[Polish Armed]

Never had a permit, I have rifles , shotguns and pistols at the house.
Before the kids came along use to carry a gun in the car . Have not done that in years.

Stopped Sunday night to get gas 08:00 pm ( dark ) .Close to the house , been buying gas there 8 years . This time only one there, so I thought. Guy approaches me hollering "hey there how you doing ? "
He said your name is Tony right ? I said no, and I dont know you .
What do you want ?
Oh nothing he said. He tried to walk right up on me, I moved to the front of car , wiped water off windshield. The hose was kind of blocking him.

He proceded around to the other side of the car , peering in car.
I was like cat and mouse but kind of non chalant. He went to the front, I moved to the back and took hose out of car. I opened the drivers door as I headed to the back .He was trying to make small talk the whole time. But it was very apparent he was trying to get very close to me !!!

I am 6ft 240lbs and felt I could handle him, but he kept his hands in his jacket the whole time. Had me worried a little.
He stopped at the front , me at the back. I pretended I had a call on my cell and spoke loudly " Yea you are almost here, see you in a minute" . lOOKED AT THIS GUY AND TOLD HIM A FRIEND OF MINE WAS ALMOST HERE AND i DIDNT HAVE TIME TO TALK ANYMORE !!

As he walked away mumbled something to the effect , maybe he didnt know me. To me, this guy was looking to rob someone.
I hate the feeling of being vulnerable !!!! I guess I handled it ok, but have second thoughts.

I am looking get get my carry permit , and start shooting regular.
Maybe take a few self defense pistol classes.
I am here to learn as much as I can.
Any advice appreciated.

 

[Thanis]

Not 100% sure if a firearm would have made a difference. Not like you can flash it or something. IMHO, you did fine, but should have called 911.

You might want to consider pepper spray or very bright flashlight. I have a friend who was in a similar situation. He had an over the top bright flashlight he shined in the guys eyes. May have worked well in your situation. Hard to say.

I would suggest a semi-compact Glock with pinky extension as great option (making assumptions based on your size). As always, snub revolver would work well.

 

[Polish Armed]

I did call 911, right after it was over. Thinking back , I was concerned about aggravating the situation if he new I was calling them.

Maybe I shouild have anyway, I keep second guessing how I could have handled it differently.

Pisses me off to have been vulnerable.

 

[black knife]

Never had a permit, I have rifles , shotguns and pistols at the house.
Before the kids came along use to carry a gun in the car . Have not done that in years.

Stopped Sunday night to get gas 08:00 pm ( dark ) .Close to the house , been buying gas there 8 years . This time only one there, so I thought. Guy approaches me hollering "hey there how you doing ? "
He said your name is Tony right ? I said no, and I dont know you .
What do you want ?
Oh nothing he said. He tried to walk right up on me, I moved to the front of car , wiped water off windshield. The hose was kind of blocking him.

He proceded around to the other side of the car , peering in car.
I was like cat and mouse but kind of non chalant. He went to the front, I moved to the back and took hose out of car. I opened the drivers door as I headed to the back .He was trying to make small talk the whole time. But it was very apparent he was trying to get very close to me !!!

I am 6ft 240lbs and felt I could handle him, but he kept his hands in his jacket the whole time. Had me worried a little.
He stopped at the front , me at the back. I pretended I had a call on my cell and spoke loudly " Yea you are almost here, see you in a minute" . lOOKED AT THIS GUY AND TOLD HIM A FRIEND OF MINE WAS ALMOST HERE AND i DIDNT HAVE TIME TO TALK ANYMORE !!

As he walked away mumbled something to the effect , maybe he didnt know me. To me, this guy was looking to rob someone.
I hate the feeling of being vulnerable !!!! I guess I handled it ok, but have second thoughts.

I am looking get get my carry permit , and start shooting regular.
Maybe take a few self defense pistol classes.
I am here to learn as much as I can.
Any advice appreciated.

Unless he was intoxicated....yeah I would say he was going to rob you....all the signs were there...distraction, small talk, trying to get close to you, hands in the pocket....you were lucky.

I personaly would have told him " I have nothing worth your life....go away blank"

But thats me ....next time carry a knife or better yet get that gun permit and start carrying right away. Crime is rising and its going to get worse because of the economy.

 

[sirdarksoul]

Depending on what county you live in you can get your GFL in less than a week. I'm in Walker and mine was in the mailbox in 3 business days. You can find lots of info about GA carry laws and how to get a GFL @ Welcome to GeorgiaPacking.org Good Luck!

 

[Bm7b5]

Your initial response was great, and you did good to keep a physical barrier between you. When he kept advancing, I think you needed to issue a verbal challenge: "Stop! I have nothing for you! Leave me alone!" Don't use Black Knife's verbal challenge as it contains a threat of deadly force, and that is absolutely the wrong thing to do.

I also recommend that you have SD options that are less than deadly force. Pepper Spray is a good choice. If I gave a guy a verbal challenge like I list above, and he continued to advance, I would have no qualms about spraying him. I may give him one more "Stop!" warning, but it would depend on how close he was getting.

And even though you may have been able to phsically fight him off, you are better off using pepper spray. It is considered by many to be lower on the force continuum than physically striking a person. Engaging in a fist fight, or grappling situation can go wrong in a whole bunch of ways really fast, even against a smaller, weaker opponent (you could even accidentally kill a person with the right blow).

Glad it turned out ok for you, though.

 

[Rotorflyr]

You handled the situation just fine and it's great that you're now looking to take the responsibility of being best able to defend yourself (and loved ones) to the next level.

The application for (and reciept of) a carry permit is a good first step.

