Street robberies and you - The Basics

[DON SVO]

Not necessarily. They would have either patiently waited until hood rat said his peace or would have went somewhere else. You interrupt someone who is already irate, be prepared for backlash. He probably saw your small stature and figured you'd be an easy target for him to take out his aggression. If he thought you were a cop, why would he have approached you in the first place talking shit?

I was stuck between my door and the gas pump. So running away from my open and unlocked car in mindless fear of the fuck head who, angry because i wanted to pay for my fuel and leave, decided that he was justified in cornering me like a dog was not only impossible but absolutely irresponsible and stupid.

That's why I said I'm pretty sure he was adept at picking up body/positioning cues.

Everyone has a certain point of "you're too close", even amongst friends. That area widens drastically when a situation becomes tense and aggressive. My distance became extremely apparent to this individual once he felt he could come around the backside of my car posturing like he was ready to fight.

Run your mouth all you want, flip me off, call my dead mom a whore... Corner me for no reason other than to intimidate me and I'll make sure to let you know it's going to stop. IMMEDIATELY. Contrary to the life-sized vaginas who typically end up the Punch & Rape targets for those who feel "I'm the aggressor so do what I say", I don't give 2 wet shits how big or small they are. God bless Texas, the Castle Doctrine, a spotless record and 165gr 40cal Hydro Shok personal defense rounds.

[SS Junk]

I know quite a few people that, in that instance, would probably have gotten the shit beat out of them. Maybe worse.

Not necessarily. They would have either patiently waited until hood rat said his peace or would have went somewhere else. You interrupt someone who is already irate, be prepared for backlash. He probably saw your small stature and figured you'd be an easy target for him to take out his aggression. If he thought you were a cop, why would he have approached you in the first place talking shit?

[DON SVO]

I read the entire ARFcom thread and made my GF listen to me while I read the OPs original post to her. Then I linked her to Blitz-308s post (he basically got into a full-fledged shoot out in a small room with an execution-style armed robber, scored a hit after being shot 4 times)

I asked if when I tell her to stay on my right side (I'm lefty), why I always keep my left hand open or carrying stuff I don't mind losing, telling every asshole on the street 'NO' when asked anything and keeping distance in public from iffy persons NOW made sense to her. She understands but she's still oblivious to randoms. I'm working on it.

My story I've told to some people on here isn't scary, I feel, but it's realistic.

I was going to play golf on a Saturday afternoon. I stopped to get gas at a gas station in a mediocre part of Ft. Worth. I went inside and there was a lanky, saggy-pants, wife beater flat-brimmed ballcap wearing urban individual arguing with the clerk about a lottery ticket purchase. They went back and forth for a good 2 minutes before I finally said to the clerk, "can you put $20 on 5 please?" He was so focused on the guy at the counter he didn't realize that myself and several others were standing in line. He looked at the guy, then me, the guy again and apologized for the delay to me and took my $20. That was the initial *pop* I had in my head... The clerk was totally fixated on this guy, maybe he had a reason.

At any rate, I went outside and began to fill up. The urban individual literally threw the door of the store open as he came outside, yelling at me "who the fuck yo think you is?! who the fuck yo think you is?! You wanna fuckin' cut me off mofucka?!? Huh?! who the fuck yo think you is?!" and made a bee line for the rear of my car.

I was on the driver side of my car, against the pumps and my door was open bebind me. I stepped back once, felt my ass hit the door and had an instantaneous adrenaline pump and moved my left side away from him. I was in slacks, nice polo, wearing shades and my head was freshly shaved. He got to my trunk with his fists balled up and bowed at his sides still shouting, "who the fuck yo think you is?!" and I went hand under my polo to my pistol, leaned forward with my right hand straight at him and said with a pretty matter-of-fact tone, "motherfucker, you need to stop right the fuck there." he looked down and right (probably at my shirt, which would have been hiked to my ribs since I had pulled but still had the pistol behind me) and hit the brakes so hard I heard the loose gravel under his shoe scrape the pavement, turned, and walked quickly back to the backside of the filling station and across the street.

Do I think he meant to rob me? No. I think he was pissed that I got tired of his BS in the station, made him look 'weak' in front of the other hoodrats in line, and he came out 100% looking for a fight. Now the problem I have is an angry, 6-0" ghetto troll with something his mind decided was worth proving is as dangerous as anyone who's willing to rob you or assault you or anything else. I wasn't prepared to find out and it wasn't until he had moved away from me (across the street) that I realized my pistol was completely cleared and free of my polo. It literally took 3 seconds from when he got to my trunk and he turned to flee.

Some buddies hypothesized that with my nice car, nice clothes, sunglasses, shaved head, extended weak side hand and loud gruff command to back off, I looked like a cop. I laughed and said, "I wonder if the stance, shirt pulled up behind me and a chicken-winged left arm pulling a .40 cal G27 had something to say?"

After that, I reassessed how I approach a possible situation. The ARFcom thread merely cemented my thoughts. I know quite a few people that, in that instance, would probably have gotten the shit beat out of them. Maybe worse. Anti-gun nuts will never cease to amaze me with their "shooting an unarmed man" bullshit. I wonder if them getting beaten with a length of lead pipe into paralysis and getting to convulse and watch the perp rape his wife/kids would even work to change their mindsets (an actual event)... Whatever the case, I'll continue to protect and educate my own.

[mikec]

To me this article sounds like it was written in the same preachy condescending tone that you hear coming from the police in the North East and ass holes who work at an Army Navy store.

