There have been a few times in my life that carrying a pistol made me feel MUCH better about my situation... and I'll try to be brief sharing them, leading up to my latest, where I didn't feel a bit undergunned...
First time 1992 - Atlanta GA, Friend and I were walking from a parking garage to "Underground Atlanta". Bum-looking, VERY LARGE man walks up and asks for a cigarette. Told him I didn't smoke, but he refused to believe that two long-hairs didn't smoke. He started threatening to whip our a--es if we didn't give him a cigarette. I reached inside my leather jacket, put my hand on the .22 magnum derringer I had in there, and he immediately backed up, walked across the street and continued to curse... problem solved, but I felt WAY undergunned.
Second time 1997 - 4 young men in a low-rider narrowly averted hitting me and (wow) same friend in parking lot. We got out to go inside, and the four of them got out cursing... One pulled a bat from between the front seats, the other reached under the car seat for something... I put my hand in my (don't laugh) fannypack and grabbed the grip of my AMT Backup 45. They saw that they weren't the only idiots with guns, and got back in the car and left. We decided to go elsewhere to buy a book, rather than leave the car unattended. Felt WAAAAY undergunned, and later, the gun jammed permanently at the range, confirming my fear.
Last Thursday - Lizella GA, Taking wife to State Administrators exam in Macon. Stopped at a gas station, when a scruffy man told me he needed a ride down the street. I told him I was in a hurry, and couldn't be late. He continued about how this would only take a minute, blah blah blah and took another step toward me. He put his hand in his pocket, so I stuck my hand in my pocket too, and took a grip on my Kel-Tec P32. He took another step toward me, and I put up my hand at his chest, yelled obscenely that I didn't have time for his crap and he needed to get the HE77 on before I kicked his a--. He looked at my hand in pocket, removed his hand from his pocket, and walked away. For the first time, I did NOT feel inadequately armed??
Please keep in mind that never in ANY of these occurrances did I actually SHOW my weapon, or even remove it from the holster.
I have NO idea why... except maybe that I knew the .22 magnum was just that, and only 2 shots, or that the AMT was a TERRIBLE piece of junk that was as accurate as my great grandmother's pitching arm, and that the Kel-Tec is DARNED accurate for it's size, and hasn't malfunctioned yet, but I was confident.
The morals of the story? I don't have enough to do right now at work, you never have a confrontation when you have your (favorite pistol here) with you, AND, I gotta stop going places with my friend as well as start choosing my gas stations more carefully!!!
First time 1992 - Atlanta GA, Friend and I were walking from a parking garage to "Underground Atlanta". Bum-looking, VERY LARGE man walks up and asks for a cigarette. Told him I didn't smoke, but he refused to believe that two long-hairs didn't smoke. He started threatening to whip our a--es if we didn't give him a cigarette. I reached inside my leather jacket, put my hand on the .22 magnum derringer I had in there, and he immediately backed up, walked across the street and continued to curse... problem solved, but I felt WAY undergunned.
Second time 1997 - 4 young men in a low-rider narrowly averted hitting me and (wow) same friend in parking lot. We got out to go inside, and the four of them got out cursing... One pulled a bat from between the front seats, the other reached under the car seat for something... I put my hand in my (don't laugh) fannypack and grabbed the grip of my AMT Backup 45. They saw that they weren't the only idiots with guns, and got back in the car and left. We decided to go elsewhere to buy a book, rather than leave the car unattended. Felt WAAAAY undergunned, and later, the gun jammed permanently at the range, confirming my fear.
Last Thursday - Lizella GA, Taking wife to State Administrators exam in Macon. Stopped at a gas station, when a scruffy man told me he needed a ride down the street. I told him I was in a hurry, and couldn't be late. He continued about how this would only take a minute, blah blah blah and took another step toward me. He put his hand in his pocket, so I stuck my hand in my pocket too, and took a grip on my Kel-Tec P32. He took another step toward me, and I put up my hand at his chest, yelled obscenely that I didn't have time for his crap and he needed to get the HE77 on before I kicked his a--. He looked at my hand in pocket, removed his hand from his pocket, and walked away. For the first time, I did NOT feel inadequately armed??
Please keep in mind that never in ANY of these occurrances did I actually SHOW my weapon, or even remove it from the holster.
I have NO idea why... except maybe that I knew the .22 magnum was just that, and only 2 shots, or that the AMT was a TERRIBLE piece of junk that was as accurate as my great grandmother's pitching arm, and that the Kel-Tec is DARNED accurate for it's size, and hasn't malfunctioned yet, but I was confident.
The morals of the story? I don't have enough to do right now at work, you never have a confrontation when you have your (favorite pistol here) with you, AND, I gotta stop going places with my friend as well as start choosing my gas stations more carefully!!!
