Originally posted by TheRedneck
...But on the gun issue, are you really not aware that a gun is a long-range weapon? Even a pistol requires some time to aim it. In this situation, as described, she did not even have time to trip her opponent with her foot.

Please, if we are ever in combat, do not pull a gun. I will feed it to you through the new mouth I carve out in your neck.
...

If we are in cqb, and you are face to face with me, do you think I am going to pull it, go into a weaver stance, and say "Freeze!"?

In that fictional scenario, I am going to pull the weapon, hold it next to my body, and fire many, many rounds into you. If we are close enough, you won't even see the weapon, because it will never leave my hip.

A COMPETENT FIREARMS INSTRUCTOR WILL TEACH THIS METHOD IN A SELF DEFENSE COURSE. I wish I could remember the name of it, so I could link a video, but for the life of me, I can't. (I remember how it's done though!) Any of you pro-gun guys want to help me out here? My memory ain't what it used to be.

OK I got to thinking about what people were saying about if I don't report this and it happens to someone else it could be worse. I called the police. Since they didn't see it happen and I didn't call them at the scene, they asked me to file an internet report and told me the prosecuting attorney will get back to me. So this has now been filed with the police. I will talk to the prosecuting attorney and see what happens from there.

im sorry that this happened to you but im glad to hear you werent hurt at all. its nice to know you kept your wits about you and that might have saved you alot of trouble. if i was in that situation i might have done or said something stupid and made the problem ALOT worse.
thats a really weird way to get someone to leave. Yelling would have bee na more rashional thing for that guy to do. its a good thing it wasnt something like hydrochloric acid though(if they could somehow acquire it).

SEEJANERUN,

I am also very happy you were not seriously injured. My first thought was not to arm yourself, but next time you go for a walk consider taking one of your dogs along. WOOF!

[edit on 22-9-2008 by IsawOne]

Originally posted by seejanerun
OK I got to thinking about what people were saying about if I don't report this and it happens to someone else it could be worse. I called the police.

seejanerun, I am so sorry this happened to you. I think you handled the situation admirably. I respect you for reporting this to the police, but I disagree with those who say you had a responsibility to do so to protect possible future victims. You are in no way responsible for what someone else might or might not do.

As a woman who often walks alone, even at night, and sometimes in borderline areas, I have become good at what someone else referred to as the hundred-yard-stare. The other thing I do is that if I have to walk down a block that's just the other side of my comfort zone (which I think is probably broader than yours, if gang graffiti bothered you -- see my avatar ) is to pull out my cell phone and make a call. Even if I can't get through, I'll pretend to be on the phone. Aware of my surroundings but also connected to my comfort zone. If I'm somewhere that makes me really uncomfortable, I'll dial 911 but not hit "send". I don't know if it's just the confidence boost that being connected with someone on my side gives me, or if it's their fear that I might actually call the cops, but I've never had problems.

Again, you handled this situation well. There was nothing to gain from further physical confrontation; you're shaken but okay. The kid wanted to shake you up, and let you know that he could see you didn't belong there, but he wasn't really out to make you a victim. He didn't take anything from you or attempt real harm. Please understand that I'm not saying what he did was at all okay, just trying to point out that you were not seen as victim material, but as out-of-place material.

Best wishes for getting over this experience quickly.
-adb

Sorry to hear about your troubles out here in columbus, but considering the quadruple shooting last weekend and the mass amount of crime(particularly shootings and murder) I think you should really consider yourself blessed.

I have been here for around three years now, coming from the dc, nova area, I can tell you that ohio crime at least in columbus has gotten to be as terrible as any large US city.

I mostly just read on this site, rarely post, but this thread really got to me.. I'm glad you are ok!
Best wishes!

Hey, Hon. First of all, I am so sorry this happened to you.

