I was attacked today. I am stunned.

As much as I support CCW and the 2nd amendment, this was definitely not a situation that required drawing a weapon.

It would be good to have one anyway, but I personally wouldn't have drawn my weapon.

It just sounds like random punk behaving thuggishly. Since you're a woman, I would reccommend using a weapon far more devastating than any handgun... you should have kicked him in the nuts.

reply to post by Sonya610

Originally posted by jackinthebox
reply to post by kidney thief

 

I am all for the permit to carry, but I am also from the "old-school" I guess, in that you don't ever ever pull a gun unless you are going to shoot someone.

Yes I agree, and I would have shot the bastard without hesitation then the muppet would never have the chance to to the same thing again.

Fortunately in this case the lady was ok, but one has to wonder what may have occured should she have been, pregnant /asthmatic/ suffering a heart condition etc etc.

This lady was assaulted without any provocation whatsoever the fact that the prick only had a super soaker is immaterial,the only language thugs like this understand is what they dish out.

Morons have been known to fill soakers with acid and take a stroll to the beach if I remember correctly.
This lady and everyone else have the right to walk down a street without a care in the world.If the only way to achieve this is to carry a firearm then so be it

Originally posted by 44soulslayer
It just sounds like random punk behaving thuggishly. Since you're a woman, I would reccommend using a weapon far more devastating than any handgun... you should have kicked him in the nuts.

I agree with most of your comments, as you know.

Having said that, I weigh about 130 lbs. As such if I get into a physical confrontation with the average male I am at a serious disadvantage. If that is the only option then we do what we have to do, but if you try to hit the guy in the nuts and you miss you could end up getting beaten to death as a result. I seriously doubt if I could knock a male out cold with one blow to the face, but I do believe a lot of males could break my jaw, or knock me unconscious with one hit.

I believe a lot of the hype that convinces women they can fight off a male attacker if "only they take some classes" is very very misleading. The "attackers" in those classes are NOT violently hitting the women back, they are simply standing there and getting hit and then either running away or falling down. That is not real life.

I don't feel the need to "play fair" with violent nutcases on the street. I will always assume the worst when someone displays violent bizarre behavior.

[edit on 23-9-2008 by Sonya610]

reply to post by Sonya610


Of course

I'm a male, 6 foot 3, 240lbs... I didnt stop to think from a woman's perspective. I have never felt physical fear because of my size... I can imagine how frightening this experience must have been from another's perspective.

I'm not sure lethal action would have been appropriate here, however who is to say what the facts on the ground were. Had the assailant been covering the watergun with a cloth, and had it appeared to be a real gun, I may well have taken him out (with the Mozambique drill).

Im pretty convinced that the outcome of this event would have been bad either way:

a. The assailant assaults you and you get hurt in some way because of the physical force.

b. You shoot dead the assailant, but the prosecutor will attempt to show the jury that an "overzealous, right wing nut shot dead a kid with a water gun".

I think I would prefer scenario a...

Originally posted by 44soulslayer
b. You shoot dead the assailant, but the prosecutor will attempt to show the jury that an "overzealous, right wing nut shot dead a kid with a water gun".

Yes, the presence of the water-gun makes that scenario far more likely. In the south our gun rights and the right to protect oneself are very generous but I agree, the presence of the water gun could make a difference. I honestly have to wonder if that teenager was mentally disabled in some way. The behavior is so very bizarre.

It is very fortunate that this situation ended without anyone seriously hurt. Much of the thought here is being based on the outcome with the benefit of hindsight. I believe that in most situations such as this the outcome would have left her with much more serious injuries. Most attackers are not playing some game. I suspect very few of us, if attacked, will end this way.

Originally posted by 44soulslayer
As much as I support CCW and the 2nd amendment, this was definitely not a situation that required drawing a weapon.

sorry this happened to you.

just a side note -

i heard a few years back that gangs would put bleach in super soakers in them and shoot people in the eyes.

-

reply to post by logician magician
You know something? You're absolutely right.

I'm no Rambo, and don't want to be. The first, best, safest way to survive an attack is to not be there, and that was what I suggested out to the OP. It is also what I would have done: simply head home down a different path.

I do get a bit heated when I hear some people who seem to think having a gun ready is the only course of action that is ever advisable. It's not. A gun is a powerful tool, but it is a long-range tool. Up close, it is worse than useless; it is a deadly, chaotic unknown thrown into the mix. One could have it taken away, could shoot oneself by accident, or could entice the opponent to ramp up their attack due to the threat showing it would make.

