A neighbor from Wisconsin had a defensive gun use in Racine. His family and mine lived a half mile apart in rural Wisconsin while he was growing up. (That’s a close neighbor in the area.) I spoke to him over the phone about the incident. He disires anonymity.
On Thursday, July 14th, after getting off of work at 4 p.m., he hopped into his Ford 150 Crew Cab and drove his mother-in-law to a local Shopko to pick up a prescription. His son came along to do a little shopping.
He dropped off his mother in law and son, then drove to a spot a little away from other vehicles where he could watch the doors for when his son and mother-in-law came out. This put him a bit closer to a plasma purchasing center than to the Shopco. It was 86 degrees and breezy, so both windows were open. He turned off the truck, and started to read his Kindle.
Loud rap music alerted him to a vehicle two parking spots behind him. A quick glance in the mirror showed two black men in a beat up Toyota sedan.
The passenger got out of the sedan and started to walk toward my neighbor’s F150. The passenger was wearing a white, “wife beater” t-shirt. The driver had a skull cap on.My neighbor reached under the folded down console, retrieved a Ruger SR22, and rested it on top of the console, in his hand. It would not be visible unless you were looking in the window.
The driver of the Toyota pulled up to within six inches of the F150’s driver’s door, blocking that exit. As my neighbor saw the driver look past him, he turned to look to his passenger side window.
The Toyota’s passenger had arrived there. As the passenger looked inside, through the open window, he saw the SR22 in my neighbor’s hand. A forced grin appeared on his face, as he said, “hey..” and walked 15 feet in front of the F150.
The Toyota driver drove forward, the passenger got back in, and they screeched out of the parking lot, onto the highway, heading toward a not so nice part of town. The tag on the Toyota was an illegible paper dealer tag or a facsimile thereof.
My neighbor said that he had remained very calm throughout the 30 seconds that it took for this event to transpire. Then, as the adrenaline reaction set in, he started shaking. This is a common occurrence after a defensive gun use.
He has a concealed carry permit and carries regularly. The SR22 belongs to his wife, who also has a CCW. It was in the truck because she works at a school, and cannot take it on school property.
I have no doubt that the Toyota driver and passenger intended to commit a nasty criminal act. You do not drive so close to a driver’s door so as to block the exit in the normal course of events, while your partner approaches the passenger side.
My former neighbor wanted to avoid problems; he didn’t reports the incident to the police. No crime had been committed. Just another defensive display that almost certainly stopped a violent crime. Nothing for the news, here.
©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Close. Put down the electronic distractions and keep in the game.
“We’d like you to have this flower from the church of religious consciousness…”
Airplane references are always welcome here.
Surely you must be joking.
No, he’s serious. And don’t call him Shirley.
Based on the frequency of Dean’s submissions, I think RF has put down the electronics and is taking a vacation.
Conspiracy theories know no bounds. Did RF sell a part interest to Dean? Inquiring minds want to m know.
I believe RF commented that he had his daughters all together for the first time in years and was on a road trip with them.
This is the first time he’s had all his daughters together in a long time, if ever. In families affected by divorce this is rare event and something that may well not happen again or at least for a very long time. Enjoy your time with your kids, Robert.
The gun was nice to have. but he was saved by rap music.
“Excuse me, Sir? We are collecting donations for the local Dindonuffin chapter, which supports young inner-city men who have insufficient entitlements. Can we count on you for an instant donation of, say, what’s in your wallet? Or perhaps you’d like to donate this fine vehicle?”
“Oh my! A firearm! Take me to my safe space!”
Of course, your friend is lying. Stuff like this doesn’t really happen in civilized countries.
Speaking of civilized countries a knife massacre is being reported in Japan.
19 dead and 45 wounded is the report I saw. So much for that “knives are less dangerous” nonsense from the Left.
