[Ultraman]

Yes. Fired? No. Didn't have to. Turned out it was a cop and we became instant friends if you can believe that.
Leaving my business at dusk and he approached from behind a blind spot on my building. Scared the living spit out of both of us too.
Nicest guy on the planet as it turns out. Praised me for being armed and rewarded me with some Winchester Ranger rounds (bonded) when I saw him next. Sent some of those rounds down range and experienced my first "key hole" in the target. I've only seen that with reloads...

 

[Islander]

Yes. Fired? No. Didn't have to. Turned out it was a cop and we became instant friends if you can believe that.
Leaving my business at dusk and he approached from behind a blind spot on my building. Scared the living spit out of both of us too.
Nicest guy on the planet as it turns out. Praised me for being armed and rewarded me with some Winchester Ranger rounds (bonded) when I saw him next. Sent some of those rounds down range and experienced my first "key hole" in the target. I've only seen that with reloads...

My answer is, no I have never pulled my gun on a human, and pray I never will have to.

 

[Insta-Gator]

Closest I came was when an asshat in his car cut me off (he had a yield sign) and I flipped him off. He decided to stop on the on-ramp to the expressway where I had nowhere to go. I stopped way short, as I suspected he was up to no good. He got out of his car and approached my truck, waving his arms and ranting. I reached into the console and removed my HK USP40, still in the holster, and just held it up high enough so he could see it through the windshield. I never pointed it at him nor take it out of the holster, but he got the point. He returned to his car and drove away, with his female passenger giving him an ear full.

 

[Chuck66]

Thank goodness my answer is no

 

[Ultraman]

I'm with islander(correct spelling)on that,would have to really be in fear of my life before I would.

Yes. And I was. Muscle memory kept my finger straight thank God. Another reason why I like the XD and holster it came with as my finger is straight to unlock and draw.
I'm sure there are plenty of LEO's here on this board who have drawn their weapons... I suspect most if not all of them have.

 

[Lineman]

I have done so once: Upon leaving a Longhorn restaurant in Athens, GA, I was approached by a gentleman (and I use the term very loosely) who threatened me with a heavy chain dog leash and told me that he wanted all my money or he'd bust my head. I stepped back, reached behind my right hip as if to get my wallet and instead produced a Smith and Wesson Model 696 .44 Special. I gave him the choice of continuing (and I would launch his spleen through his spine, making his next occupation replacing third base at Turner Field) or turn and run like hell. He chose the better part of valor and ran like a scalded dog.

No shots fired! Threat eliminated! Thankfully, my wife was inside paying the bill. If she had been present, things might have taken a much different turn. Hope I never have to deal with anything like that again. It gave me the "willies" for a couple of weeks, just thinking of the possibilities.

 

[Nellybelle]

Yes as a former LEO. Glad I never was forced to shoot anyone.
It's not glamorous . In fact afterwards when you have time to think about it. Your glad you didn't pull the trigger .
I have compassion for the LEO's that have.

 

[PorscheVille]

I have not and have never been in a life threatening situation, thank God. But one reason I decided to buy my first gun, (other than saying FU to our nation's leader) was that when my wife was on a trip, 5 hours away up in Ft. Wayne Indiana, she had a flat tire. In a bad part of town. She has a nice SUV she bought slightly used and had never checked the spare tire. Okay, I never checked the spare. So she calls 1-800 HelpMeMyHusbandIsADumbAss....roadside assistance. The guy comes, the space saver spare is one that you have to inflate, and the pump is not there. Never thought to look for a pump I didn't know existed. Service guy says too bad, so sad. When she pulled over, she was in a church parking lot...a guy said he'd wait until the service guy came. So when the service guy left her stranded, this guy offered to take her to a place who would fix the tire. Nice guy. Coulda been a serial killer though. Lucky for her he wasn't.

So, the first person I told this to said "Well, I hope she was armed!" Well, that made me feel not only stupid and unprepared, but naive to the point of endangering my wife's life.

It's not just about getting robbed. It could be as simple as having a flat tire in the wrong part of town. "It will never happen to me" is the stupidest attitude in the world.

Good thread.

 

[Ultraman]

i have done so once: Upon leaving a longhorn restaurant in athens, ga, i was approached by a gentleman (and i use the term very loosely) who threatened me with a heavy chain dog leash and told me that he wanted all my money or he'd bust my head. i stepped back, reached behind my right hip as if to get my wallet and instead produced a smith and wesson model 696 .44 special. I gave him the choice of continuing (and i would launch his spleen through his spine, making his next occupation replacing third base at turner field) or turn and run like hell. He chose the better part of valor and ran like a scalded dog. :d

no shots fired! Threat eliminated! thankfully, my wife was inside paying the bill. If she had been present, things might have taken a much different turn. Hope i never have to deal with anything like that again. It gave me the "willies" For a couple of weeks, just thinking of the possibilities.

