Had an interesting experience this morning which has got me thinking about self-defense firearms.
I was dressed for cold weather -- long coat, gloves -- and taking a shortcut across a parking lot, near a contractor's van. As I rounded the rear corner of the van (about 10-15 ft. from the bumper) who should greet me but the contractor's dog, a female northern type, at the end of a long lead.
She came at a brisk trot but didn't seem intent on attacking. I was ready to offer my left forearm, then grab her throat and smash her head on the pavement. Instead, I backed up out of her range. (I know the rule is to give corners a wide berth. I believe I was in this case.)
I had Fox OC spray in an inner coat pocket, a S&W 642 in the right front pants pocket, and an SOG folding knife clipped inside the left front pants pocket.
If the dog had not been on a lead, and had attacked, it would have been a struggle to get my gloved hand in my pocket to get either the knife or gun. Forget the OC spray.
So this made me think of this situation as if it were an armed person. The suprise and quickness of the incident really struck me; some type of grappling skill, at least to momentarily break away and create some distance, would have been necessary.
I'm also suprised at how totally focused I was on the dog's eyes and mouth and body posture. I wonder if I could have drawn a weapon with a safety, disengaged it, gotten a flash sight picture, and triggered a shot. In retrospect I think a 2.5" or 3" fixed sight revolver shoved in their general direction and emptied would have done the trick.
Thoughts, suggestions?
I was dressed for cold weather -- long coat, gloves -- and taking a shortcut across a parking lot, near a contractor's van. As I rounded the rear corner of the van (about 10-15 ft. from the bumper) who should greet me but the contractor's dog, a female northern type, at the end of a long lead.
She came at a brisk trot but didn't seem intent on attacking. I was ready to offer my left forearm, then grab her throat and smash her head on the pavement. Instead, I backed up out of her range. (I know the rule is to give corners a wide berth. I believe I was in this case.)
I had Fox OC spray in an inner coat pocket, a S&W 642 in the right front pants pocket, and an SOG folding knife clipped inside the left front pants pocket.
If the dog had not been on a lead, and had attacked, it would have been a struggle to get my gloved hand in my pocket to get either the knife or gun. Forget the OC spray.
So this made me think of this situation as if it were an armed person. The suprise and quickness of the incident really struck me; some type of grappling skill, at least to momentarily break away and create some distance, would have been necessary.
I'm also suprised at how totally focused I was on the dog's eyes and mouth and body posture. I wonder if I could have drawn a weapon with a safety, disengaged it, gotten a flash sight picture, and triggered a shot. In retrospect I think a 2.5" or 3" fixed sight revolver shoved in their general direction and emptied would have done the trick.
Thoughts, suggestions?