[schlemer]

Over the past year I've read countless stories about ordinary people running into bad situations. The other night my life almost changed. I just thank the Lord almighty above that I have taken the time to learn how to handle my weapon properly and how to maintain so form of reasonable composure.

By nature I am a night owl. I stay up late surfing the web or on this particular night, watching the Ducks win their first Stanley cup. At 1:15 am I was still awake, so as I do every night. I walked out onto my driveway, which is at the back of my home and opens into an alley. I have what I call a "guard's walk" (I did security for 8 years), so my hands are at the small of my back, coincidentally where I also had my PT1911 tucked that night. To my left are hedges which stand over 6 feet tall and in front is my big red gardening shed. At that moment something caught my attention and a voice said pssst, hey! Honestly, all I could see was darkness and a shiny object. I instinctively drew my weapon and pointed into the darkness. I said get the "F" out of there. A young, white, male teen appeared, sweating and nervous. I said calm but stern, "What the hell are you doing on my property at 1:15 in the morning". He stated that his drunk mother had come home and he was scared. At this time I noticed that the object in his hand was a cell phone. I lowered my weapon, but still kept it in hand while keeping a good eye on the kid. I told him "boy, do you know that you almost got shot". He said "I know". I said, "you need to go right now". After a quick moment of babel from the teen, he quickly walked (not ran, if you could believe it) away while making a call on his cell.

I waited until he was far out of my sight. I then got a flashlight and investigated the area incase he dropped a weapon or drugs. I went in my house, told my wife and went to sleep (if you can call it sleep). I did ponder the though of calling the police at the time, but felt that it would have been a waste for their time. I hope I didn't make a mistake (what's done is done). I'm just glad that I didn't have to end some foolish kid's life over his stupidity and a cell phone. I't would have been bad for him and worse for me.

Lesson learned, This is not a video game or a movie. Take great caution when confronted. There is no pause button or extra lives in the real world.

Peace my friends,

Mike

 

[HS Driver]

Thanks for sharing your story. Glad it turned out OK.

 

[Qwiks draw]

This is not a criticism at all. More of a add on to what happened.

But first and foremost, I'm glad you came out of it ok and anybody else for that matter. Things could escalate or turn ugly in a blink of an eye. It's a very scary, pulse pounding, reflexes going into overdrive moment. Trying to remain rational, cool, and coherent are difficult things to do under the circumstances, but must be done.

Many incidents with strangers are no more than encounters, mistakes,crossing of paths. Drunks, lost people, and other situations too numerous to list here, are common. Even if late at night. Then, there is the fact one has to be wary and on their guard. It may not be a normal situation at all.

What's about to be stated has more to do with overall situations like this than with this particular incident.

The obvious. Don't open a door to stangers unless you have to. One can ask through a open window, mail slot, or other opening to the outside if you have them. There are exceptions.
If the person outside has a gun or other weapon and the door is open an avenue in has been created. If a phone call needs to be made for the person outside, then do so, but do not let them in.
Have someone else call 911 or do so yourself at the first opportunity. Let the police know that you are armed, the particulars of the situation, and describe what you look like and the person at the door .

If answering the door, hold the gun to the side or in back of you and down out of sight of the individual. Keep enough space between the door or person so if you need to bring the gun into action ,you can.

Let the police do the investigating. If it is a criminal he could be in wait for you, still casing the place, or have accomplices that can ambush the unwary. Outside reconnaisance may have to be done anyway with or without authorities on a case by case basis.
These are just some things that can be done and not a comprehensive list.
I can empathize and sympathize with your situation. Let's just say, been there and done that.

Like I said earlier, I am glad that all involved are ok.

There are liability and legal ramifications that can come from or are part of the incident. Will not go into all that here.

Schlemer was the on scene person, and I will not try to critique what went down in any way.Not being there and having no way to play back a video means that any reply to what happened would be open to fallacy.

Over all things, if they have quieted down, went good. Just remember that this guy now knows that a gun is on the property and if someone comes back that they might take violent pre-emptive action or wait until the home is empty and then move in. A gun safe or other security is going to be needed.

Letting the police know that something took place would be adviseable for legal and informative to authorities reasons.

This lets the police know that you were the victim if the guy claims that you pulled a gun on him. Criminals falsely accusing the victim and making the victim the criminal are rampant.

This also lets the police be aware that an incident took place. This makes them more alert to possible goings on they may need to act on or that could later happen.

The NRA and other organizations have basic courses for home and personal defense. These courses do not cost hundreds of dollars and take a few hours or a day or two. It might be wise for us all to avail ourselves of these. This shows that a citizen went out of the way to get training,knows what to do under most circumstances, and legally went about it for the most part. This protects the individual from unscrupulous attacks by defense attorneys or district attorneys.

Remember the La Crosse team that was falsley accused of rape and other crimes. Ruined them for life.

So Mike. I'm glad things worked out for you. Now if the heart will stop pounding, the hands stop shaking, and the pulse will come down to normal, you might be able to get on with life.

I am glad that you did not have to shoot the guy. That's for your piece of mind, all the after consequences that come of that, and that life is precious reasoning. However it the guy had caused you to shoot and had no choice, then it was he that put you in that predicament and not you.