These people were in a ‘disabled’ facility. I doubt they had the ability to defend themselves. So yes a knife in this situation was enough to mimic the levels of a typical gun attack. Let’s consider all the facts before jumping on your “knives are just as deadly as guns” mantras.
Let me know when stabbing rampages become an epidemic. (Here’s a hint: they’re not.)
Gun’s only have one purpose and that purpose is to kill.
Japan doesn’t want your outdated uncivilized belief to oppress and murder.
Never confuse a gun reich supporter with facts.
I didn’t suggest they should change their gun laws.
I’m saying that the concept that a knife is less dangerous is bullshit. In the hands of someone who knows how to use it, or just goes berserker on you, it’s a terrifyingly effective weapon within it’s effective range.
I say that having been in a knife fight and having been trained to use one.
[Edit] Oh and let me know when mass shootings become an epidemic. The highest death rate by mass shooting per million people per year in in Norway and it’s a 1.888/million. The US is 11th on the list at 0.089.
“Japan doesn’t want your outdated uncivilized belief to oppress and murder.”
The irony of this one statement is mind blowing.
History – learn it.
gun reich is a term another troll used to use here. Can’t remember right off which one it was. But he too was a fool.
A disabled facility….most likely where you are trolling from. Either that or mom and dad’s basement. Now, run along and leave the Internet forums to the grown ups.
Quick concernedamerican the gun grabbers are on TV and your mom says you can stay up till 11 to watch!
ConcernedAmerican,
What this attack in Japan demonstrates is that knives are just as deadly as any firearm. The person wielding the knife simply has to employ different tactics than they would with firearms. Nevertheless, it is exceedingly easy to kill 45 and wound another 50 or so, as this attack clearly illustrates.
Forget Japan; did the event the subject of this actual article “happen?” You’ve been saying for days, as one demonstration after another is displayed here, that defensive gun uses are a myth, and do not exist.
Does ANYONE need a self defense firearm more than the “handicap” (aged, women, weak)? “……Sam Colt made them equal”
@UNconcernedNONamerican — You mean, just like literally everyone killed in your favored “Gun-Free zones” that criminals overwhelmingly favor? Keep in mind that in the Kunming Train Station attack — carried out with a knife — 43 people were killed and another 134 were injured. So, yes, let’s actually consider all of the facts before jumping on your “knives are less dangerous than guns” mantras.
Let me know when stabbing rampages aren’t an epidemic anymore (NEWSFLASH: they are).
The intended purpose of any particular tool is irrelevant and exclusive only to the purview of its user — they decide what it is, and no one else.
The U.S. doesn’t want your out-dated and uncivilized belief to oppress and murder.
Never confuse a gun control reich supporter with facts.
“Gun’s only have one purpose and that purpose is to kill.”
So?
19 reported dead-20 injured. Reported the perp GAVE UP to the po-leece. So much for hari kiri…
And, as usual, the gun reich supporter/ignorant nutjobs are turning a tragedy into a political statement on gun politics in the US by dancing on the graves of the victims who died from a rare tragedy while refusing the look in their own backyard.
Wow. You have SO much class, evidenced by your willingness to go political over the bodies of dead people just to make yourself feel like a Big Boy in front of internet strangers.
Your comment are sick…this is a tragedy and all you can do is make fun?
Just running a play from the anti civil rights crowd, C-A. You know, the fascists bastards you work for.
Fa##ot-oops sorry cc. We were told we can’t use that term with internet trolls:)
concernedamerican:
Heh! We are not making fun of the tragedy in Japan. We are making fun of you.
@UNconcernedNONamerican — And, as usual, the gun control reich supporter/pig ignorant whackjobs are turning yet another of their deliberately facilitated tragedies into a political statement on gun politics in the U.S., by dancing on the graves of the victims who died from a rare tragedy while refusing to look in the mirror.
Wow. You psychologically project SO much nastiness in you onto other people, as evidenced by your willingness to go political over the bodies of dead people just to make yourself feel like a Big Boy in front of internet strangers.
