Approached By A Stranger While Pumping Gas

[Excaliber]

...not just in the rural areas, but in overworked/undermannned areas like Dallas or cities with few officers on duty at any time...the realities Excaliber's posted about make the willingness and capability to de-escalate situations and choose "battles" carefully and save our powder for a last resort (not to be mistaken for pacifism or an unwillingness to defend ourselves, but as an acknowledgement that resupply may be only a dream) all the more important...the cavalry may be much further than over the hill...and we may be standing alone far longer than we'd like to be....

Another thing for folks to keep in mind is that the BG's cavalry might well be a lot closer than the ones in blue........

[speedsix]

...and they don't announce with sirens...making for an ugly surprise when they DO decide to pop up...

[Excaliber]

...and they don't announce with sirens...making for an ugly surprise when they DO decide to pop up...

And there's usually a whole lot more of 'em than there are of our guys.

[speedsix]

...I'm glad to see the threads here where the good guys carry quite a lot of ammo...the cowards who prey on us feel braver in 3s and 4s...and it may take some doin' to serve their just desserts up, once the ball opens...I just pray it never happens 'cause it'll take up all my free time just to write it down...or I won't have to...

[OldCurlyWolf]

...first you gotta finish the donut...then you gotta pick the glaze off yer shirt, then you gotta lick yer fingers clean...then you gotta finish yer coffee...THEN you yank 'er into Drive and tear out to the call...

Smart Aleck. You know better than that. I don't know how many cups of coffee I sent out the window with barely a sip out of them. The donut gets tossed back in the sack and the fingers get licked before you get up to full speed.

[OldCurlyWolf]

About 6 years ago I was on my way from Beaumont to Houston to spend the weekend with my girlfriend at the time. I stopped in Baytown, roughly halfway in between, to fill up with gas because it was the cheapest place. As I paid at the pump and started to pump gas, a thuglife gangsta looking individual gets out of a beat up 1980s Lincoln Continental and offers to sell me a 35mm camera. The 35mm camera was your basic no name junk made in china type camera, so I said no thank you sir. He continued his sales pitch, and said in a very threatening manner, "You are gonna buy this camera". I then took the gas nozzle out of the fill neck and said, "You are gonna back away right now, or I am going to cover you with gasoline and set you on fire". I then used my left hand to take my Zippo lighter out of my left pocket. He ran off, jumped into the beater Lincoln, and drove off. I have a buddy with Baytown PD, and I gave him the LP from the Lincoln and a description of the camera salesman. Maybe it wasn't the textbook way to deal with the situation, but it worked. As Clint Smith from Thunder Ranch said, "If you look like food, you will be eaten."

To keep this CHL related, my right front pocket contained a Glock 26 loaded with 127grain Winchester Ranger +P+, and I had a Remington 870P loaded with 000 buckshot behind the seat. I never travel light going to Houston.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

Crazy works over 99% of the time. NOBODY wants to mess with CRAZY.

[LeonCarr]

Again, it wasn't the textbook thing to do, but sometimes you have to improvise, overcome, and adapt.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

[speedsix]

...first you gotta finish the donut...then you gotta pick the glaze off yer shirt, then you gotta lick yer fingers clean...then you gotta finish yer coffee...THEN you yank 'er into Drive and tear out to the call...

Smart Aleck. You know better than that. I don't know how many cups of coffee I sent out the window with barely a sip out of them. The donut gets tossed back in the sack and the fingers get licked before you get up to full speed.

...O S I M!!! I began by trying to save my food...usually a hamburger...till I started wearing more than I ate...and got a coupla lower lapfulls of hot coffee...then it was out the window...missed a lotta meals that way...I was slim and trim back then...I'd trade a16-oz coke for a dozen donuts around 4:30 a.m. when they were fresh outa the oven for the day...did NOT waste them...Southern Maid...

[Excaliber]

About 6 years ago I was on my way from Beaumont to Houston to spend the weekend with my girlfriend at the time. I stopped in Baytown, roughly halfway in between, to fill up with gas because it was the cheapest place. As I paid at the pump and started to pump gas, a thuglife gangsta looking individual gets out of a beat up 1980s Lincoln Continental and offers to sell me a 35mm camera. The 35mm camera was your basic no name junk made in china type camera, so I said no thank you sir. He continued his sales pitch, and said in a very threatening manner, "You are gonna buy this camera". I then took the gas nozzle out of the fill neck and said, "You are gonna back away right now, or I am going to cover you with gasoline and set you on fire". I then used my left hand to take my Zippo lighter out of my left pocket. He ran off, jumped into the beater Lincoln, and drove off. I have a buddy with Baytown PD, and I gave him the LP from the Lincoln and a description of the camera salesman. Maybe it wasn't the textbook way to deal with the situation, but it worked. As Clint Smith from Thunder Ranch said, "If you look like food, you will be eaten."

To keep this CHL related, my right front pocket contained a Glock 26 loaded with 127grain Winchester Ranger +P+, and I had a Remington 870P loaded with 000 buckshot behind the seat. I never travel light going to Houston.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

Crazy works over 99% of the time. NOBODY wants to mess with CRAZY.

This is definitely true.

Street thugs have seen many times what crazies will do with no regard at all for consequences, and they give them wide berth.

No verbal response and a thousand yard stare sometimes works too.

[Purplehood]

As a result of this particular thread I have taken to carrying my Glock 19 with 14 rounds in it, instead of my XD40 with 8 rounds per mag.

[SQLGeek]

As a result of this particular thread I have taken to carrying my Glock 19 with 14 rounds in it, instead of my XD40 with 8 rounds per mag.

Why are you downloading by two if you don't mind my asking?

[Express]

thanks for the good info. i have learned a lot.

[koolaid]

I've always wished that gas pumps had little convex mirrors on them. It is really easy to get snuck up on even if you're paying attention, and gas stations are second only to grocery store parking lots for the number of weirdos and crooks that try to hit you up. I've actually thought about picking up a couple of the ones they sell to stick on the side mirrors of your truck and gluing them to the pumps I frequent.

[saltydog452]

Getting squirted with some gasoline isn't an attractive option.

Withdraw the hose from the tank, turn and casually face the panhandler, for true eye to eye contact, and 'Go Away' has worked for me.

Panhandlers are a fact of life.

The guys and who use a bride and child as motivation for you to stick your hand into a pocket or wallet kinda strums your strings of humanity.

Walking out of ElFenix, I was approached by a gent who clained to have a hungry woman and kid. He asked for help. He seemed dissapointed when I handed him our 'To Go' take out order.

salty

[Purplehood]

As a result of this particular thread I have taken to carrying my Glock 19 with 14 rounds in it, instead of my XD40 with 8 rounds per mag.

Why are you downloading by two if you don't mind my asking?

Because I change holsters sometimes and only one of them can carry the extra mag on the XD-40. Depends on my attire for the day. With the Glock I know that I have a "Illegal in California" magazine with 14 rounds at ALL times.
With the XD, I may have 8 rds or I may have 16 rds.