So, have you ever had to use/display your weapon?

[texas297]

So fellow CHL'ers and board members.

Just wondering if anyone here as had to display their weapon or even use it? I am asking only as a CHL holder not to those of us with military or law enforcement. Most of us with law enforcement and or military probably at one time displayed our weapons at the very least.

On the other hand have you ever been in a situation where legally you could have used it but chose not to for whatever reason?

Looking forward to your stories.

David

[Doug.38PR]

The closest I ever did was when I thought I heard someone trying to open our locked front door one night. I was the only one home, everyone else was out of town. At first I thought it was the cats, but then I remembered the cats were out of town too and the sounded sounded like the front door latch being wiggled.
I grabbed my Colt Offical Police. Speedloaded it. Went to the front of the house. Opened the front door. Looked around, went outside WITH THE GUN CLEARLY VISIBLE IN MY HAND to anyone hiding across the street or in shadows in the yard. I walked around the sides of the house and the backyard conducting a thorough search of the premesis and found nothing. Whoever or whatever made the sound apparently saw the door wasn't unlocked and left as quickly as he came.

[nitrogen]

a funny story, and a serious one:

One night, I hear a strange scratching-whirring-weird noise. I get up with my handgun and flashlight. I check around the bedroom; the noise isnt coming from there so I close the door behind me. The noise seems to be coming from the other bathroom.

I walk over there, slowly.

the noise gets louder as I approach the bathroom.

I suddenly pop in, and draw down...
...on my electric toothbrush. It somehow decided to turn itself on.


More seriously, I displayed my weapon when some guy road raged on me. At a traffic light, he got out of his car with a tire iron, and I drew my weapon and just had it in hand. (not pointing at the guy or anything) and he saw it, ran back in his car and sped off.

Thats as close as I hope I ever get.

[txinvestigator]

a funny story, and a serious one:

One night, I hear a strange scratching-whirring-weird noise. I get up with my handgun and flashlight. I check around the bedroom; the noise isnt coming from there so I close the door behind me. The noise seems to be coming from the other bathroom.

I walk over there, slowly.

the noise gets louder as I approach the bathroom.

I suddenly pop in, and draw down...
...on my electric toothbrush. It somehow decided to turn itself on.


More seriously, I displayed my weapon when some guy road raged on me. At a traffic light, he got out of his car with a tire iron, and I drew my weapon and just had it in hand. (not pointing at the guy or anything) and he saw it, ran back in his car and sped off.

Thats as close as I hope I ever get.

That can be "un-nerving". Did you report it to the police?

[nitrogen]

I did. Called the police, gave them the 2/3 of the plate number I was sure of, and told them what happened. They seemed to be surprised that I hadn't shot anyone Their response was basically, "you're ok, give us your phone number.

A day later, an officer called me; apparently a truck matching the description of the one I was involved with did something else to somebody else, and he asked me questions.

[txinvestigator]

For non-cop events.... In the last 4 years I had the burglar alarm go off in the middle of the night and cleared the house with my trusty Kimber.

One other time I went to the door armed with a slung M1 Carbine after a late night loud pounding of my front door. It turned out to be teens jacking around, but I think they then decided acting a fool like that was not fun.

Earlier this year, when I was still instructing at the range, I and 2 others drew on a Security Guard who became enraged when she was not allowed into class LATE, called me several names and refused to leave when told. I was on the phone with 911 when she began to pull her revolver from its holster while she was still raging. All 3 of us told her to leave it holstered (actually, we yelled it). When she cleared leather she found 2 employees and a customer with a bead on her. She holstered and departed forth wit.

[txinvestigator]

I did. Called the police, gave them the 2/3 of the plate number I was sure of, and told them what happened. They seemed to be surprised that I hadn't shot anyone Their response was basically, "you're ok, give us your phone number.

A day later, an officer called me; apparently a truck matching the description of the one I was involved with did something else to somebody else, and he asked me questions.

Excellent.

[kauboy]

More seriously, I displayed my weapon when some guy road raged on me. At a traffic light, he got out of his car with a tire iron, and I drew my weapon and just had it in hand. (not pointing at the guy or anything) and he saw it, ran back in his car and sped off.

You called the police to report it, right? If he did, they would be looking for a road raged gun toting nut out for blood. In short, you.

I was told in my class that if I EVER showed my weapon to anybody in a manner to alarm, I should always call the cops once the situation allows it. Always get your story told first.

EDIT: Sorry! I must have bee typing very slowly. My bad.