Too dang funny

 

[Ultraman]

It's not just about getting robbed. It could be as simple as having a flat tire in the wrong part of town. "It will never happen to me" is the stupidest attitude in the world.

Good thread.

Exactly. We are snow birds with homes 3.5 hours apart. A disabled vehicle (which hasn't happened) is a huge concern if that not-so-good samariton offers some help. We are always armed.

 

[Islander]

I have not and have never been in a life threatening situation, thank God. But one reason I decided to buy my first gun, (other than saying FU to our nation's leader) was that when my wife was on a trip, 5 hours away up in Ft. Wayne Indiana, she had a flat tire. In a bad part of town. She has a nice SUV she bought slightly used and had never checked the spare tire. Okay, I never checked the spare. So she calls 1-800 HelpMeMyHusbandIsADumbAss....roadside assistance. The guy comes, the space saver spare is one that you have to inflate, and the pump is not there. Never thought to look for a pump I didn't know existed. Service guy says too bad, so sad. When she pulled over, she was in a church parking lot...a guy said he'd wait until the service guy came. So when the service guy left her stranded, this guy offered to take her to a place who would fix the tire. Nice guy. Coulda been a serial killer though. Lucky for her he wasn't.

So, the first person I told this to said "Well, I hope she was armed!" Well, that made me feel not only stupid and unprepared, but naive to the point of endangering my wife's life.

It's not just about getting robbed. It could be as simple as having a flat tire in the wrong part of town. "It will never happen to me" is the stupidest attitude in the world.

Good thread.

Excellent post. Yours is a fine example of why you should always be prepared to defend yourself.

 

[MPO Southy]

Yes I have,and I've fired twice.That's in 22 years as a LEO.

 

[Insta-Gator]

Guns are fun, but carrying a gun is not a game.

Proper discernment ... is this a life or death situation ... is something we can't practice at the range.

Let's hope all our decisions are proper ones.

 

[pbsdaddy]

When I was working, both in the Air Force and after, things were just beginning to get as stupid as they are today. I had to pull a couple times but never fired. A lot of officers today are not so lucky. Especially the big metro areas. Some of those guys are looking over their sights almost monthly.
One thing I used to tell my trainees and it fits here too, to a degree.

If you have not decided you are indeed capable of killing another man, you need to remove yourself from the field until you do.

That's not to advocate vigilante justice, but rather to save a life. Uncertainty is hesitation. Hesitation is deadly.

 

[Marshall]

It's not just about getting robbed. It could be as simple as having a flat tire in the wrong part of town. "It will never happen to me" is the stupidest attitude in the world.

Good thread.

Unfortunately yes.Five years later and a couple of hundred sessions with my therapist and it won't go away.I read this thread early this morning and told myself that there's no way I will reply to it.Therapy comes in all forms,and today it is with strangers I only know through this forum,but I call it a step in the right direction...

 

[Insta-Gator]

Unfortunately yes.Five years later and a couple of hundred sessions with my therapist and it won't go away.I read this thread early this morning and told myself that there's no way I will reply to it.Therapy comes in all forms,and today it is with strangers I only know through this forum,but I call it a step in the right direction...

Well, damn! We're not here to pry. Just know, in my opinion, no one here is about to judge or ridicule you. If it's better to keep it to yourself, that's cool too.

 

[Dude22]

Well, damn! We're not here to pry. Just know, in my opinion, no one here is about to judge or ridicule you. If it's better to keep it to yourself, that's cool too.

Judge not lest you be judged. I heard that somewhere before. Gator is right, speaking for myself, we are nor here to judge. We're here for information about guns and fellowship. YMMV.

 

[Lineman]

Unfortunately yes.Five years later and a couple of hundred sessions with my therapist and it won't go away.I read this thread early this morning and told myself that there's no way I will reply to it.Therapy comes in all forms,and today it is with strangers I only know through this forum,but I call it a step in the right direction...

I have a vague idea of how you may feel. I may have added a bit of humor to my post, but the incident did "give me the WILLIES" for several weeks! The possibilities were scary as hell!!

I'm sure you did what you had to do to survive. Bottom line is: Better him than you!! You have my support!!

 

[bigdog10]

Unfortunately yes.Five years later and a couple of hundred sessions with my therapist and it won't go away.I read this thread early this morning and told myself that there's no way I will reply to it.Therapy comes in all forms,and today it is with strangers I only know through this forum,but I call it a step in the right direction...

Jeff I don't know how you feel and I pray I never will. just know that were here with you.

 

[PorscheVille]

By the way, any road-side assistance service guy or tow truck driver who would leave a woman from out-of-town stranded at night, in a bad part of town and offer no solution because her spare was flat needs to be horse whipped and bitch slapped! I mean WTF!

That was Audi Roadside Assistance, who I know contracts with local service people, but that "Failure To Maintain a Spare" policy is total BS! I mean, tack on $100. charge, but don't leave someone helpless. AAA pulled that crap on me years ago, and I will never ever forget it!

Rant, semi-related to thread, now finished. Thanks for listening.