Your comments are sick. You turn each and every tragedy into an opportunity to diminish our civil rights by wrongly blaming us, while your favored gun control policies literally facilitate and encourage these tragedies in the first place, faux liberal fascist hypocrite.
We’re trying to turn a tragedy into a political statement? Holy fuck, talk about a lack of self awareness.
Yo do understand that your are doing that every time you make the false claim that mass killings don’t happen anywhere else, right? You understand we got that tactic from your side right?
Similar thing happened to a friend of mine. He was stopped at a stop sign in a less than desirable part of town when a large fellow with tattoos standing on the corner rapidly approached his vehicle. He got about halfway to the car before he noticed the barrel of a 9mm resting on the edge of the window. Needless to say, his attitude changed rapidly.
Good story, but what does having tattoos have to do with anything? Does having tattoos mean you’re a bad guy or what?
Like “large”, its part of the physical description of the man who was “rapidly approaching his vehicle”. Are there any other features you would like omitted to alleviate the PC-vapors.
Not sure how tats are PC, other than the usual “Anyone with tats is a criminal” BS.
Depends on the tattoos. You should know that.
Good point. Some tats are more acceptable than others. 😉
Since this was related to me by my friend, I cannot say for certain what type of tattoos the man had. Since my friend also has tattoos from his days as a marine, I can only assume they were of the ‘prison’ type rather than the ‘military’ or ‘biker’ type.
Understood. Sort of the kind people do with a needle with ink soaked thread around it. Got ya, and no offense intended. I just always think it’s interesting that criminal scum are so often portrayed as mean looking guys with lots of tats.
Thanks for the response and I’m very glad things worked out they way they did.
“it’s interesting that criminal scum are so often portrayed as mean looking guys with lots of tats.”
That’s because that’s what criminal scum looks like. Seen any prison videos lately? Not a single inmate without ink.
You seem awfully defensive about the sort of physical description that allows police to catch thugs on a daily basis.
Agreed. Not all (not even close to most) of folks with tattoos are criminals, but a disproportionate number of criminals sport tattoos.
From my point of view as a little guy, “large” means as much as “tattoos”.
For sure!
Actually, not having a tattoo is the new tattoo.
Um yeah. Glad he’s OK.And bad homie didn’t ask if it was a 22. I’ve tried preaching to the wife about keeping her head on a swivel in the parking lot of the local Wallyworld. Situational awareness-it’s a thing…
Caliber wars are a made up fantasy to sell dead tree magazines in the days pre interwebz. Unfortunately the tradition has carried over.
Have a gun when trouble shows up. Hell, have 2. All else is just bullshit.
Exactly. If you only have one gun, make it a .40 S&W. If you have two, then two .40’s.
Jeebus, Matt. Not helping. Not at all.
I think Colion Noir said it best when he explained 40 owners as possibly confused about their orientation.
Yeah, because who needs anything other than what YOU think they should have, right? It should be obvious that rimfires, .30-30s, .45-70s, 9mmP, and the like have never been useful to anyone….. ever… RIGHT?
@kenneth says: “Yeah, because who needs anything other than what YOU think they should have, right?”
Well, yeah. But not because I said it. I’m nobody; I’m just sharing the gospel of the One True Caliber. The .40 S&W is the ultimate evolution of the self-defense handgun cartridge, with a purity of purpose and design that will never be equaled.
@kenneth says: It should be obvious that rimfires, .30-30s, .45-70s, 9mmP, and the like have never been useful to anyone….. ever… RIGHT?
I’m not saying they’ve never been useful. Everything in the world goes through iterations to find its one true form. As perfection has only been around since its discovery, nay, I say its revelation in the years immediately following the great upheaval of 1986, many who came before that were lost souls who knew not they were lost. Many more, then and now, were simply ignorant of the Truth, because it had not yet been revealed to them. Thus, I endeavor to be the instrument of their salvation. I do not pity those who have not seen the light, I only seek to enlighten them.
