[gdm320]

I wanted to jump in and share the first real uncomfortable moment that I've had since I started carrying...

So earlier today my fiancee and I stopped at a Panera Bread for lunch before heading to Publix for our weekly grocery run. The Panera is in a small "strip mall" type building outside of the Boynton Beach Mall. We searched for a space in front of the restaurant but weren't able to find anything, so we swung around the corner to a part of the lot that had half a dozen empty spaces. Keep in mind, we were still in front of several of the less-crowded stores.

I pulled into the space and was getting my sun shade ready while my fiancee finished her phone call with her mother. I noticed a man (in his late 40s, dressed business casual) in a Chevy Avalanche in the aisle across from us in the lot staring at us, moving a few feet every few seconds. It perked my interest and actually caught my fiancee's attention as well. She asked me if I saw it, and I told her I did.

He started to pull around the end of the aisle and down ours, still staring strangely. So I tucked my shirt under my P239 and cocked the hammer back so I could get to it quickly and put my 4Runner in reverse and got out of there. He pulled in diagonally across to spaces, next to where I had been parked, and just sat there for a few minutes. We went back around the front of the restaurant and found a parking spot right by the door and headed in.

I saw two LEOs in line and let them know what had happened. I said we were both fine but they might want to go have a word with him anyway. They walked out and had a word with him, they ran his plates and ID, then told him he might want to move on. They didn't tell me anything else, other than it all seemed okay.

The whole thing was just odd and uncomfortable. Any thoughts on this? Should I have done anything differently?

 

[Bark'n]

So I tucked my shirt under my P239 and cocked the hammer back so I could get to it quickly and threw my 4Runner in reverse and got out of there.

I'm extremely curious why you felt the need to cock the hammer back on your Sig P239?

If you want a cocked hammered weapon, buy yourself a 1911 and carry it cocked and locked with the safety on. The safety is then removed after the gun has cleared the holster and is coming up on target.

A DA/SA Sig is designed to be carried hammer down and used with a double action long pull of the trigger for the first shot before going into single action mode.

Having your SIG's hammer cocked while still in the holster (with no external mechanical safety) is begging for a negligent discharge to occur during your draw stroke.

During the stress of actually having to draw your gun in a self defense situation with your gun in that mode would certainly put you behind the curve if you blow a hole in your thigh and sever your femoral artery and/or fracture your femur while trying to get the gun into play.

I don't know who told you or trained you to do that, but they were doing you an extreme disservice in doing so.

JMHO.

 

[gdm320]

I'm extremely curious why you felt the need to cock the hammer back on your Sig P239?
...
A DA/SA Sig is designed to be carried hammer down and used with a double action long pull of the trigger for the first shot before going into single action mode.

I hear you Bark'n, I reflected on that after the incident. I really went for the hammer without thinking about it, I just locked it back when I put my shirt up. One of the reasons I went with the DA/SA Sig was because of the DA initial trigger pull.

I think I need another tactical pistol course. My first one went well... can't over-train after all!

 

[BkCo1]

Never carry a DA/SA pistol cocked! Not only is it dangerous for you and others it can cause you legal problems. See some of Masaad's writings.
Semper Fi

 

[RETSUPT99]

If you have a DA/SA pistol, use it as a DA/SA pistol...anything else is going to confuse your muscle memory anyway. IMHO

Stay armed...carry safely...stay safe!

 

[Bark'n]

LOL, Ok, lesson learned! Now, Go and sin no more!

BTW... I think you both used good situational awareness and prepared yourself for an encounter before getting out of there. Which was the right thing to do!

Good job! Except for the hammer cocking thing! But that's why we are all here, right? To learn something!

Again, Good job!

 

[gdm320]

I just got off the phone with a family friend who is also a tactical pistol instructor and life long LEO. He urged me not to beat myself up over it and that it isn't an uncommon thing for a "young newbie" to do. We're headed to the range this weekend to beat the habit out of me. I appreciate the input everybody, the number one reason I'm here is to learn!

I hope he doesn't literally beat it out of me. :twak:

 

[Buckley]

Happy it all worked out. Stay alert.

 

[seawolf1956]

Good SA ... bad handling of the firearm. I'm still cringing.

"Live and learn" applies to most things, but with firearms there aren't any "do-overs." One stupid stunt and you won't live long enough to learn.