Guns have their place, and I do have several. But a gun is not a force field that will always protect. In this case, I believe drawing a gun at such a close range would quite probably turned the situation lethal. One's real weapon is one's mind, and my responses to Chancealot were intended to make that point. I guess I got a little off track in that, and I apologize.

My position, however, still stands. The OP survived. Period. That's what survival is all about.

TheRedneck

Originally posted by TheRedneck
One could have it taken away, could shoot oneself by accident, or could entice the opponent to ramp up their attack due to the threat showing it would make.

I usually agree with most of your statments. However...

One does NOT have to show the weapon. If the weapon is in your handbag (or coat pocket) for instance, you don't need to show it at all. Just wrap your hand around it and start firing through the side of the bag (the nice man that runs my local gun range suggested that). After all the goal isn't to intimidate or warn them away, if one feels their life is threatened the goal is to cause major bodily harm.

The NRA also recommends that women choose short barreled handguns, as if the barrel is short it is a lot harder to take it away without getting your fingers blown off.



[edit on 23-9-2008 by Sonya610]

Originally posted by TexasGunMan
You really should consider getting your CCW for just those kind of situations. The second you became fearful of your life you could have legally drawled your weapon and mostly likely stop the attack without even firing a shot. In any case a gun(with the proper training ) could have saved you from a needless attack. I hope you will in the near future consider getting a gun and taking a course to properly handle it. And remember when seconds count the Police are only minutes away. Good Luck TGM

Sorry if it's been said already, but the most dangerous weapon is not a gun, its the human body. The human body that's properly trained in self defence that is.

Believe me when I say this, if you know what you're doing, size and gender means absolutely nothing. Pair up training and a healthy dose of adrenaline, and you could have given that freak the surprise of his life. His friends too if they would have intervened, but I don't think they would have.

I'd be interested to know from a legal point of view whether this kid could be charged with armed assault.

Considering you can be convicted of armed robbery if you hold up a bank with a water pistol (pretending to hold an arm = being armed); it should logically follow that this is an armed assault. The penalty is far more severe for armed offences.

reply to post by Sonya610
Shoot through the side of the handbag... check, good idea.

Short-barreled weapon... check, definitely less of a target for someone to grab (and easier to point in a hurry situation).

But even if you are carrying a snub in your handbag, it still requires a second or two of warning to use it. Tell me, how quickly can you find your wallet in a handbag? My wife carries quite a bit of stuff in there, and sometimes she has to fumble for a moment to find exactly what she's looking for. I carry a pocket full of tools (flashlight, pocketknife, etc), and while I can usually plunge my hand in and get what I want, in a hurry situation it would probably take too long to find something in a pocket, let alone a handbag.

I'm not dissing guns; I have said many times they have a place and they are a valuable tool for safety. But a gun is not your only tool. I am truly amazed at how many posters here are giving me the impression that, even though the OP survived with no (physical) ill effects, she somehow 'failed' because she didn't shoot someone. Am I getting the wrong impression on that?

TheRedneck

reply to post by seejanerun


I'm so glad you are OK and not badly injured. I think you did an awesome job of not backing down from him by screaming or crying. You even joked to him about the water felt good. What you did in your situation was the best thing for you to do and you survived. You should be proud of yourself for knowing there were two other guys around and hurting the one who attacked you at that moment would have most likely provoked the other two to join their friend. It's a shame that these boys feel that you don't belong there but they're free to go anywhere they want. Please be careful next time and try better roads to travel down.

Originally posted by TheRedneck

But even if you are carrying a snub in your handbag, it still requires a second or two of warning to use it. Tell me, how quickly can you find your wallet in a handbag? My wife carries quite a bit of stuff in there, and sometimes she has to fumble for a moment to find exactly what she's looking for.

My bag is a nightmare, I often spend 2 minutes trying to find the keys in my purse, then search the house, only to discover they really WERE in my bag all along! Which is why I only buy bags that have a zippered side compartment onthe "outside" just big enough to securely hold a .38. If I get paranoid (seedy gas station at night, or driving in a rough area) and my spidey senses start tingling I unzip and it is immediately accessible.

I realize there is a good chance that if I am attacked I may not have time to use it, but it takes a lot of the worry about various situations. It keeps the FEAR at bay and that is a big deal. I don’t have to worry if my car breaks down at night that I will be a sitting duck at the mercy of whatever freak happens to come along.

Originally posted by TheRedneck
I am truly amazed at how many posters here are giving me the impression that, even though the OP survived with no (physical) ill effects, she somehow 'failed' because she didn't shoot someone. Am I getting the wrong impression on that?

