Has anyone here ever drawn there firearm in defense?

[Texd40]

Nope, not yet anyway. But not a week goes by that the "opportunity" doesn't present itself to me. My wife and I are the caretakers of my late parents vacant house, which when built sixty years ago was in a bucolic country setting. After almost sixty years of urban encroachment, and demographic changes, the old shack is smack dab in the middle of a high crime area in Northeast Austin. We travel to town each week to check things out, to pick up tossed out trash from the street, make necessary repairs, and to make sure the always-present urban campers haven't set up housekeeping inside this isolated house as they have attempted to do in the past. APD has been called out numerous times. My better half stays in the car while I make a walk around the house looking for any obvious break-in. If everything looks ok on the outside, I venture inside and clear all the rooms before inviting the "Boss" in. The whole time, my hand is hovering around my holstered PX4 SC. The adrenalin starts pumping as soon as we turn in to the driveway. I really don't want to have a lethal confrontation with someone, but I am not going to risk us becoming victims either. This situation is what prompted me to get my CHL. Ain't no way I am goin' to the hood w/o some heat

[Jeff B.]

That's a shame.

There are probably many great memories there also...

Jeff B.

[Tim_the_Bald]

As the title says has atone here ever needed to draw ther firearm in defense and if so has atone ever discharged said firearm

You HAD to ask! Since you did so, I have no choice other than to post

The Sad, Sordid story of when I drew my weapon

It was 1979, and I was in the Israeli army. (If you want to know what I was doing in the Israeli Army you can find the long winded story here: http://zahal.org/zahal_forum/viewtopic.php?t=85" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;). I had previously applied for, and received, license to carry a Bernardelli Model 60 .380 automatic, which I carried instead of having to lug an M-16 around everywhere. At that time, Israel was far more peaceful than it is today. Kinda shows you what happens when appeasement is a national policy.

But I digress…

I was getting ready to take a month long furlough to the U.S., as was my right as a “lone soldier” that is, a soldier without any family in Israel. I had gone to the main Tel Aviv post office to send a telegram about my flight to my parents. The post office lobby was shaped like an “L”, with the long part off Allenby Rd, and the shorter part where telegrams were sent facing a smaller side street.

As I was preparing to send my telegram, I heard a blood curdling shriek from around the corner where the main lobby was. My immediate thought was “terrorist attack,” and I drew my automatic, which was in position 3, and loaded it.

I remember at the time being very cautious, pointing it in the air, and making sure the safety was on. I then begin to look for targets to engage. A crowd of people came tearing around the corner, and I thought, “Oh, they are fleeing from the terrorists,” but then I saw they were chasing some guy in a yellow shirt. I lowered my weapon and pointed it straight at him. He stopped, skidded on the floor a few feet, then turned and pushed through the crowd, who began to chase him again.

At this point it became clear that this was not a terrorist attack, so I curiously followed the crowd to see what was going on. They had cornered the guy and were trying without much success to subdue him. “Show him the weapon, show him the weapon,” one of the men struggling with the malefactor said to me. I waved the weapon in his face, but he was not impressed. “Take the weapon away,” the elderly security guard, who was struggling with the guy as well, told me.

I moved to the side and cleared and holstered the weapon. I then asked a lady what had happened, and the whole disgusting story was told to me.

It appears the malefactor had gotten into an argument with another guy over a pay phone, and had grabbed the other guys ear and ripped it off (a move you are taught in basic training). “Chosen People,” the lady said in disgust.

The malefactor had escaped the security guard and the other guy and ran out, straight into the arms of the arriving police. The other guy went to the hospital, presumably to have his ear sewed back on.

“What were you drawing your weapon for?” the security guard angrily asked me.

"I didn’t know what was going on, and thought it was a terrorist attack,” I told him.

“He was absolutely right to draw his weapon,” the lady said in my defense.

I left the post office and went to look for a beer.

And that is the story of when I drew my weapon, but did not have to fire it. The entire situation is nothing to be proud of, I assure you.

[stevie_d_64]

I can neither confirm or deny the fact...publically...(Thou shalt draweth thyne own conclusion )

Even though this is an interesting topic of conversation, would it really be something you would want anyone to really know???

I'm just sayin'...

Have I ever taken a life??? Sure...Those are details that some keep close to their chests...And you never, ever forget it...Those types of things become a very personal, and sometimes daily gut-check...

And if you carry a firearm for personal defense, then you had better come to grips with the fact that that is a very likely outcome...If you cannot handle it, personally, I'd hang up the hogleg and not give it a second thought ever again...

[Purplehood]

I was just happy that I wasn't stupid enough to pull the trigger. You never know what you are going to do until you have drawn...

[ELB]

... If everything looks ok on the outside, I venture inside and clear all the rooms before inviting the "Boss" in. The whole time, my hand is hovering around my holstered PX4 SC. ...

Why do you leave it in your holster?

[webb3201]

My younger brother is a member of the Dallas Swat Team (US Open SWAT champion 2009 brag brag http://www.nationalswatchampionships.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;), and he has never had to draw his weapon! He has been on the force for 12 years, including 6 years in South Dallas.

[C-dub]

My younger brother is a member of the Dallas Swat Team (US Open SWAT champion 2009 brag brag http://www.nationalswatchampionships.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;), and he has never had to draw his weapon! He has been on the force for 12 years, including 6 years in South Dallas.

Do you mean his concealed carry OFF duty weapon? Because Im thinking that whenever they enter a house or whatever the weapons are already drawn. Did I miss something?

[Excaliber]

My younger brother is a member of the Dallas Swat Team (US Open SWAT champion 2009 brag brag http://www.nationalswatchampionships.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;), and he has never had to draw his weapon! He has been on the force for 12 years, including 6 years in South Dallas.

You may want to do a quick fact check with your brother.

Any street officer with as much experience as he has in an urban department has drawn his weapon more times than he could possibly keep track of, and I don't know of any SWAT team that doesn't carry drawn weapons at the ready during operations.

Lots of officers go through their entire careers with having to fire their guns, but I don't think I've ever met one who never had to draw one.

[KFP]

I've gone out with officers on their patrol shifts twice, both times guns were drawn.

[USA1]

I've gone out with officers on their patrol shifts twice, both times guns were drawn.

on you or the bad guys ?
kidding

[jroberts1968]

Yes I have on 3 separate occasions twice in TX and once in LA. All three times the responding officers were professional.

[KFP]

I've gone out with officers on their patrol shifts twice, both times guns were drawn.

on you or the bad guys ?
kidding

Paper actually, with crayons

[USA1]

I've gone out with officers on their patrol shifts twice, both times guns were drawn.

on you or the bad guys ?
kidding

Paper actually, with crayons

[gregthehand]

gun drawing.JPG (10.07 KiB) Viewed 2168 times

Looks pretty good huh?