Question from the past

[00z28]

I saw a thread related to a road rage shooting and it made me think of this.

Two years ago I was driving on the interstate and a man came flying up behind me honking and flashing his lights. I was moving faster than the slow lane traffic, and didn't have much room to get over. So I continued to go about my way and intended to get over at the nearest comfortable opening. Instead the other driver cuts over and attemps to pass me in the slow lane. I have to apply my breaks to avoid my front fender from meeting his bedside as he crowded back in front of me.

5 miles down the road, he pulls over in an exit lane, and I come back up beside him, just minding my own business. He rolls down his window and begins screaming at me. I roll down mine to try and listen. He then squares up to my passenger and myself, and waves a handgun all around my car. He presented the weapon as the exit lane separated from the interstate, so I had no chance to get his license plates.

I was clearly very rattled by the gun being pointed at me and the passenger who was a dear friend, but what can I even do in this situation?

Mind you, it's in the past and doing nothing clearly allowed me to remain safe and unharmed. But now carrying, if a fun were pointed at me in a similar situation, what do I do to protect myself? Better yet, legally, what can I do?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[ghost tracker]

legally, what can I do?

Do the same thing you can do illegally. Your MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE self-defense tools in this situation are the pedals under your feet & the big steel cage surrounding you. Leave the lane, leave the road if necessary, speed, brake, dodge, (safely) force your way into other traffic, do whatever you can/need to do to gain your very BEST friend...distance. There is NOTHING you can do with your EDC that trumps what you can/should do with the effective, evasive driving of your vehicle.

[Brad426]

I saw a thread related to a road rage shooting and it made me think of this.

Two years ago I was driving on the interstate and a man came flying up behind me honking and flashing his lights. I was moving faster than the slow lane traffic, and didn't have much room to get over. So I continued to go about my way and intended to get over at the nearest comfortable opening. Instead the other driver cuts over and attemps to pass me in the slow lane. I have to apply my breaks to avoid my front fender from meeting his bedside as he crowded back in front of me.

5 miles down the road, he pulls over in an exit lane, and I come back up beside him, just minding my own business. He rolls down his window and begins screaming at me. I roll down mine to try and listen. He then squares up to my passenger and myself, and waves a handgun all around my car. He presented the weapon as the exit lane separated from the interstate, so I had no chance to get his license plates.

I was clearly very rattled by the gun being pointed at me and the passenger who was a dear friend, but what can I even do in this situation?

Mind you, it's in the past and doing nothing clearly allowed me to remain safe and unharmed. But now carrying, if a fun were pointed at me in a similar situation, what do I do to protect myself? Better yet, legally, what can I do?

I will assume you mean "gun" and aren't a fun hater...

But the best thing, IMO, would be to drive away as quickly as possible. Even though you may be technically within your rights to shoot, it would be a coin flip I think on whether a jury would convict you. In a case like that I think every juror (and prosecutor looking at the case deciding whether or not to prosecute) would think it was a road rage thing and maybe you were just as guilty of escalating it. The only way I personally would shoot would be if I really believed I was in immediate danger and couldn't get away from it.

Also, it's worth saying I would not stop to listen to someone screaming at me.

[00z28]

I will assume you mean "gun" and aren't a fun hater...

But the best thing, IMO, would be to drive away as quickly as possible. Even though you may be technically within your rights to shoot, it would be a coin flip I think on whether a jury would convict you. In a case like that I think every juror (and prosecutor looking at the case deciding whether or not to prosecute) would think it was a road rage thing and maybe you were just as guilty of escalating it. The only way I personally would shoot would be if I really believed I was in immediate danger and couldn't get away from it.

Also, it's worth saying I would not stop to listen to someone screaming at me.

That's what I figured. I immediately got a lead foot and got out of there. I was driving my garage queen so it made for a good time lol.

And yes, it was a "gun". Thanks for pointing that out. My iPhone must be a fun hater lol. There was no part of the situation that was "fun" until a safe distance was acquired

[BigJon10125]

I agree with my colleagues. Get away. If it was safe, I would just slow down let him hurry on, or weave to get away from him. If he follows, I call the police and inform them of the situation and ask where their station is attempting to drive there. If he started shooting, I would use all means to get away. Returning fire, brandishing and the like are all a distant option as GT said, the pedals are your best bet. Yes one would probably like to teach the guy a lesson, but at the same time it is not worth it and Karma has a way of working things out.

Stay safe.

[OldVet]

In most states, waving a gun around is aggravated assault. There's not a lot you can do about road rage except try to avoid it. FYI, in FL you are required to move over "at night" for cars flashing headlights--when safe to do so. A little-known statute. Can't say about other states.

[Exacto]

First off, action beats reaction, so if when you see him he is already pointing a gun at you or your passenger,flee, take cover do whatever it takes to remove yourself from that situation. Try to get the license plate number and a description of the vehicle and call the police. Just because your carrying now doesn't mean you shouldn't try to avoid and deescalate first. You already know from experience that these nuts are out there, so if it happens again you will be more aware of the potential for trouble and can take evasive action. Your situational awareness should be in overdrive, and just because he passes doesn't mean he's not still mad and waiting for you. The firearm is a tool of last resort, use it only if you have no other option and are forced too.Practice your avoidance and situational awareness skills, they can be just as valuable to you as your firearm.

[SIGguy229]

While this is happening, keep your head about you. If you can, get a plate or partial plate, call 911 and tell them what is happening, the road your on, cross streets/mile marker and direction of travel.

[archer51]

If your driving one of James Bond's cars you could use the oil slick or the rocket launcher.

Seriously though, as others have said, do what you have to do to put distance between you and the person with the gun. A handgun is not a very effective against an auto and at highway speeds something you want distracting you.

[kelcarry]

Do the same thing you can do illegally. Your MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE self-defense tools in this situation are the pedals under your feet & the big steel cage surrounding you. Leave the lane, leave the road if necessary, speed, brake, dodge, (safely) force your way into other traffic, do whatever you can/need to do to gain your very BEST friend...distance. There is NOTHING you can do with your EDC that trumps what you can/should do with the effective, evasive driving of your vehicle.

I would add at the end of the above quote "but you can shoot him; you easily can presume that he has placed you in imminent danger with a firearm pointed at you by an enraged out of control maniac". Still, as said above, you are in your car and it is still your best defense per avoidance of the imminent threat.

[00z28]

All replies that I expected to hear. Glad I confirmed my beliefs. It's there, but as a very last resort. My only reason for questioning is when a gun is pointed at me, I have no way of knowing his intentions or whether the gun is even loaded at that time. Being reactive instead of proactive has some risks in itself, but in most cases would be the responsible approach.

Fwiw, it was daylight and I stated that there was not much room to get over. Good info on the Florida statues though