I think it was a wake up call to the Op that “this time” it wasn’t a life threatening attack, but that it DOES happen and maybe next time it will be a lot worse. People often think attacks happen to "others" and it is a shock to discover it can actually happen to "us".


[edit on 23-9-2008 by Sonya610]

[edit on 23-9-2008 by Sonya610]

reply to post by Sonya610

I realize there is a good chance that if I am attacked I may not have time to use it, but it takes a lot of the worry about various situations. It keeps the FEAR at bay and that is a big deal. I don’t have to worry if my car breaks down at night that I will be a sitting duck at the mercy of whatever freak happens to come along.

Nothing at all wrong with that. If carrying the gun takes the fear out of your heart, then by all means, carry it. Fear is the real enemy.

I'm not saying you shouldn't carry a gun, just that you shouldn't rely on it too much. You also shouldn't rely on a knife, or even on your own legs (people have tripped before, and they will trip again). Rely on the one thing that will never fail you: your mind. Properly trained, it will tell you which tool to use, and when it is appropriate to do so.

If you want to build a house, would you use a hammer to cut the lumber? Would you use a saw to drive nails? No, you would use your mind to determine which tool you need for which task. Survival in a SitX is no different. No single tool will protect you without a mind geared toward survival. In the OP's situation, she used her voice as a tool, talking to the assailant in a non-confrontation, humanizing manner. There was no time to use a gun; there was no time to pull a knife; there was probably no time to pull pepper spray or mace, as there wasn't even time to trip the guy with her foot.

I think it was a wake up call to the Op that “this time” it wasn’t a life threatening attack, but that it DOES happen and maybe next time it will be a lot worse. People often think attacks happen to "others" and it is a shock to discover it can actually happen to "us".

I can agree with you 100% on this. The first mistake was not being aware of her neighborhood. The 2nd was walking back home the way she came, after seeing the area. The 3rd was making eye contact, and the 4th was breaking it and turning her back on the boys. Not knowing the neighborhood is a sign of complacency. Something couldn't happen to me, so why worry about what's around the corner? She was also not expecting to be chased after she passed the boys; I would have been expecting it. That's what I am talking about: keeping your mind alert to any signs of danger, no matter how small or slight. That's not the same thing as being afraid something might happen; it is simply being prepared for it so you are not afraid. That will keep you from presenting those 'victim vibes' to anyone in the area, and lessen your chances of even having a confrontation in the first place. And should a confrontation happen anyway, you will be prepared to use the best tool you have available.

And no problem with explaining self defense to a rookie cop excited about making his first major 'bust'...

TheRedneck

I've only had a robbery happen to me, and afterwards you feel very violated. I can't imagine the hatred of someone coming up to a stranger and body-slamming them to the ground. What has so corrupted these youths that they feel like they can do this? You did the right thing, and I'm glad you're not physically hurt. The emotional side will take a little longer though. Stay strong.

Originally posted by nahsik
i don't understand how this topic ended up wanting to kill a 17 or 18 year old kid who had a super soaker. I think you would be a criminal to even point a gun at another person let alone enact shoot the weapon. Truthfully it doesn't make you a better person for even owning a weapon. You already are a better person for the way you did handle the situation. I would suggest getting the self defence classes if you are still feeling insecure about yourself.

Could have something to do with the fact he made unprovoked physical contact and ASSAULTED her, Not only that but he had friends right there, So lets see here male THUG ASSAULTS a FEMALE, and slams her to ground, she was already at a disadvantage her life WAS in danger, she could have been beaten or raped, what happened is of little consequence, The fear of what could have happened fully justified ending the THUGS life, he entered into that agreement by assaulting her, if he ends up dead he took a gamble that he lost, that's HIS problem, Second not only did he assault her but with friends nearby that takes it to another level, one lone attacker is one thing, but multiple? that's a threat to your life REGARDLESS of rather they are armed, should they get involved, she would have been justified ending all of there lives should she have done so.

Originally posted by TexasGunMan
You really should consider getting your CCW for just those kind of situations. The second you became fearful of your life you could have legally drawled your weapon and mostly likely stop the attack without even firing a shot. In any case a gun(with the proper training ) could have saved you from a needless attack. I hope you will in the near future consider getting a gun and taking a course to properly handle it. And remember when seconds count the Police are only minutes away. Good Luck TGM

Yeah, let's have a shoot out with some nutcases on the street! With possible numerous deaths as a result, including innocent bystanders. Way to solve a problem, I thought we all know how these solutions work by now...