[casselthief]

A guy pulled out in front of me, oh, couple of months back, on the road over by my residence. I went around him, you know, so as not to make my truck part of his car. dude took offense to me, I dunno, being on the road, and followed me back to my Apt Complex. I stopped by the office (I sure wasn't going to show him which building I lived in), and got out to "check the mail." he comes up to me and starts jawing about me trying to run him off the road, or some such nonsense, with his kid in the car.
I simply told him that if his concern was for his son, pulling out in front of moving traffic, and then following someone back to their residence, probably not the best example to set for a young one.

my infallable logic clearly got through, I didn't have to skin my smoke wagon.

[kauboy]

I did draw my weapon one night when I was up late at home. I was in the office crouched down working on something when I heard a loud CRASH! You know that split second when your mind is going through the possible sources for a noise in hopes of mentally identifying it? Well, mine tried, for a nanosecond. Then the utter horror fell on me as I realized that I had no idea what that could have been. So, almost instinctively (which is odd because I don't do it much), I whipped around still crouched while at the same time drawing my weapon from the 5:30 IWB and sat there. It all happened in "slow-time" and was almost as smooth as glass.

There I was, in the perfect crouched position. You know, the one where your sitting on your foot that is tucked under to give you height to prop your strong arm and gun on the other knee that is bent in front. How I got there, I don't know. But what I do know is that the next few seconds felt like an eternity as I was still trying to figure out what that noise could have been, all the while, my gun was firmly pointed at the opening to the office with a clear view of the living room. After what I guess was a minute of waiting, I decided to get up and investigate. Most of the lights in the house were on so I tried not to throw a shadow into the possible view of anybody standing in my living room. I then did a corner clear of my office door, and swung across from left to right at the opening to the living room. Nobody. I slowly crept around the corner to the small area at the front door and peeked there. Nothing. No broken glass. No open door. No evidence of forced entry. I was unbelievably relieved and felt like collapsing from all of the strain my muscles had just suffered. My heart didn't calm down for almost half an hour. I never did get proof of what the noise was. I now assume that it was one of my pet rats falling off of a high shelf in his cage. They make a lot of noise when that happens but I had never heard it that loud before.

I think its good to have a scare like that. Nothing bad happens but you see exactly how you would respond. It has given me more confidence in my ability to handle a bad situation if it ever happens, which I pray it never does.

[kauboy]

When she cleared leather she found 2 employees and a customer with a bead on her. She holstered and departed forth wit.

If she was going to be a student, didn't you have her info? Did she get charged for it?

[Ron C]

When she cleared leather she found 2 employees and a customer with a bead on her. She holstered and departed forth wit.

If she was going to be a student, didn't you have her info? Did she get charged for it?

She was lucky that VERY calm heads prevailed and she got to walk out. This situation could have turned bad very quickly for everyone involved. Good work.

[HankB]

Once when I was still in an apartment I was woken up sometime after midnight by someone pounding on my door . . . heard a lot of guys yelling.

They sounded drunk.

Still not fully awake, I remember that I sat off to one side of the door (not in line with it) with a loaded .44 mag, telling myself over and over . . . "Keep your finger off the trigger until the door is broken open . . . "

I for darn sure wasn't going to open the door, and I wasn't going to shoot through it, but had the door been breeched, there WOULD have been gunfire.

Turned out it was a couple of (presumably) drunken frat boys who were on the wrong floor, looking for a buddy.

Twice since I got my CHL I was happy to have a gun . . . once was a road rager who just drove off when I smiled, shrugged, and waved, and made him think I was apologizing for whatever it was he thought I did.

A second time a couple of guys were really giving me the eye when I was in a restaurant parking lot with my mother (her birthday) . . . they really looked like they were figuring their chances. (My mother - bless her heart - picked up on that, too.)

I stood there for a bit with my hand in my pocket on my 340SC . . . with my hand already on the gun, I was half a second away from a shot if necessary, but that's the advantage of pocket carry - all anyone else sees is a guy with his hand in his pocket.

They moved on, and climbed into a pickup . . . and just sat there, continuing to eyeball us. We got back into my car and drove elsewhere - they didn't follow. End of story.

[Paladin]

I've been through numerous dog attacks. Once I drew my gun, but didn't have a clear shot, and the owner came out and got his dog. Verbal commands worked on other occasions.

I've drawn my OC spray many times in response to large aggressive dogs running loose.

[KBCraig]

About 4-5 nights ago, I heard a loud crash in the garage late at night. ("Garage" only because we haven't started calling it anything else. We enclosed it, but haven't finished the interior, and it's mostly storage.)

With flashlight and pistola, I investigated. I found evidence of breaking and entering... a 6x8' section sheetrock broke loose from the ceiling and entered the garage.

*sigh*...