I almost shot a young man on Friday night (long)

[Buzz]

Holy crap Buzz! That was amazing. You did good. That SOB never had a clue how close he was to smelling dirt. Idiot.

Stories like that make me want to go out and get trained for a handgun. I have shot many rifles and own some shotguns. But I have never considered a handgun.

During my long run last week, I had a scarry thing happen. I crawled down the side a Tennessee bridge to soak my feet in the water. I had a creepy feeling about the place so I only stayed a short while. When I was back on the road, I looked over my shoulder. A big grizzly of a guy was standing where I had been. A minute later, he shot a shotgun over my head. Yelled at me "yeah, I'm talkin to YOU". Mother phucker scared the $hit out of me. No cell phone coverage for 4 more miles. When I did get coverage, I called 911. Asked if what I had done was wrong... state right of way and all of that. Operator said "No way!" and "stay right there, the sherrif is on the way".

When he got to me, I explained the whole situation. Then, more sherrifs showed up. They explained to me that in Tennessee, you may NEVER use a gun in such a manner. Sure, if someone is robbing you, breaking and entering, etc. But even if I were "trespassing", he could not do what he did. Well, they went and got him. I know nothing more then that.

I could not carry a gun on such a run if I wanted too. Too much weight, plus, I would have to be licensed in 2-3 states. But I wish I had an option to mace. Really.

Wow! A shotgun blast over your head is no laughing matter - that situation was potentially even more dangerous than what happened to me. At least I was armed.

How on earth a tired runner soaking his feet could provoke a man to use his shotgun is way beyond me. What threat could he have possibly perceived in you and what you were doing?? Some sort of paranoid psycho, no doubt, and given that the guy is likely playing with less than a full deck, I suppose it could have turned out much worse.

You did a great job of overcoming odds and adversity to finish the run and you also survived a potentially fatal encounter. At the end of the day, buddy you deserve to take some time out and celebrate. Cheers and congratulations on both counts!

PS - If you are already comfortable with guns - and it sounds like you are - by all means get the training and build up some proficiency with handguns. Aside from the obvious benefit of having that extra tool in your toolbox, training and practicing can be a lot of fun and it's very likely you'll meet some good, like-minded people along the way.

[DAVID GAGNARD]

How on earth a tired runner soaking his feet could provoke a man to use his shotgun is way beyond me.

Well, he WAS in Tennessee!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There are numerous places like this in the US, way down in the swamps of South Louisiana is another place this could easily have happened, I know first hand!!!!!!!!!

Mike: glad everything turned out o-k for you..Like Buzz said, get the CCP and practise,practise,practise........You'll meet a lot of good folks that'll be more than happy to help you along getting the CCP and learning how and when to use a handgun.......
Been there,still doing it......

David

[bomelia]

I think I will do just that. BTW, to give you proper perspective, I was more than a 10th of a mile away when he shot the gun. Actually, that made it worse for him. I have no idea what happened, though I am certain his driveway was occupied by squad cars for a while.

I still cannot get over how I had that "premonition". In my mind, it looked just like it actually happened. Perhaps guardian angels are real?

What kind of hand gun (model) would you guys reccomend? Still, I could not carry one on a run like that. Too heavy and conspicuous. Law enforcement would have me in the back seat way too many times (no matter how legit I was). Plus "carrying" on your person is another bag of worms anyways, is it not?

Mike

[Ron61]

Mike,

I don't know your laws back there but out here a few states will recognize another states CCP. Also it is legal to carry a gun openly in many areas here without a permit. The Sheriff's department prefers that you get a permit and keep it concealed so they don't get all of the calls about some person carrying a gun. That also works far better as a deterrent as the dopers and such around here know many of the people that do carry and they tend to avoid them. How is it to get ammunition back there? I have to cut way back on my shooting as it is hard to find any around here. The range called the other day and they had just gotten in some and I live abut a 10 minute drive away and by the time I got over there they had sold almost all of it. I did get two boxes, so I will go back and shoot again soon.

