario has actually got me thinking about picking up a Kimber Pepperblaster or some other less-than-lethal device that allows me to maintain my distance while still engaging.
 
#83 ·
My answer to the OP thread title. Not if I can help it. Carrying or not. Last thing I want to do while carrying is grapple on the ground where his hands are closer to my weapon than my own. Bad plan.
 
#89 ·
Simple answer for me. I'll do whatever I feel I need to do to insure my safety and that of my loved ones, regardless of whether or not I'm carrying. Would I go outa my way to get into a fight while carrying? Absolutely not, but nor would I allow the fact that I'm carrying a defensive tool to handicap my response to a possible threat. It should be known that, a fist fight can easily be a prelude to a more serious altercation and can easy cause serious bodily injury all by itself.
 
#91 ·
My life and my carry defensive weapon are for myself and my wife and three young daughters. I will use and risk my life/freedom for them alone. I will call 911, follow their instruction, and be prepared to bare witness.



The LEOs can handle everyone elses business. That is their job, not mine.
 
#96 ·
I think MadMac has a point. I chose to buy a house where there is no crime. I hardly drive to the rougher parts of town very often even the the good ethnic restaurants are there (saves me gas too). I do go...just not as often as safer places and rarely at night. I do modify my behavior, especially when with my girlfriend. It isn't like I stay hidden at home but I do consider safety. That said, I'll walk into mountain lion country quite happily. :)
 
#100 ·
Carrying or not carrying, the same rules apply. If a physical confrontation is avoidable - avoid it. If it's absolutely not avoidable - defend yourself. If you carry you SHOULD be smart enough to know what sort of situation would call for drawing your gun and which situation doesn't.
 
#106 ·
I have injured too many fists with my face
To funny that is one of my favorite saying. "I've broken a lot of fists with this face" have to admit more than a few fists have broken my face as well
 
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