Where is your line on drawing your weapon on someone?

[Craizie]

Let me propose a situation and see how most of you would handle it?
You've been at work late near downtown and get off work a little after midnight and as you're driving home you realize you are almost out of gas..so you stop at the closest 7-11 deep in the hood to get gas (in this case its the 7-11 across from Wynewood shopping center at Illinois and Zang Blvd)..its dark...card reader isn't working at the pump so you go into the store to pay..you notice a crackhead hanging out close to the front of the store but staying out of the view of the store employees by staying out of view behind the brick wall. Crackhead speaks out as you are going in asking for money and you say no and then go in, prepay and come back out. You are the ONLY customer at the gas station. As you walk toward your vehicle you hear footsteps approaching fast from behind you and as you near your vehicle you glance in the side mirror and see said crackhead less than 5 feet from you coming up quickly from behind.
What is your response?

"Boom mah fucka yea"!

Seriously though, this happened to me when I noticed a dude on the side of a QT around 2300 not doing anything while I was walking in. As I walked out toward my car I glanced at him and kept walking as he was on his phone and looking down. As I got out of peripheral of him I heard foot steps behind me so I turn around and all the sudden the dude had an interest in the chain link fence around the new building next door. However my first immediate thought was shit, you're in shorts and sandles with no weapon to protect yourself.

[ram57ta]

Let me propose a situation and see how most of you would handle it?
You've been at work late near downtown and get off work a little after midnight and as you're driving home you realize you are almost out of gas..so you stop at the closest 7-11 deep in the hood to get gas (in this case its the 7-11 across from Wynewood shopping center at Illinois and Zang Blvd)..its dark...card reader isn't working at the pump so you go into the store to pay..you notice a crackhead hanging out close to the front of the store but staying out of the view of the store employees by staying out of view behind the brick wall. Crackhead speaks out as you are going in asking for money and you say no and then go in, prepay and come back out. You are the ONLY customer at the gas station. As you walk toward your vehicle you hear footsteps approaching fast from behind you and as you near your vehicle you glance in the side mirror and see said crackhead less than 5 feet from you coming up quickly from behind.
What is your response?

[Buick355]

If it were just an ass whipping and I really deserved it, maybe. Otherwise, I'm defending myself however I can.

x2. No way of knowing if they going to give you an honest fight, or beat you half to death then curb stomp your face to finish you off.

[Nash B.]

I'll take an ass whoopn before I pull a gun in someone

If it were just an ass whipping and I really deserved it, maybe. Otherwise, I'm defending myself however I can.

[Probie]

Brian Harpole with Consolidated training group does a really good force in force intro type carryingxlass that goes into that. He's local to dfw and it's an affordable class. He only instructs because he enjoys it. I don't remember exactly how much but I think it was a full day class with sim rounds included for 150ish

[Craizie]

I'll take an ass whoopn before I pull a gun in someone

Yea, would you risk your significant others life before you pull a gun on someone? You sure they will stop after knocking you down? I'm not willing to risk my life or the lives of the people I care about over an "ass whoopn". If someone means to do me harm I'm not going to risk it on a fist fight. People die that way, and it ain't gonna be me.

[War Machine]

I'll take an ass whoopn before I pull a gun in someone

[AnthonyS]

Start by reading everything you can find on situational awareness and practice it daily. You will soon be able to answer your own question. And as always it depends..... one guy or 5 guys verbally threatening me? You didn't clarify. Are one or more of those guys trying to move behind me? Are my kids with me? They armed? With? Or are we just dealing with the local obnoxious drunk? It's always situational.

[GhostTX]

When I feel me or mine are in imminent and serious danger.

This, but as IHaveAMustang stated, be aware of your surroundings so that you avoid it. Mental state color awareness, though I admit I'm not always as aware as I need to be.

[naynay]

sig check.

[sc281]

If I feel threatened. Casually place it at my side and try to not have it in view of the bad guy.
Waiting after that point, to me, only puts me at a disadvantage if the potential bad guy decides to draw first.

[IHaveAMustang]

I've been carrying for 5 years now, have not even had anything remotely close to make me think to draw. I think it's 99% situational awareness, 1% action.

That being said, I have my decision split into two scenarios:
1) I'll draw down at the slightest hint that either my wife or 2 year old son is in any danger. They are the whole reason I got a CHL. As long as I maintain distance, my weapon shouldn't be in danger of being taken. Even being followed in a parking lot would make me draw and tell them to get lost. Don't care about being arrested, their lives are priority.

2) If it's just me, they'll have to try to punch, stab or draw a weapon on me before I draw. I imagine a jury of my peers would acquit me with a female and toddler being protected instead of a lone white male with no witnesses/other victims.

[BP]

I've drawn on someone while inside of my home. He was abusive to my sister and threatened my life. I was in my home at the time and he was standing in the yard making verbal threats. Thankfully he decided to leave before assaulting anyone.

[HarrisonTX]

Pulling when hands laid on you WITHOUT the intent of immediately using it is a very very good way to have your own weapon used against you. Just be cautious

[black2002ls]

I use the concentric rings strategy for threat analysis. Basically, the closer you are or the more you look like you're approaching me, the more I pay attention to you. There are mitigating factors, and I'm always scanning when I'm in public. I try to deescalate public misunderstandings first, and get away from conflict as much as possible. So far it's worked well.

This right here. I am typically hyperaware of my surroundings, always looking around, seeing who or what is aroubd me, etc. I could typically spot bar fights before they happened simply by watching the crowd.

As for drawing my weapon, my life or that of my family would have to be in iminent danger. I have ran scenarios through my head a lot, asking myself what I would do.

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