But I strongly suggest filing a police report. You said you didn't sense he was a criminal yet. Well, sometimes the best way to wake us up and to put us on the right track is discipline and correction. You never know- you might actually be helping this young man in the long run if you don't let him get away with this smaller incident. As they say, our lessons are best learned during youth. And as someone else said, you really need to report this in an attempt to prevent this from happening to someone else.

I wish you the best and am glad to know you are ok.

Edit: Never mind! I kept reading past page one and see that you changed your mind and called the police. I'm proud of you.

[edit on 9/23/2008 by AshleyD]

You were in a wrong neighborhood. If you look crazy or gay or tweakerish, there is people that are bored enough and crazy enough to act on it.

Thanks for sharing your story - I'm glad you're okay.

I hate those kind of painful learning experiences, but don't feel alone it happens to everyone at one time or another. Though I'm 74" & 265 lbs now, at one time I was a little guy and I did get mugged when I was about 11 years old - the suspect was caught & sent to prison because I called the police and gave a description - then identified him. He had been robbing kids and women for drugs in the area for sometime and it was my ID along with other victims that helped put him away.

So, I guess I'm saying make the best description you can and ID him if & when you get the chance - you might help others & who knows you might change his life for the better as well.

I disagree with the folks that suggest pulling out a weapon in this situation. Nothing good could of come from that. You kill the guy or wound him you might be the one on the wrong side of the law. Or the escalation could have brought other people or other weapons before help could have arrived. Of course you could have lost the weapon too. There was no indication that he was going to attack you until it had already occurred. How many times have kids run by and just squirt people and ran - quite a few and the jury could of turned against you if his family decided to sue you.

Besides do you really want to live the rest of your life with killing a mixed up teenager? It's just not worth it.

Nope, you did they best you could of with the situation. Now, you have learned to become a little more aware & plan better in the future.

The person that mentioned the New York stare was probably right - you probably looked at them the wrong way and would have been better off not looking at all - your body language at that point exposed your fear and they probably thought you were disrespecting them when you looked away the wrong way. They felt your fear and disgust and they didn't like it. Even though it's not your fault - you hurt them (mentally) by being there and looking and they retaliated after being reminded of their current lot in life.

Good luck and rise above it.

[edit on 23-9-2008 by verylowfrequency]

Well Jane. I'm glad it wasn't any worse then so. And I'm glad that you're ok.



I've been in your shoes many times unfortunately, and each time, it never gets easier. Being scared is natural. It's the after-effects we really struggle with at times.



Keep your head high, and remember that these average street punks will be in and out of jail (if not permanantly) throughout their lives. Not worth the skin they walk in I suppose.


Take care, and drive next time.
FK

I can't believe people are saying "its just a kid with a water gun". NO, it was a 230 lb male that bodyslammed a smaller woman to the ground on the street for fun. People have hit their head and ended up dead or comatose that way. If anyone knows anything about inner city murder statistics they would realize "those kids" kill people at a much higher rate than their older counterparts. It sounds like there is something seriously wrong with that individual and he surely is a menace to society.

To the op i always carry a conceiled weapon. Mace is okay too, but you have to be aware of the wind, and if they are on drugs mace may not help. The main benefit in my mind to CCW is that it provides peace of mind. Realistically when you are on the street (as opposed to your car breaking down, or sitting in traffic) things can happen very fast and even if you are prepared you are still at a major disadvantage.

But regardless of "how well prepared" you are, be careful where you go, and don't walk around areas that you obviously do NOT belong in (they knew you didn't live there, it was very apparent). And to those that say "oh people can't use guns for self defense, they will get shot". I would rather be shot than beaten to death by a 230 lb thug any day of the week.

One more thing, I am a 5'10, yes I believe body language says a lot but I never ever feel my height is an advantage to ward off predators. Males are about 3 times as strong as the average woman, and while height may be nice in social situations predators know that body/muscle mass are what counts, and most will not be intimidated by a female that is a bit taller than average.


[edit on 23-9-2008 by Sonya610]