Add .05 to the round and we’ll talk. ?
Yeah but rimfire isn’t known to be the most reliable ignition system.
Actually, I have found that premium rimfire seldom has duds. Out of a bulk box at walmart is a very different story. Not that bulk ammo is bad, because what does an occasional click matter while plinking at cans or foam cups? And if one cannot afford a single box of good ammo to feed a gun carried for defense, then that one cannot afford the firearm in the first place.
Not sure I’d make a .22 pistol my defense gun, but hey, it’s better than bad breath and colorful language.
At bad breath distance a .22 will do enough damage to convince anyone it’s not worth it.
Maybe. Drugs do crazy shit and I’ve seen a sober person get shot in the head with a .22LR at a range of about 3′ and get mad as a wet hornet about it.
Drug crazies have been tagged with .45s and not relented.
LMFAO!
That was good!
I worked with a guy who carried a .22 as his EDC. I carried my glock 19 and was always trying to convince him to trade up. One day he asked me during one of my tirades against his .22 “Would you like to be shot with the 9 rounds in my gun?” I said I would not. He then said that was proof enough that his .22 was gun enough.
.22LR is enough gun right up until it’s not.
You can say the same thing about any gun however. As I said above, I’ve seen someone get shot in the head with a .22LR and it just made them mad. As with anything, shot placement matters.
That’s why you roll with a 22 mag. Has a little more ass and a great flamethrower.
I wouldn’t want to get shoot with 9 airsoft pellets, that doesn’t make it an effective self-defense weapon. I would say the biggest problem with 22 LR for self-defense is the lack of rimfire reliability.
Sad thing is those two scholars probably robbed someone else instead
Sadly, all too true. Better if they’d been taken out of the ‘Baby Daddy’ gene pool.
Share this video, brothers and sisters. This is the reality of gun free zones.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnBWa_xJz6A
I’m happy for him that he was not injured. I’m disappointed that these disgusting mutants will probably just target someone else. Hopefully it will be someone who can and will defend themselves, but I guess if people choose to be sheep, they will become nothing but dead meat. Hopefully someone will stop these guys.
Tr0ll just hijacked another thread and you guys let him.
yeah, even therulesoftheinternet.com has rule #14. Don’t argue with trolls, it means they win.
I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but the troll HASN’T actually hijacked this thread(or the other one either), but ran away and hid(probably under the bed) instead.
The “do not feed the trolls” advice doesn’t mean to just ignore all affronts and let the trolls have free rein. It means to not argue back emotionally against the inane affronts(which is the trollish goal), but instead respond with reason, logic, and facts. Things that are anathema to trolls. If done properly, the troll either goes away, or becomes so emotional and pathetic that he looks like a bad joke.
This troll hits and runs, the responses are mostly rational and logical, and he runs away. Its working, and the proof is in the pudding. He goes away. And many good points get made. So this troll has NOT hijacked the page, although that is the intention.
Please don’t take this as a criticism, or to mean that trolls can be made extinct. It is merely an observation that evil will always exist, and it must be dealt with, but dealt with in the proper way. A way that works. Willy/’concernedamerican’ will keep on coming back, just like a bad penny.
Example; he already abandoned the ‘freedom playbook’ page, but just came here. They might actually, literally, hide under their bed, but they will bring their laptop or ‘smart’phone with them. Cannot do without their gadgetry, they are addicted.
But if he is confronted often enough, and correctly enough, he might just go to another site instead…
I have to agree with others. I wouldn’t sit out in a parking lot with my windows down with my mind someplace else.
That is poor situational awareness. I also have an SR22. I occasionally carry that as opposed to my P229 or as a concealed backup if I’m open carrying, which is next to never.