My best suggestion(s) to you are find a range that has a lot of different rentals and try a bunch of different things out to see which fit's/feels best to you and go from there. Once you've settled on the platform that works best for You (not what someone on one of the boards tells you to get) get yourself some training and then practice, practice practice (and practice some more)

All the best, and welcome aboard! :wave:

edit to add: *the above suggestion of "less leathal" options like pepper spray is a good one, as is a bright "tactical" flash light.

 

[usmc3169]

+1 Bright Flashlight
+1 Pepper Spray
+1 concealed carry permit
Also think "knife" - you never run outa ammo, can be used in close quarters, requires less training to use (more to master) and can be carried some places a fire arm cant.

Welcome to the forum, stay safe, stay armed.

 

[goldshellback]

I did call 911, right after it was over. Thinking back , I was concerned about aggravating the situation if he new I was calling them.

Maybe I shouild have anyway, I keep second guessing how I could have handled it differently.

Pisses me off to have been vulnerable.

It turned out OK.....and yeah, that vunerable feeling of having no other options 'if' he had been more 'aggressive' is a sinking feeling indeed.Second guessing is good to learn from but again, you made it home so all's good.

Remember, a sidearm is a last resort and shoud'nt be used to flash at people of 'questionable' intent. Having the option 'if' things ever get that far in a situation is piece of mind.

Welcome to GeorgiaPacking.org is a good place to look at and learn some of Georgia's gun laws and will point you in the direction of getting your GFL.


I think you did just fine.

 

[hellhound94]

I had a similar thing happen to me last summer in a supermarket parking lot of all places. I had parked in a remote area of the lot to avoid anyone dinging my vehicle and it was early in the morning.

As I was loading my groceries into my truck, a vehicle with two guys in it stopped and started talking. I realized instantly that I had put myself in a vulnerable position by parking where I did.

Nothing came of it but I learned two lessons that day: get my CCW permit and quit parking in remote areas. I DID get my CCW permit and I now park closer to the entrance/exit of the supermarket where there's a lot of foot traffic.

 

[archimeech]

I just received my Carry Permit in the mail last week. I'm in Chatham County (Savannah). Took about 5 weeks for the permit to get to me, but was easy as can be to file for. Check your county's website, Chatham County had pretty good instructions for getting it. Only big issue for me was that the Probate office is 2 blocks from work, but the Sheriff's Dept/County Jail where I had to get the background check and finger printing is a driving distance out of town. I had to take 2 lunches to get the whole thing done, but no biggie.

Glad you're all right. I see more issues with people that are willing to do hard to peaceful citizens for very little profit. It's sad, really.

 

[Brady]

Glad it turned out OK. I've had 2 such incidents this past year.
Once in my own driveway while unloading the family! I must have put out the 'vibes' because when I rounded the car to face him he said "I don't want no trouble man" and beat a hasty retreat.
My family thinks it's crazy that I'm always the last one in and first one out and standing watch while they embark and disembark. you can never be too carefull even at home.

 

[UpOn2Wheels]

That's a classic lead up to either aggressive panhandling or strong arm robbery. The BG drops a name like he knows you - by trying to build a rapport he assumes you'll be more likely to give him money.

Good situational awareness and good reaction.

 

[Hopyard]

If he came up on a guy your size with intent to rob, you can be sure he was armed; or somehow thought you would just be a pushover. Don't know what you might have done differently. Maybe gotten in car and driven off? But that would leave you vulnerable for a brief few seconds.

Would the hose have been usable as a weapon? Everything from water to the face to smack with the metal nosel end, to applying a choke.

 

[RETSUPT99]

I'd say you did just fine realizing that you were unarmed (your choice). Now you've become more aware of the need to BE armed and are preparing to do so...that's good.
I would have become much more unfriendly and loud in your situation, but you were there and have to make that call.
Glad you're unharmed and better for the experience.

Stay armed...stay alert...stay safe!

 

[pschultheis]

Glad it turned out OK. I've had 2 such incidents this past year.
Once in my own driveway while unloading the family! I must have put out the 'vibes' because when I rounded the car to face him he said "I don't want no trouble man" and beat a hasty retreat.
My family thinks it's crazy that I'm always the last one in and first one out and standing watch while they embark and disembark. you can never be too carefull even at home.

My family is the same way, thinks I am nutts. I can except that as long as I keep my family safe.

 

[Majorlk]

Hmmm ...

A guy approaches me with what are apparently harmful intentions and I am holding the gasoline nozzle in my hand?

It would be tempting to squirt him and then offer him a light.

 

[OLDPUPPYMAX]

Turn and face him while putting your hand in your OWN coat pocket, stretch the pocket out a bit as if pointing the contents at your "friend." Then suggest that you'll fire the S&W 357 in your pocket. Of course the key is actually HAVING one.

 

[shooterX]

Good Situational Awareness, glad it worked out. Stay safe.

 

[Chip1wa]

Hmmm ...

A guy approaches me with what are apparently harmful intentions and I am holding the gasoline nozzle in my hand?

It would be tempting to squirt him and then offer him a light.

Bingo! If you're pumping gas you already have a pretty powerful tool for not-so-gentle persuasion to move the :aargh4::aargh4: away.

Just last week on a rainy day I was filling up the car and noticed a scroungy looking guy hanging out by the door of the quickie mart.

He walked over to me ciggie in hand and asked me where I was going. I nodded in the direction I was going and told him about 100 yards up the road and he needs to step away from my car, NOW.

He still didn't care to hear my answer but still continued to approach. My open car door was between the two of us.

I told him I was armed and unless he wanted a face full of mace or gasoline, he needed to walk away.

He walked away.

I learned right then that we have all sorts of tools for self defense at our disposal.

Dirty