my first experience carrying

[geist]

this weekend i went to Atlanta with wife and daughter to visit mother in law.
today i was walking the mother in laws boxer and decided to take him for a stroll around the apartment complex since it doesn't get out much.
well, on my way back to apartment i notice a guy standing in street where the cars park along the buildings about 40 feet in front of my path.
my gut feeling said something was off about him so i decide to cross the street and walk at an angle continuing straight but also away from him.
as i get closer the dude starts walking in a path that will intersect mine, and i also notice hes fidgeting around in his jacket.
i keep scanning around and watching him and he eventually asks me what kind of dog I'm walking - and i tell him and then he asks if its friendly.
i say no not really even though the dog is a big puss.
at this point I'm pretty sure I'm being interviewed.
as he starts to close i change direction again to force him to walk away from me.
at one point he produces a pack of cigarettes out of his jacket.
that scared me cause at that point if it had been a gun i would have been severely behind the curve.

although i was aware of what was going on id don't think i handled it as well as i could have.
i think i let him get too close and i don't think i watched him as intently as i should have because part of me says - hey don't stare at people cause its rude.
what do you all think?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[NevJohn]

What were you carrying??? The DOG??? I see no menion of you carrying a piece yourself on this walk. I'm glad it didnt go wrong for you though, anyway.

[QKShooter]

I would say that you did not handle it too very well but, that's OK just do a bit better the next time.

[Bando]

and you will learn young grasshopper!

[KC135]

You must learn not to allow interview. Could save you lots of problems.

You did well to realize it was an interview--:))

[dimmak]

Live and learn.....

[rocky]

Personally, I would not have answered any questions, but you gave him the right answer. Walking the other way when he started to intercept might be a good idea too.

[geist]

i was carrying my beretta px4 9mm iwb. changing direction was my way of drawing a line in the sand for myself so if he changed direction a second time there would be no doubt left that he was trying to approach me.

[retsupt99]

And often...anyone can be caught off guard. Nothing happened, and you a bit wiser for the experience. It is not that hard to stop an 'interview, but sometime it can make one feel a little 'rude?'...isn't that what the BG are counting on?

OMO

Stay very alert...

ret

[Macattack]

You could say hey buddy your making my dog nervous! please stay back. ( i hope the leash was in your weak hand!)
Thats the problem with being a good guy, if the cigarettes had been a gun, you might not have made it. Best case scenario- he gets a shot off and misses but you don't. Not fun reliying on bg's bad aim!!!
If you see him pulling something out of his pocket and you clear leather, and it ends up being cigarettes...big problems.

Live and learn
heres to alot of knowledge!
-mac

[PapaScout]

How about a nice loud "Stop right there. What do you need?" as he is changing his path to meet you?

Yeah, kinda rude but so is approaching someone you don't know with your hand in your pocket and asking stupid questions.

[AZ Dog]

I had a very similar experience not very long after I started carrying. In my case, I crossed a busy street and Mr. Shady Guy kept walking but boy was he mad. He was fuming!

Yes, you could have done better and probably will next time. Don't beat yourself up for it. Some methods that I've either thought of or heard from others that have worked for actual street interviews include:

- You could tell him to stay away from your dog because he doesn't like strangers. Then if he continues to approach you know you need to take it to the next level. You did something similar but don't be afraid to be assertive about it. (Just an idea)

- Tell him that you're not comfortable with him approaching any closer and ask what he wants. This forces him to answer questions instead of you. Having your hand on your gun at this point isn't a bad thing. Not drawing, just having your hand there. It sends a message. (Actual incident)

- If you don't have a good flashlight, you should get one. Shine that in his face, if it's night time, and tell him to leave. It puts him at a disadvantage since he won't be able to see you very well. (Actual incident)

- Act like you recognize him. "Hey, aren't you Tom from Psych class with Mrs. Jenkins!? How ya' been?" Throws him off and makes him think that you'd be able to ID him. (Actual incident)

Final thoughts:

Don't worry about hurting these people's feelings. If you need to stare, then stare. And stare at them like you'll rip their head off if necessary. Remember, they're looking for an easy target, not one in which they may get hurt in the process.

Whenever you're out in public, be very aware of your surroundings; for two reasons: 1) If something goes down, you stand a better chance of staying or getting ahead of the curve. 2) The very act of paying attention to your surroundings may very well prevent you from even becoming an interviewee. Note: I'm not saying that you weren't doing these things, just repeating them for the benefit of everyone. We all need to be reminded once in a while.