Any gun is better than NO gun. I carry the largest gun I can based on the conditions. Ranging from 1911 to .22 mag NAA.. Sure I’d love to carry my Ruger Redhawk in .454. (IT DOES OPEN BLACK HOLES WHEN FIRED). I can make fruit salad in 2 shots! But it’s just not going to happen. The more comfortable the carry the MORE you will carry it and that’s what it’s about CC everyday all day.
I’ve open carried my raging judge .454 in a shoulder rig, mostly for laughs but I too can vouch for the star destroying, time warping power of the mighty .454
Absolutely. If you are weak or timid or not sure of your abilities, then carry whatever you can handle. Then train and work up to something more powerful.
With all due respect, this experience reveals several “fails” that I feel quite strongly about.
1. Getting shot with a .22 LR would be bad, but .22 LR ammo is unreliable. I’ve encountered too many duds at the range and wouldn’t stake my life on it. If you are going to carry, it should be center fire only.
2. Failing to call the police. Letting perps roam the streets isn’t a good thing. Just like a woman not wanting to report a rapist, he’s made the world a riskier place for all those who come after him.
3. Failing to call the police Number Two. The peeps could have called and reported him for brandishing. Whoever calls first gets more initial credence from the police.
4. Windows down? Doors probably unlocked… No security, no awareness, especially in a sketchy part of town. If he’s concerned enough to get a CCW and carry a gun, he should be a bit more thoughtful about where he parks.
(5) He should have started his truck and extricated himself since he was concerned enough to put his hands on a pistol.
1. Getting shot with a .22 LR would be bad, but .22 LR ammo is unreliable.
I’ve fired tens of thousands of rounds of .22LR, many out of rifles that of the WWI era. I’ve had so few issues as to be non existent.
2. Failing to call the police.
And tell the police what? A car drove close by and the passenger walked by and looked in my window? While the scenario presents itself as one that leads to a crime being committed, no actual crime had been committed yet, and there is no license plate.
3. Failing to call the police Number Two.
And he tells the police he had his firearm out? Or he calls the police, fails to mention this, and the suspected preps also call the police and say he was brandishing, and by failing to mention that, our writer looks way worse.
4. Windows down? Doors probably unlocked… No security, no awareness, especially in a sketchy part of town. If he’s concerned enough to get a CCW and carry a gun, he should be a bit more thoughtful about where he parks.
We do not know if the doors were unlocked. At times I have had windows down and doors locked, because it is a lot harder to get in a door that you do not know the right combination of lock and latches, and have to fumble a bit, especially through the window. Being in a vehicle with locked doors and windows down is much more secure than sitting on a park bench reading a book.
It was not a “bad part of town”. In the after action exchange of “what if” and “maybe” a participant mentioned that he was closer to the plasma center than the Shopko. It was speculated that the plasma center is what drew the perps.
Help me out, I’m not familiar with the term “plasma center.” Is it where people go to give blood plasma? What makes it such a magnet for thugs? Do people walk out of plasma centers with piles of cash?
People who are a bit more desperate than usual are attracted to places where you sell blood (or plasma) for cash.
It is speculation, but I suspect it is informed speculation.
Thanks, Dean. I’ve given several gallons of blood but I’ve never been offered money for it. That seems like an invitation to a multitude of problems.
Twenty years ago I was one of those person who needed the money and sold my blood plasma for about a year. The facility was cash only. It was robbed at least once. After that you walked past armed guards both inside and out.
Sometimes a police car would be setting on the parking lot.
He had enough situational awareness to notice the thugs and get his hands on the gun BEFORE they approached his vehicle. I mean, at least he wasn’t playing Pokemon Gogetrobbed.
I refuse to live in fear to the point where I’m afraid to roll down my windows in a parking lot. I carry a gun so I can live my life as I please.
Good for you!
Those who say that “situational awareness” means you sit in a hot car, sweating, with the windows up and the doors locked, haven’t any idea of what a situation is, and haven’t any awareness.
Based on the two reports of DGUs by FODs (friends of Dean), I’m wondering which is more dangerous — being Dean’s friend or frying bacon in the nude.
