Stranger opened door and started into my car.

[celticredneck]

This occurred around 1977. I was a broadcast engineer at the local TV station. Myself and the on air operations director had just signed the station off and headed home. The operations guy lived in a fairly bad part of town, and had no vehicle, so I sometimes gave him a ride home, if his girlfriend couldn't pick him up after work. On this one occasion, I had dropped him off, somewhere around 1:30 AM and had stopped at a traffic light. My friend hadn't locked the passenger door when he exited, so when a BG? stepped up to that side of my 67 Mustang, he opened the door and started to climb in. MY S&W model 19 was on the dashboard, and I grabbed it, thumbed back the hammer and pointed it at the center of his forehead, His eyes got about the size of saucers, and he said' "wrong car" before exiting and closing the door. I ran the red light and left. Two things I know I did wrong. First, I didn't insist that my friend lock the passenger door, when he exited, and secondly, I wasn't situationally aware of what was happening around me as I sat waiting for the light to change at an otherwise deserted intersection. I supposed that if the possible BG had called the police, I would have at best been guilty of brandishing. This was long before CCW in Va. anyone got any opinions? Even back then I was a firm believer in the "better judged by 12 than carried by 6 theory.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[TheGreatGonzo]

Two things I know I did wrong.

Respectfully, you might want to make that "three things".

MY S&W model 19 was on the dashboard, and I grabbed it, thumbed back the hammer and pointed it at the center of his forehead,

Why on earth did you put the revolver in single action? In my opinion, a very, very bad idea.

Otherwise, if you believe somebody is carjacking you and you feel you are in immediate physical danger, I would say you are certainly justified in defending yourself.
Gonzo

[Jackle1886]

I believe it was dark and he cocked the hammer as to alert the intruder. Almost everyone knows that sound, and that was probably what alerted the BG to the gun which is what made him leave.

[Tubby45]

Why on earth did you put the revolver in single action? In my opinion, a very, very bad idea.

Why?

[SIXTO]

Make it four; Why on earth was your pistola on the dash board?

[BUTCH69]

Yea the dash board wouldn't be my first choice either.

[Superman]

That's scary stuff. Reminds me of the time waay back in the day when I was a long haired hippy looking type and drove a black Trans-Am.
I came out of the local grocery store, walked up to my car, opened the door and got in.
Just as I started to put the key in the ignition I noticed the ashtray had A BUTT IN IT.

I do not smoke.

I freaked out and about broke my neck looking in the back seat. No bad guy, but there was a bag back there that wasn't mine. I started looking out the windows to see if anyone was around watching me. Then I notice....


...

...

My car parked right next to the one I'm sitting in. Exactly the same car down to the T tops and honeycomb wheels.
I hightailed it out and got in my ride with much haste and embarrasment.

Glad I wasn't shot, beat up, or otherwise molested. I sure looked the BG part.

[farronwolf]

The dashboard does raise some concern, but since I don't know what the laws were in your state at the time, there may be an explanation for that.

On the question of why put the gun into single, action, why the heck not. No different than having an auto with round chambered, safety off and ready to fire. Only when you pull the trigger are they going to go bang.

I am sure that you checked your doors after that, and kept aware of your surroundings more.

[Redneck Repairs]

My Step Dad just did the same thing in CO Springs a few months ago . He had to visit his investment company and when leaving he got in the wrong car ( a common gm car white in color ) unlocking the door using his key , starting the car using his key , and backing out to leave when he noticed a child seat in the back ( he is 83 so quickly summarized that it was not his child seat and further inspection revealed not his car ) . He backed up , pulled it back into the parking place and locked it up again leaving quickly . I am sure whoever owns the car wonders how the drivers seat got re adjusted because on quizzing ( teasing ) him he let it slip that it just did not feel right and he reset it . The kicker is that it is a gm model with the " chipped key " and if those things work just what is the chance of that lol .

[Captain Crunch]

Why on earth did you put the revolver in single action? In my opinion, a very, very bad idea.
Gonzo

Why?

Because it takes far less pressure on the trigger in the SA mode to fire the revolver, which greatly increases the chances of an ND when you're in a tense situation like the one the OP posited.

That's exactly why the NYPD converted their issued M-10s to DAO.

[TheGreatGonzo]

Capt Crunch beat me to it. The only time I'm going to thumb the hammer back on my wheel gun is if I have to take a long range, precision shot. Take a few minutes and research legal cases where gun owners and police officers have been sucessfully prosecuted for "accidental shootings" when they had the revolver in single-action. Ayoob has written about several of them.

No different than having an auto with round chambered, safety off and ready to fire.

I respectfully disagree. Having a Model 19 fully loaded with the hammer down is no different than having a semi-auto with a round chambered and safety off. Then they are equivalent. In that cose, both the revolver and pistol would require a full-length, double action squeeze of the trigger to fire. If you want a semi-auto to be "no different" than a Model 19 in single action, then you have to take a traditional DA/SA semi-auto and cock the hammer. If it has a safety, disengage it. Now you have a pistol in the same condition as a double-action revolver with the hammer cocked to single action.
Gonzo

[PaulJ]

back to the incident. i think it was probably just a drug dealer. I have seen them getting into cars of possible customers (and have had them try the door handle or come up to mine). At that time and that location, everybody was probably a likely customer. From what I hear, they try to avoid getting observed while handing over the drugs that way, and allegedly undercover cops will not allow it as it is too dangerous. Prostitutes will sometimes do the same.

[TheGreatGonzo]

back to the incident. i think it was probably just a drug dealer.

I would consider a drug dealer climbing into my car uninvited to present a danger to me and I think I could articulate that in court. That being said, you never know what a jury will do.
Gonzo

[farronwolf]

Capt Crunch beat me to it. The only time I'm going to thumb the hammer back on my wheel gun is if I have to take a long range, precision shot. Take a few minutes and research legal cases where gun owners and police officers have been sucessfully prosecuted for "accidental shootings" when they had the revolver in single-action. Ayoob has written about several of them.



I respectfully disagree. Having a Model 19 fully loaded with the hammer down is no different than having a semi-auto with a round chambered and safety off. Then they are equivalent. In that cose, both the revolver and pistol would require a full-length, double action squeeze of the trigger to fire. If you want a semi-auto to be "no different" than a Model 19 in single action, then you have to take a traditional DA/SA semi-auto and cock the hammer. If it has a safety, disengage it. Now you have a pistol in the same condition as a double-action revolver with the hammer cocked to single action.
Gonzo

My PT111 does not decock when I engage the safety. It is a single action pistol once the slide is racked and safety off, assuming I haven't pulled the trigger with a light primer strike. My 1911 when cocked and the safety off will have the hammer back with a 1.6lb trigger pull. Probably not much different than the Model 19 in single action mode.

I shoot all my revolvers like single actions, both the cowboy actions ones which are single action, and my Rugers which are DA. But very rarely are they ever shot in DA, unless somone other than me might be shooting them.

I don't see the point of the OP pointing the gun at the forehead of the guy getting into his car if he wasn't ready to pull the trigger if need be. The difference at that close a range between the time of a SA or DA trigger pull could be a matter of life and death.

Maybe those officers or others should have had more trigger control, and then they wouldn't be having those types of discharges or accidental shootings. Apparrently the OP was good on this one since he didn't shoot the guy.

[goawayfarm]

FYI:

In Virginia, if you do NOT have a PCH (Permit to carry a Concealed Handgun)....You can have a LOADED handgun in your vehicle IF it is in 'plain sight'. Some LEO's don't consider one laying on the passenger seat in 'plain sight'. Most will agree that one on the dash IS in 'plain sight'.