In knowing that you are a liberal, who likely hates guns, I'm not surprised a bit at your conclusion.

I just read it top to bottom for the second time and enjoyed it both times. But then again I'm a conservative, clinging to his guns and religion...

[Cannon88]

Good read, thanks for the post.

[GeorgeG.]

exactly.
my example.
I flipped off someone who tried to fly up behind me and get around before i could (you know me , trying to fucking signal for no damn reason obviously)

anyways they pull up next to me and go figure they're some football player sized black guy in the back seat. Any way he looks pissed
happens to be i leaned down and picked up a soda that flew off the passenger seat.
So when i roll down the window to see what he's so upset about (i flipped with fat wigger wife off, daughter in back seat right next to him listening to his yelling)
SO he's go's 'oh you grabbing your heater huh?'
Yes, at this point I was actually trying to think of WTF he is talking about. What's a heater? Oh yeah this guys from the ghetto, A heater is a gun!

So of course we yell back and forth in front of his daughter since he's obviously a hood rat.
What's funny is I told the dude " I ain't got no heater man!"
that just convinced him more of course.
Any ways apparantly the brothers must have it figured out up where I roam.....every white guy reaching for something must have a gun.

5$ says that guy was straight hood rat, or out a jail. Honestly i thought the whole encounter was hilarious because they were driving some super nice car like a mercedes and headed right for the section 8 housing near me. CLASSIC

Seriously that was a good brief on personal security. The writer is spot on , and at so many levels!

I had a similar incident on I-20 in GP last year...I was driving to work in an car and had a newer truck cut me off...I was in the right lane but after he cut me off, I moved over and coincidently the right lane would slow to a crawl, when it picked back up, I moved back to the right lane. Then he'd try to cut me off 2 more times but this time I didn't make it so easy for him. I figured this was going to drag out for as long as we're going in the same direction. When I realized he was going for a 4th attempt, I noticed he now had his driver window rolled down. Fortunately, I had my gun with me(I don't always carry it) so I pulled it out and was holding it on the seat next to me. I'm guessing when he pulled up beside me, he was able to look down into my car saw it cause he immediately made a sweeping, 2-lane change and was out of my sight in a heartbeat.

And no, I was not left lane camping.

[Jimbo]

Excellent read. I am saving this one.

[futant]

Inflection, I think, would be the case here. Kind of a non-challant and flippant "I don't have a gun", with a Clint Eastwood sneer, delivered as a dose of reverse psychology. My take, at least.

exactly.
my example.
I flipped off someone who tried to fly up behind me and get around before i could (you know me , trying to fucking signal for no damn reason obviously)

anyways they pull up next to me and go figure they're some football player sized black guy in the back seat. Any way he looks pissed
happens to be i leaned down and picked up a soda that flew off the passenger seat.
So when i roll down the window to see what he's so upset about (i flipped with fat wigger wife off, daughter in back seat right next to him listening to his yelling)
SO he's go's 'oh you grabbing your heater huh?'
Yes, at this point I was actually trying to think of WTF he is talking about. What's a heater? Oh yeah this guys from the ghetto, A heater is a gun!

So of course we yell back and forth in front of his daughter since he's obviously a hood rat.
What's funny is I told the dude " I ain't got no heater man!"
that just convinced him more of course.
Any ways apparantly the brothers must have it figured out up where I roam.....every white guy reaching for something must have a gun.

5$ says that guy was straight hood rat, or out a jail. Honestly i thought the whole encounter was hilarious because they were driving some super nice car like a mercedes and headed right for the section 8 housing near me. CLASSIC

Seriously that was a good brief on personal security. The writer is spot on , and at so many levels!

[Tyrone Biggums]

Good read, thanks for sharing.

[SS Junk]

Regardless, it's a slippery slope and you will end up in court justifying your actions.

[BERNIE MOSFET]

You're allowed in Texas to present the threat of force (drawing) in order to diffuse a situation.

True, but Chapter 9 is about defense to prosecution. You can still be charged with assault, and then you have the burden of proof to show that it was justifiable.

[GhostTX]

Exactly. You draw first you can be charged with brandishing. My CHL class strongly emphasized not drawing unless you were going to undoubtedly fire.

Brandishing is not a crime in Texas. Brandishing a weapon can either be charged as intentional failure to conceal or assault.

You're allowed in Texas to present the threat of force (drawing) in order to diffuse a situation.

PC §9.04. THREATS AS JUSTIFIABLE FORCE. The threat of force
is justified when the use of force is justified by this chapter. For purposes
of this section, a threat to cause death or serious bodily injury by
the production of a weapon or otherwise, as long as the actor's purpose
is limited to creating an apprehension that he will use deadly
force if necessary, does not constitute the use of deadly force.

[SS Junk]

I was in a situation last year where, because I was in a fucked up liberal shitbag state, I could not legally carry. Ended up having to brandish my keys between my fingers, which fortunately worked. Never again. My family was a few hundred feet from me when this happened. They could have also been armed.

As far as this is concerned:

He has to accept he may be killed while robbing.

I think more often than not the psychology is rather "It won't happen to me I'm invincible."

[BERNIE MOSFET]

That's because that's the safest way to teach someone not get into legal trouble. That's not necessarily the safest way to diffuse a situation. Which method was the instructor there to teach you?

Right, my impression of the CHL course was that it was more about the legalities of it all, not so much on the practicality of it.

[BERNIE MOSFET]

Unfortunately I live in a Commonwealth that is behind the times.

I wasn't disagreeing so much as clarifying how it is illegal in Texas. Your point is still valid.