Well, at this point, none of Dean’s friends have burns in the genital area.
That we know of.
And that other post from a few days ago wasn’t a DGU. A punk teenager on the other side of a security door is not a threat.
I have not written about the number that were related to me in prior years!
In this case, I think one story led to the other. The second person read the first, then decided to relate the recent occurrence.
My experience is that these sort of DGUs happen with some regularity, but most are played down and/or sent to the memory hole. We are likely seeing more of them as an alternate media arises that is sympathetic and not likely to look for reasons to prosecute.
I recently found mention of two separate criminological studies from the 1920s-30s in separate cities (Detroit and Chicago). In both places the largest percentage of homicides were justifiable homicides of felons by ordinary citizens and police. No details yet, but they look like they are worth an article or two.
Sitting at a red light in down town Atlanta, my mother in the passenger seat, the windows open on a nice day, an “individual” on the sidewalk abruptly changed directions and, eyes locked on me, walked into the street, right at my drivers’ side door. I noticed the movement, turned to look at him and instinctively lifted my shirt and gripped the gun on my right hip. I did not draw, but he noticed what I had done and just as abruptly returned to the sidewalk and quickly walked away without saying a word.
This all transpired in MAYBE five seconds. Like your friends have said, what do you call the police about? How do you measure deterrence?
It could have been very different. Acceptance of the reality of threats and awareness of your surroundings trump (get it?) pretty much everything else.
ANY ammo problems can be solved by a REVOLVER, Spin till you win! 😉
Glad to hear from another wheelgun man! Not many of us left anymore. I guess most everyone cares more for form than function these days. I would say they’re attracted by the new and shiny, but there’s nothing shiny about plastic.
So I put it down to not being too sure about their marksmanship, so they desire those big mags full of lots and lots of rounds. I do not believe I will need more than 5 rounds, and even if I do I will hunt cover for the reload, so a “J” frame smith suits me, right down to the ground.
Same thing happened to me once. Didn’t have a gun, so I jammed the car into gear. One of the thugs ran in front of me to stop me from leaving. I just punched the gas and left the rest of the decision making to him. He opted for the “dive out of the way” over the “get crushed by a 1978 Mercury Marquis station wagon.”
Clearly, since you described them as “black”, your friend is a racist and spreading prejudice and fear to further white supremacy and deny social justice.
Or so I’VE been told here recently.
Oh…and why haven’t we heard anything else about that teen night club (whatever THAT is?) shooting?
Dare I say it?
True story: One night I was driving home after teaching a night class. It was about 10:30 and the downtown intersection I stopped at was empty . . . except for the two vatos who appeared out of nowhere, one going to the passenger door, the other circling around behind to come up on the driver’s door. The guy grabbed the passenger’s door handle at which point I accelerated hard through the intersection. When I looked in the rear view mirror they were gone. The whole encounter lasted less than 10 seconds. A very, very long 10 seconds.
Similar to the very first DGU I had. Display was plenty to make my opponent decide that he had very pressing business elsewhere…
The second is a much longer story that involves my going into Rapid Perception, which is an eerie thing in itself. But no shots were fired that time around, either.
Ran a similar scenario thru my Mark 1 organic computer attached to my eye balls and other sensory organs just the other day. How can I defend against 2 attackers on either side of my vehicle if I am stuck in traffic or otherwise blocked in? I have a ready gun in my center console drink holder and a BUG at ready access in my web gear brief case behind passenger front seat, in an open top pouch. Need to practice drawing both under time and stress in a stage prop vehicle.
From an old article at my blog… a true story. Unreported – The Crime That Didn’t Happen http://www.thepriceofliberty.org/?p=3570
The evening was advancing much too quickly for me and I regretted staying in the city so long, then was dismayed to find that I was running low on fuel. I pulled into an old station in a small town just east of Custer, South Dakota, ran my credit card and started the pump. There were no other cars in the lot, and only a single clerk in the mini-mart.