Please realize folks that the laws on personal defense in your area are different all over the U.S. and it may be wise to have some knowledge of them.

Good luck Mike.

 

[schlemer]

QD,

You make many valid points. None of which I disagree with. Your procedure on what to do when a stranger comes-a-knockin' reminds me (exactly) of what Massad Ayoob demonstrated on Personal defense TV.

So, you think I should still file a report with LEO, even though it happened Thursday morning? Personally, I do not have a problem with it, if it is worth it.

Thank you so much for your input. It was well worth the read.

Mike

 

[Qwiks draw]

It would be a good idea still to call the police and make a statement . Or at least talk to the local police and find out if they think it is something to do. You could just tell them that a stranger approached, his discription, and that he did leave at the late A.M.. Be careful and truthful with details. They do not need to see you as the "wild guy with a gun".

At least there would be a legal paper trail on this guy and the incident in case later incidents happen to you or other neighbors.Protects you and others by doing so.

Combat Handguns magazine and others of their ilk do usually have tactics sections and how to deal with this kind of thing in general and some good tips. American Handgunner is another good one to peruse from time to time.

Speaking of Mas. He has a Police Book Shelf publications and his book " In the Gravest Extreme" and others like it are one of the bench marks of self defense and are packed full of useful info all the way around. Awerbuck, Jim Cirillo, and Ed Lovette are other excellent authors to read. Paladin Press or Gun Digest Books are good starting points to start a small general reference library or even for regular use.

We could fill up entire space in the FAQ section with tactics and legal advice, but there isn't enough room for that.This might be a consideration for later for limited space for this. Maybe.

People need to get out and do their own research on this. Local laws very on what can and cannot do. Members and visitors here need to bone up on what their local laws are to the extent that they can.

Some states have "Castle Doctrine" laws and others have retreat ones. Ignorance of the law is normally not considered a legal foot to stand on if one has to defend ones self justifiably.

 

[Qwiks draw]

Schlemer. I am glad you had the courage to let us know and share this with us.Hope there are no more such encounters and wish you well.

 

[gunfighter48]

Glad you and the boy both came out ok. Shooting some one is the last thing anyone wants to do. The only thing I would recommend is having a very bright flashlight. Any of the current tactical type lights would do. I have a Surefire 6P that I just fitted with a 120 lumen CREE LED light and it lights up the area very well. At 20 - 30 ft the other person will be nearly blinded for quite a while. Nothing like shedding a little light on the target before making the decision to shoot.

 

[BoneDigger]

gunfighter48 has a very good point. Having a flashlight with you may have eleviated the need to draw. I'm sure that boy had no real bad intentions, but then you never really know until it's too late. Either way I bet he had to change his underwear afterwards.

Consider investing in a good flashlight and keep it with you on your nightly walks. Glad everything worked out well for you in this instance.

Todd

 

[schlemer]

Glad you and the boy both came out ok. Shooting some one is the last thing anyone wants to do. The only thing I would recommend is having a very bright flashlight. Any of the current tactical type lights would do. I have a Surefire 6P that I just fitted with a 120 lumen CREE LED light and it lights up the area very well. At 20 - 30 ft the other person will be nearly blinded for quite a while. Nothing like shedding a little light on the target before making the decision to shoot.

Funny you should mention that. I used to carry an led flashlight as part of my gear. I just got lazy with it (shame on me). Though I have a 150 watt light on my garage which illuminates a large portion of my backyard. The back alley and bushes are pitch black. Light will be making a comeback.

 

[Drewbacca]

I was at the store the other day and was checking out a light/laser combo. It was a 3watt LED and man, that SOB would light you UP. I'm almost tempted to get one.

 

[gunfighter48]

Glad you and the boy both came out ok. Shooting some one is the last thing anyone wants to do. The only thing I would recommend is having a very bright flashlight. Any of the current tactical type lights would do. I have a Surefire 6P that I just fitted with a 120 lumen CREE LED light and it lights up the area very well. At 20 - 30 ft the other person will be nearly blinded for quite a while. Nothing like shedding a little light on the target before making the decision to shoot.

Here's the link to the CREE LED unit, $12.50 with free shipping. It will fit the Surefire G2 and 6P lights. I like the metal 6P, makes a very good impact weapon!!

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1447

 

[Steelheart]

I just wanted to say that I've dealt with them a couple of times. It takes a while to get the order but the quality is good. I just got a 1W led light for a few bucks (added it into another order). It just as nice as my Dorcy of equal power. The company was previously known as FifthUnit.com. They are based out of China.

Steelheart

 

[oldhand10]

Within the last year, there have been several LED conversion light units to fit the Maglite series. Bought a small unit for my Mini Mag, 2 AA Battery unit, and while it does not have the focusing beam feature, it is quite bright, and I like it. Then purchased a 3 watt LED conversion for my larger Maglite 3 D cell unit, and that is truly awesome. Best I remember, the larger conversion was less than $10 at Wall mart, with the smaller one about half of that. If you already have such decent lights, check into spending for a conversion unit, as they claim three times battery life, and so far, I'm quite impressed with both of mine. Either would blind an aggressor long enough for you to get into a defensive position, and the large one will greatly reduce their night vision for some time.