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Stranger Danger in my driveway

20K views 300 replies 97 participants last post by  OD* 
#1 ·
I have been reading this forum for awhile but finally registered today so I could share the incident below.

Had an interesting thing happen today. I was in my front yard with my young daughter my son was playing basketball in the driveway. We live in a small semi-rural area, so I know which cars are from the neighborhood an which aren't. Well a car I don't know comes around the corner and pulls into my driveway. At this point I pickup my daughter and start walking towards the driveway. There are two guys in their sixties that get out of the car. I am still no overly alarmed but hand is on the grip of my XDs. I call out them and say "how can I help you?".

This is where it gets weird they immediately start trying to talk to my son instead of me and are walking toward him. At this point I draw tell them to not take another step admittedly using language not suitable for the forum. They stop. I call my son to me. He runs over to me I have him take his sister inside.

I told them it was time to leave. They kept saying something about being from some church. I had to tell them four or five times to leave. It wasn't until I pulled out my phone that they left. The sheriffs deputy that came out said he thought they were from a local church that does go door to door. He took the description and is going to check with the church and let me know.

A few observations I had we're one practicing my draw has help because if I had to think about it the time to clear leather may have been too long. I was also amazed at how slow things seemed. In what w actually just a few seconds I debated send the kids in or to the neighbors, where should I be, which one do I keep in my sights, at what point do I pull the trigger. My mind was racing for sure.

I guess it just shows why carrying at home makes sense. I will update when I hear back from the Sheriffs dept.
 
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#2 ·
That is very weird ..

Where there hands in plain sight the whole time or in there pockets or ?

All that is very odd . It too me seems odd a 60 year old man would try to snatch a kid in daylight in front of a witness ..

Very odd ..
 
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#3 · (Edited)
Those two gentlemen may have been closer to God than they realized. Poor judgement on their part. When you drew your weapon did you actually point it at them? That would seem to me overreacting. No threatening actions from them. Glad it turned out OK, but you could have been in trouble with the law if they had filed complaints.
 
#7 ·
You drew your gun and they left when you pulled out your phone????
 
#17 · (Edited)
Just because they say they were doesn't mean they were. Pedophiles use all sorts of excuses to lure children into their vehicles, lost puppies, candy, and I hate to think what else. Many people with bad intent use religion as a disguise of their true intent. Their actions really say that they weren't pushing religion, you know, the old 'actions speak louder than words' and the OP was correct to be alarmed. Not sure drawing and aiming was correct, but perhaps at least having a grip on it might not be a bad idea.
 
#14 ·
How far from the old guys were you? I am just trying to figure out why two old guys would bug out when you pulled your phone out, but as you described you drew down, pointing your weapon at them yelling commands and they just ignored you. Is that correct, or am I mis understanding you....
 
#15 ·
At what point do you pull the trigger?

NC law is very clear on that, you can only use deadly force to prevent an assault where physical injury, or death is a possibility or sexual assault. Clearly trying to snatch a kid would be justified, but I suspect that they were over zealous bible thumpers that wanted to recruiter your kids, which is totally out of bounds, in your presence or otherwise. Also keep in mind there are 60 year old pedophiles, and religion is often used as a cloak to disguise the true intent for many the sicko's out there.

Did you get a tag number?

What ever their intent, no matter how honorable for them to talk to any child in their own yard is totally not acceptable, and especially doing so in your presence.
 
#19 ·
Two guys drive on your property, ignore your presence, walk toward a very youthful lone male. Personally I wouldn't like that at all. IDK any of your positions or distances from each other, I would have been tempted to call my son to me, or go intervene in those guys path. Of course you mentioned having your daughter with you, so you actually have yourself, and two kids to watch out for.

If the guys were not up to something, then they didn't see/hear you, or they need some manners/protocol on an unannounced visit to a strangers home???

So far as drawing your gun, I presume you told the deputy the details. What did he say about that?
 
#20 ·
I wasn't there, but it sounds like you introduced the gun into a situation where it probably wasn't necessary. They could have been pedophiles, or they could have been average joes. Also, they might not have heard you (older people aren't known for stellar hearing).


What did the sheriff say about you drawing?
 
#26 ·
I bet strangers approaching the son while ignoring the present parent's questions would be seen as entirely different as mere trespassing.
 
#28 ·
I would have used more foot-speed than gun-speed to carry one child [daughter] and get to the other [son] while calling him to come to me.

I understand the intention was to scare them away from your child but introducing the gun could have caused a whole bunch of other potential problems including initiating bullets flying and striking the wrong target.

Anger/Angst was warranted though, I'm not dismissing that!
 
#30 ·
Welcome and thanks for the story! I think you may have drawn early but since I wasn't there I can't say for sure. I would have used my phone to get a picture of them, the car and license plate. With all of the crazy things going on you can't be too safe and your kids should be safe in their own yards. What is this world coming to if your kids can't feel safe at home? I wonder since they did not seemed to be bothered by your hand gun, what kind of people they are and what was really their intent.
 