Don't EVER do that again with that pistol. EVER.

-Seawolf

 

[Arko]

I just got off the phone with a family friend who is also a tactical pistol instructor and life long LEO. He urged me not to beat myself up over it and that it isn't an uncommon thing for a "young newbie" to do. We're headed to the range this weekend to beat the habit out of me. I appreciate the input everybody, the number one reason I'm here is to learn!

I hope he doesn't literally beat it out of me. :twak:

Good deal. No reason for me to beat you further then. :wink:

 

[SpringerXD]

The Taurus PT145 is SA/DA, but it has the manual thumb safety. I carry it "cocked and locked" all the time.

 

[orangevol]

I think you may have over reacted, (based purely on how you described the incident). I read your statement a couple of times and couldn't really grasp why you felt threatened enough to do more than keep an eye on this guy.

He could have been driving slowly through the parking lot looking for a business address or like I have done on occasion, dropped his wife off at a business and circled the lot waiting for her to come back outside. It is possible when you thought he was staring at you...he was looking "beyond" you intently watching for her to exit a store so he could pull around and pick her up.

I just cannot agree that cocking your gun or involving the police was the correct thing to do.

 

[ROFL SQUAD]

OP,

Boynton area sucks.

Had a same type situation coming out of that Walmart on Old Boynton road about two weeks ago late at night.

Thankfully the really bad areas are on the other side of Seacrest!

 

[DaveH]

The hammer point has been covered.

Re the reaction: I wasn't there.

But, if you get "that feeling" trust it! Don't over react. Just cover your options and go with the best decision -- at the time.

But more importantly, don't over analyze / second guess yourself too much. Learn from it then let it go.

Everyone went home safe. :congrats:

 

[21bubba]

I wasn't there but judging from your description and then your reaction, I think you might need some guidance.

 

[sgb]

So I tucked my shirt under my P239 and cocked the hammer back so I could .......................

Any thoughts on this? Should I have done anything differently?

:blink:

Yeah .............. learn to use your carry gun in the manner in which it was designed to be used.

 

[Jcabin]

Sounds like you talked the police into harassing another citizen because of a non-issue. good 1

 

[BikerRN]

I just have one question.

You had something that made both you and the person with you, for lack of a better word, "nervous". Is what you were planning to do, in this case, eating, so all fired important that it's worth your life?

In this case it was nothing, but for some reason you noticed him, as did your passenger. It's those "little" things that we notice, or don't notice, that can be our salvation or our demise, depending. If something gets your attention, why not move, eat somewhere else, or change the situation?

I'm not going to tell you that you did right or wrong, just give you something to reflect on, as I feel that's something everybody should do more of, even me. It's called situational awareness. Sometimes we have it, sometimes we don't. In this case, you may have had it, but it may, or may not have been warrented. Only you can really answer that.

OK, I asked two questions, but shouldn't every question beget another question?

Biker

 

[Beretta8045]

If both you AND your fiancee (who was on the phone no less) noticed something was up with this guy, chances are that little alarm went off for a reason.

If I was in your situation, I probably would have said sorry honey, but we're eating somewhere else, and bugged outta there.

 

[gdm320]

I think you may have over reacted, (based purely on how you described the incident). I read your statement a couple of times and couldn't really grasp why you felt threatened enough to do more than keep an eye on this guy.

He could have been driving slowly through the parking lot looking for a business address or like I have done on occasion, dropped his wife off at a business and circled the lot waiting for her to come back outside. It is possible when you thought he was staring at you...he was looking "beyond" you intently watching for her to exit a store so he could pull around and pick her up.

I don't see how it would have been possible for him to have been looking "beyond" us watching for someone to exit a store considering he was looking away from the buildings in the plaza at the time. He would have been "staring" out onto a service road that leads into the mall... through a wall of shrubs. Nobody was walking behind my vehicle at the time... we were the only moving things on that part of the lot at the time.

I suppose it was the manner. When somebody moves a fair distance but continues a very unusual glare in my direction, it strikes me as out of place. My perception, obviously.

ROFL, I suppose out of everyone you can understand my baseline feelings about the area. The area isn't rough by comparison to across 95... but there are still "moments".

Biker, valid point.

I genuinely appreciate the comments. I find the positives and the negatives particularly helpful, so I thank those of you who have offered thoughts for them.