Ron

[Bobcat]

Mike ... check with the state on who they have reciprocal agreements on concealed carry with . Here in SC , we have agreements with over a dozen states .... you just have to abide by their conditions .
As far as a weapon recommendation .. break out the popcorn as there will be many recommendations . I prefer my Colt Lightweight Combat Commander ( 45 caliber ) , which has an aluminum frame and is smaller than the Model 1911 . I also sometimes carry my Sig P220 , but that is a large gun . My daughter has a Sig .380 , which has decent stopping power and is small enough for her to conceal . In my opinion , carry nothing smaller than a .380 .
Also , get a competent instructor ( preferably NRA certified ) and then practice , practice , practice and then practice some more .
Congratulations on getting out of a bad situation in one piece !

Bob

[Buzz]

Originally Posted by bomelia

I think I will do just that. BTW, to give you proper perspective, I was more than a 10th of a mile away when he shot the gun. Actually, that made it worse for him. I have no idea what happened, though I am certain his driveway was occupied by squad cars for a while.

I still cannot get over how I had that "premonition". In my mind, it looked just like it actually happened. Perhaps guardian angels are real?

What kind of hand gun (model) would you guys reccomend? Still, I could not carry one on a run like that. Too heavy and conspicuous. Law enforcement would have me in the back seat way too many times (no matter how legit I was). Plus "carrying" on your person is another bag of worms anyways, is it not?

Mike

Sounds like your subconscious recognized signs of danger that have been quietly ingrained and reinforced by years of seeing, hearing and reading stuff over the course of your lifetime. Good thing too. If you had stuck around any longer, your encounter with Bubba might have been more up close and personal.

Choosing a handgun for carry is a very personal thing and difficult to advise on. Based on your lifestyle, you may want something very small, light and concealable like an Airweight revolver in .38 Special. On the other hand you might not be comfortable with the 5-shot capacity, the caliber itself or the challenge of becoming proficient and consistent with a small short barrelled gun. You may like the simplicity, reliability and user friendliness of revolvers or you may crave the higher capacity of a double stack autoloader. Have fun trying them all and pick the one (or ones) you like.

How on earth a tired runner soaking his feet could provoke a man to use his shotgun is way beyond me.

Well, he WAS in Tennessee!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dave - ! I was going to say I thought that sort of thing only happened with you crazy Cajuns in the Louisiana Bayous and the Hillbillies up in the Ozarks, but I remembered this article I myself posted a little while back. I can understand a person defending his property from hostile intruders, but shooting someone who just wanders by baffles the hell out of me!

Sad story here: http://abcnews.go.com/US/Story?id=7557222&page=1

[DAVID GAGNARD]

Buzz;

The thing about Tennesse and Louisiana was meant as a joke, just forgot to add the smileys......You got to remember, there are crazy people everywhere and in every state!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Some places just have higher concentrations of em than others!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mike:

I would suggest you get a copy or application for a CCP in your state and read it about 10 times. It'll give you all the qualifications to get the CCP and all the laws/rules/regulations regarding carrying a gun, you may be surprised by some of the regulations....
Here in Louisiana, there is a list of places you are NOT allowed to carry a weapon concealed or otherwise and the list is not real short!!!!!!!!!

As for a carry gun, I don't carry anything less than a 38,9mm 90% of the time. You should "try on" different guns/holsters in a gun shop and see what fits you and your lifestyle best and also get input from your instructor or LEO's about what they would recommend....

I carry a 9mm and use a crossdraw holster, I spend most of my working days in a car and carrying my gun on my side is very uncomfortable in the car or sitting most anywhere.... I tried a number of crossdraw holsters till I found one that was comfortable and functional for ME, then practise,practise,practise..........

Seems lately I carry my gun less and less on me, but always have it in the car with me, and only carry it on myself when I feel the need to.

David

[bomelia]

Yes, there are crazy folks everywhere. I keep trying to imagine myself carrying one strapped to my leg as I run across the state of Tennessee. I know I would get put in the back seat of a lot of squad cars.

There is an intense debate about the right to carry in Federal Parks. There was a rash of killings in NC/SC/GA not too long ago.

Maybe just strapping a holster on my leg might be enough? Perhaps not.

Mike

[392cobra]

Mike,each State you were running in recognizes Alabama's CCW License.

Permits/Licenses This State Honors:
Alaska Arizona Arkansas Colorado Florida
Georgia Idaho Indiana Kentucky Louisiana
Michigan Mississippi Missouri New Hampshire North Carolina
North Dakota Oklahoma South Dakota Tennessee Texas
Utah Wyoming

http://www.nraila.org/recmap/usrecmap.aspx

http://www.handgunlaw.us/