Here's a real-world scenario that happened to me several years ago, and is one of the main reasons I carry when possible.
One Monday I needed to spend a day in Chicago for work, so I decided to drive instead of fly (it is faster and more predictable post-9/11). I drove to the rental place, parked my car in their lot, and drove to Chicago in the early morning. I spent the day working in Chicago, then drove back to Indianapolis that evening.
When I pulled in to return the rental that evening, it was about 10:00 or 10:30. It was dark, somewhat warm, there was no one at the office, and the area was fairly well lit. I had quite a few items in the car to unload. I turned off the car, got out of the driver's side, walked to the drop box about 10 feet away, dropped in my key, and turned to begin unloading my stuff.
I then noticed a man wearing a ski mask directly across from me about 15 yards who appeared to be working on an old pickup truck's steering column. It was a little chilly, but not cold so I thought the mask odd. He had been obscured from my vision as I pulled in by a larger vehicle.
I was getting alarmed now and pretended not to notice him. He was frantically pulling on something next to the steering column with what looked like a large screwdriver / crowbar. There was a dufflebag full of tools on the ground next to him, and he occasionally switched tools to continue his struggle.
Meanwhile, I calmly proceeded to get my bags and equipment out of the back seat and trunk, all the while keeping one eye on him and trying to figure out what this guy was doing. Time seemed to be crawling by, and it finally dawned on me that he was probably trying to steal the truck. My mind was in overdrive. I saw him pull up his mask after he saw me and continue struggling. I interpreted this to mean he was trying to fool me into thinking he was working on the truck.
I scanned the lot and did not see anyone else. Meanwhile, I was pretending like what he was doing didn't bother me in the slightest and I was totally oblivious to the scene - nothing abnormal.
My car was about 30 yards away in a darker part of the parking lot facing outwards. I picked up all of my stuff, which took up all my arms, and put my keys in my hand. I walked calmly and confidently towards my car, threw my stuff in the trunk, got in the car (constantly scanning my back), locked the doors, and slowly exited the lot. Meanwhile, the guy is continuing the car mechanic act.
I got out of eyesight of the lot and called the police. I gave them my information, told them what was going on, and the dispatcher sent some police out to the site. She said they may need to call me at home later on which I said was fine.
I got home about 11:00 and the police called me not too much later right after I had crawled into bed. They asked if I would drive back to the car lot to file a report. I complied, despite my extreme fatigue. After all, if it were my business, I'd want someone to do it for me.
When I arrived, the policeman jokingly said "So, you're the snitch?" Needless to say, I was not amused and just let it go as I was tired. Besides, he was just trying to be funny and didn't know the long day I'd had. I gave him a rundown of my observations. He then proceeded to tell me that there were a total of five people in the car lot at the time - the four others were in areas I could not see. They had run off after I left.
On this particular day, I was unarmed as I had travelled to / from Chicago and it was too much a pain to transport a firearm.
My wife, when she was first adjusting to me being armed afterwards, once asked "What would you have done differently if you had had your gun?"
I thought for a moment, then said: "Nothing. But if they had come at me, I could have defended myself."
I thank God for his protection in times of ignorance and danger. This situation couldn't have come at a worse time, place or level of preparedness for me.
Say you're armed - what is your response to this real-world scenario?