#32 ·
200 feet away? They may not have heard you,or seen you,Either way I would have told daughter to go in the house not carried her towards a potential altercation.I would have covered the distance to within about 10 yards got their attention and asked them what they wanted,either way they shouldn't be approaching young children even if they feel 2 of them doesn't look like a molester trying to grab a kid.if they do belong to a church LEO's better let them know that what they're doing is stupid and may get them injured by an irate dad.
I would not have drawn under the circumstances,as long as I could see their hands.Had they had their hands in their pockets and I had a real fear for my Sons safety I'd be at low ready and they better listen and not make any furtive moves,then I'm calling 911 to report the incident,also taking a pic of the perps and vehicle tag number
 
#34 ·
i don't think i would have pointed it at them. i point a gun at you and i bullet is pretty quick to follow. but i probably would've drawn, made the weapon ready to fire, (cocking, safety off, whateveR) but kept it down at my side. but i also would've started closing that distance as soon as their tire kit my curb. i bet i could've closed a hundred feet and been at my sons side by the time he stood p and closed his door.

i'm guessing the folks who subtlely said they hope you get a brandishing ticket don't have kids. i'll stand in my driveway and banter with some trespassers all day long, even if their giving me the "willys". but a couple old creepy guys go after my son, yeah, i'm a hair's breadth away from "solving" that particular problem darn fast. and keeping the gun low would me more about not letting them know i have it before i need it, rather than protecting their sensibilities or worrying about "brandishing".
 
#38 ·
Flip it around. You stop to ask a kid directions, and the next thing you know, some lunatic is screaming at you incomprehensibly, pointing a gun at you and closing. Are you going to wait and see what is next, or is that bullet still quick to follow?
 
#35 ·
I'm not excusing the guys "from the church", but is it possible that they honestly didn't see or hear you right away? You said that you were several hundred feet away. If they did see you and still ignored you, then yeah--pretty darn stupid on their parts.

Like a few others here, I do think you drew too early. Once you draw, your set of available options tends to become more limited, if nothing else but from a psychological point-of-view.
 
#37 ·
this event is just another example of why people should consider carrying non lethal weapons in addition to their firearms. the OP could/should have closed the gap between him and his kids and then he could have either hit them with some OC spray or used his asp as a threat. drawing on 2 trespassers who were not showing any weapons of their own could be the beginning of big problems.
 
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#79 ·
He was, he said, 200 feet away from men who were 30 feet away from his son at the time. I don't believe he could have closed the gap to where OC was in range before they reached the child, assuming both sides moved at speed. Say it got that nuts. He comes running up, one of them has the son in control. Spray everybody?

The 'when' of the gun coming in sight presents a question too: Do you want them to get close enough that, if it got that nuts, you want them in close proximity to the child when you had to fire to prevent harm to that child?

This presents an interesting problem, considered when it's not somebody's kid being approached by strangers 200 feet away from you. As for the actuality as presented: The child is unharmed, the parent unharmed, the strangers unharmed. This is a Good Thing. I'll leave it at that.
 
#40 ·
Just last night I was watching one of those shows on Discovery ID about kidnappings, murders, etc. One of the TRUE stories that was being discussed on the show was where a truck unknown to the neighborhood pulled up to a 10 year old girl that was playing in her driveway with her younger sister. The driver exited the truck, grabbed the girl, and left. It was daylight and there were many neighbors that witnessed it. One of the neighbors actually chased the truck for several blocks before losing it. Police were notified but when they found the girl she had been raped and killed. The rapist/murder was eventually caught and sentenced to death but the child is still dead. My point is that sometimes these type of people will do these things in broad daylight with witnesses standing around. They will kidnap a child even when it is almost certain they will be caught. There are few circumstances where I would agree with and even applaud someone that unholstered their weapon because someone pulled into their driveway but in this case I think it was not only appropriate but absolutely necessary.
 
#49 ·
This is the deadly concern. Tiny odds, life devastating cost.

OP was really far away. Im not sure drawing down mattered at that point. Sprinting to child mattered. Yelling at child to come to you while sprinting reduced risk faster than drawing.

Maybe the OP can address my thoughts above from his vantage?

I was not there. I am commenting while relaxed at my keyboard on my day off reading DC.
 
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#41 ·
It really aggravates me that we have come to. Place where we are pulling guns in what was probably a couple of old church guys doing visitation. Still under the circumstance it better to be safe than sorry. I just hate that we have been forced by current events to suspect everyone and every encounter.
 
#46 ·
You did well! Obviously, your parental protective instincts switched into high alert and you acted accordingly. I think that at some level of perception, you recognized a danger to your son. Yes, the two men may not have heard your shouts. If that is true, they might not have seen you, either. In that sense, your son could have been seen as alone and unprotected. When it comes to your kids, it is always better to listen to your instincts and act than to forever wish you did.
 
#47 ·
in my humble and possibly stupid opinion this includes up to "brandishing" and losing my CC permit or worse. the old "judged by twelve or carried by six" analogy goes a lot more than double when talking baout my kids.
 
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#57 ·
Closest I get to acknowledging stranger kids is a polite wave as I pass them in my car. Mostly to let them know I see them and so they see me to prevent an accident. That's it.
 
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