Misplace one word, and there'll be diminishment. Misplace one phrase, and the structure will fall. I read thru those inspiring words with an absolute beauty. This are the very words of God.

Well said, Twizted....

 

Terrabella, are you REALLY that naive? People go to work every day and get killed in their offices. None of them thought they were going to be n danger either, but they were. Carrying a pistol is a precaution. And that's the problem with precautions, you never know when you need to take them until it's too late.

 

This guy a little faster than that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9AJz...e_gdata_player

 

TwiZted said.. "having and using are two different things".. and he is EXACTLY right.

So with that said..

I respectfully disagree with Alan and apparently you as well 3/4. Again with all due respect, it sounds like your response to the OP is.. what amounts to the typical... leave it to the professionals or.. I'm a cop, I'm better or know more than you so even though I can carry in all 50 states, you shouldn't carry a gun on a bike because of whatever.... or you shouldn't have the ability to defend yourself or.. whatever else attitude..

It would seem, and correct me if I'm wrong, the point your making is that.. because this situation has the potential to end badly.. someone might get hurt, someone might get killed.. someone may have the fight of their lives in court.. all those things that might happen.. somehow outweigh the rights we all have as American Citizens to defend our lives and loved ones.. personally.. I ain't buying it..

I'm not a cop.. I am former military.. not that it matters here.. my point is this.. I've been there, and done that. In my case, there were no "professionals" around.. there was no time to retreat to a "safe room".. there was no.. well gee, if I'd done this instead of that.. there was no phone to call 911.. it happened through no fault of my own.. it was fast and violent and was over long before a "unit" could have responded... I'm the first to admit I was very lucky, things could have gone very differently but... they didn't.. and because they didn't, I've spent the last 15 or so years acquiring and maintaining a certain level of skill at arms. You may not agree but so be it.. Without repeating it all again, I don't carry for "frivolous" reasons, I have no one to impress. I carry because after having survived a very bad situation, I became determined to never, to the best of my ability, be in that situation again.

Since I do disagree.. lets look at some of Alan's suggestions.. the first one being.. the OP should look back and attempt to figure out what he could have done differently. Should he have done this.. or not done that.... could he have done X instead of Y... that's all well and good.. except for the fact that it's all conjecture and pretty much a pointless exercise. For just about any situation, whether its the one the OP described or something less dramatic, such as avoiding a piece of blown out truck tire on your motor.. or slipping on a sheet of ice and not getting hurt.. you can "should have.. could have.. what if" things to death.. the reality here is.. it went how it went, the OP did what he did, the driver did pull a gun, the OP's initial response wasn't out of line or over reactive, it was natural response to a bad move by a cage.. and "second guessing" it all after the fact doesn't change anything. I am quite sure that had the OP known, if he could have somehow magically foreseen the truck driver being enraged and presenting a firearm.. he very obviously would have gone about things differently.. but, it's a mute point.. because life is what it is... it happened the way it happened.. All this really does is show the value of being as aware as you can of things happening around you.. beyond that.. nothing in life is guaranteed.. The fact is, anyone on this board could have been caught in a similar situation..

Alan's second point has some validity.. but I think he's missing something too. I believe the real story here is, if you carry, know the law. Some states have castle doctrines, others don't. Concealed carry laws and deadly force laws vary state by state. The best thing here is study up before you strap on your sidearm.. knowledge is power.. if you know your state law, you can then ask yourself whether or not your willing to deal with the legal system if, God forbid, your faced with having to shoot someone to save your life.. Personally, I'd rather not give up that right for the fear of what may or may not happen in court.

As for Alan's last point... It's most certainly obvious that doing whatever you can to stay out of dangerous situations is the best route. Like I said in my first post, the best way to survive a gun fight.. is to never get into a gun fight.. So use the OODA loop, use the Cooper Color Codes, use whatever system you need to in order to avoid trouble and dangerous situations.. that's pretty much a no brainer. But Alan continues.. the DA will do this.. or that.. whatever.. maybe he will, maybe he won't.. Well, my take is, maybe's don't cut it, should have or would have's or what if's don't cut it. The reality of what happened or didn't happen is what will ultimately be judged.. so once again, I believe it comes down to questions and choices. First and most importantly, you have to ask yourself.. am I willing, in the gravest extreme to kill a human being in defense of my life.. if the answer is yes, the next question is.. am I willing to prepare myself to the best of my ability to handle such a situation should it ever arise.. and finally, am I willing to deal with the legal and civil and emotional ramifications of using deadly force if that's what it comes down to.

How you proceed will depend on your answers. I think once those questions are figured out and you have a direction.. then its time worry about the technical stuff like.. what gun, what caliber, what holster and so on..

And finally, I go back to what TwiZted said, because its worth repeating.. there's a huge difference between talking about it.. and having to do it..

Cheers and my apologies if I've inadvertently offended anyone.. that isn't my intention..

mavrick

 

Better to have major legal & financial issues than major DEATH issues!

I know a guy who shot someone on his property. It cost him 7 years probation & around 10 Grand. Seems pretty cheap for his life,dontcha think?

 

i would never confront someone that was driving like you described. they obviously have issues. i don't usually report them unless they do something really stupid. otherwise the cops would get 30 calls from me a day.

 

Although when confronted with a situation we feel "assaulted" it is always good,no matter how hard, to resist the temptation to "put a few rounds into him",simply because of the legal ramifications. And as much as you may think you wouldn't feel bad about pluggin' some POS that pulled on you first,or invaded your home, or whatever,even if you do get off, you gotta live with the fact that you took a life & I guarantee that memory will haunt you.

I think most people feel more vulnerable on a bike. You're on 2 wheels, and I think you have a better chance of getting away in a car,even a dirtbike, but not on a Harley. Most people can handle a car better than a heavy bike. They simply have more practice doing that. Plus, you have steel surrounding you. That's why I think more people carry on their sled.

Yes, I have a concealed carry. I used to carry a .454 Casull,but it was a tad overkill (excuse the pun)for carry & have since made the switch to a .380. Also have a .38 with a laser. I don't know how logical this is, but the laser gun is for home defense. My reasoning is that if someone invaded my home,I would rather lose everything I own than to have to shoot him,'cause if I shot him, I'd prolly lose everything ANYWAY! But if it came down to my LIFE, I would think that red dot on his chest in the dark would be enough to make him turn tale & run,which I would rather he do. So, I think of the laser as a deterrent,rather than an aid. I pray to God I never have to find out.

 

dickey, also the cocking sound of a 12ga works too, plus you can be a bad shot and still tag his ***. he will think twice next time he needs crack money.

 

Glad nothing happened. Too bad you could not get his info, pulling a gun on someone when not necessary for defense is a felony. Incidentally, if you had drawn it would have elevated the situation, possibly causing hm to fire off a round. Might be a good thing the gun was out of reach.

 

This summer I did a 5,000 mile solo ride through the US, and never once did I feel unsafe or threatened. Everyone I met was always super friendly.

But one observation that I made when seeing other riders in some states, I got to thinking that if I had to choose one piece of gear to make me feel safer while riding, I would choose a helmet over a gun any day.

I think the odds are much greater that you'll have use for that helmet than you would for the gun.

Don't flame me, I'm not opposed to guns, I just find it ironic that a lot of people ride with guns to make them feel safer, while they ride with no safety gear.

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