Scanning the area, as always, I noticed a man come from behind the building and start to walk toward me. Continuing the scan, I saw another man coming toward me from the opposite direction. He seemed to be trying hard not to look at me, but failed badly. I was immediately on full alert and turned my head to see the other person. He was now within my 20 foot “danger zone” and maintaining eye contact as well. I put up my hand flat out with a command to stop. He just laughed and said, “Give me some money, lady.”
I turned my body at that point, backed up against the car, and swept the coat away from my holstered gun, gripped it firmly and flipped off the retention strap. His eyes had followed the motion of my hand and he stopped suddenly, then waved his hands over his head and ran toward the street past another pump. I turned my head instantly to look for the other man, and saw him running away in the opposite direction.
Nobody but those men will ever know what their intentions were, from simple begging to carjacking or murder, and it doesn’t matter. I had zero obligation to read their minds or establish their motives before I took a defensive posture. Either one of the men could have overpowered a woman my age easily, but since I had a gun and was obviously ready to use it, they ran away instead.
Smart move… Even stupid criminals don’t want to get hurt themselves, and even hardened felons with years of crime behind them will say they fear the armed citizen far more than the police. That doesn’t mean they would never attack a potential victim who is armed, just that it is far less likely. Those who carry concealed have to consider that the criminal doesn’t usually have the opportunity to disengage early, and that the defender might well be forced to shoot in a situation where it would not have been necessary if the mugger understood the danger to him/herself before the attack began. But that’s a discussion for another time.
I was shaken and very angry after that, mostly for being forced to even contemplate drawing the gun. I walked into the mini-mart to warn the clerk about possible robbers at the pumps, and was sad to learn that she had not even noticed the men “bothering” me. She was upset at that point and asked if I wanted to call the sheriff, but I declined. There was nothing the police could have done about it, even if they wanted to – and I had no desire to be detained and hassled about it myself.
Great story, well written.
Well here’s a true story of my ‘event’ and brush with possible danger. I was working in Moscow Russia in 2004-2005 and generally traveled by bus to and from my office.
It was late fall there and after work I stopped off at a nearby watering hole with some of the guys I worked with. After a couple of refreshments I went to the supermarket nearby for supplies before heading for the bus stop with 3 plastic bags of groceries.
While waiting for the bus, I noticed 2 men walking randomly up the street in my direction, looking into shop windows and at other people passing by.
I was standing outside the bus stop, as a drunken Russian homeless guy (not an uncommon sight anywhere in Russia) was inside the shelter passed out on the bench seat.
As soon as I saw the 2 cruising my way my condition yellow (always on yellow in Russia) changed to red and there I was – my turn – with no means of defence on me as foreigners with guns in Russia are, shall I say, rather frowned upon…
I had a Brando style leather bike jacket on with angle zip pockets on the sides, and a watch cap on my bald head as the evening was cool. As the 2 cretins were getting closer (as in around 30 feet) I unzipped my pocket and put my hand inside, making the best outline of a ‘hand pistol’ I could muster. Index finger extended against the leather from the inside with the rest of my hand gripping nothing…
They came into the shelter and looked the drunk over while I was standing there mustering my best ‘tuff Russian guy look’ with my finger pistol hopefully showing a reasonable outline against my pocket.
These 2 came out of the shelter and together, started doing a 360 around me from about 8 ft away. As they walked I turned with them all the way just scowling as hard as possible at them, as if to display the ‘come and get a bullet in your bellies’ look.
Fortunately for me as they finished their 360 they just walked away back in the direction they came from…..
Was it my ‘finger gun’, the scowl, or not backing down from them that sent them away? Was I feeling brave due to the refreshments I had earlier? I have no idea – maybe it was all of them or none of them, just my lucky day.
Honest to God true story, and as I write this it’s like reliving it again. An event I will never forget!
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