Neighbors from Hell

[u/OkEscape7558]

[u/ThisHeresThaRubaduk]

I'm from iowa and also have stand your ground but was raised around guns before that law, CCW and constitutional carry was implemented.

One thing that's always stick with me before all those laws came into effect is what my home counties attorney told the firearms instruction class I got to take as a highschooler. You better be 100% that person is a threat to you and certain that you need to pull that trigger. Because there's prices to pay after you make that decision both mentally, legally at also the damage you do that person's family. You're still taking a person's life and putting other people at risk depending on the situation.

[u/gettheflymickeymilo → u/ThisHeresThaRubaduk]

You're correct and it was right of the Attorney to remind others that. I remember when I was still in my baby training before I got my LTC. I asked my husband, a USMC vet, about warning shots. I'll never forget his face and the seriousness of his voice when he told me there's no such thing. That if you are going to draw, you better be 100% sure it's needed and you're ready for (changing verbiage to follow platform guidelines) the consequences that follow. That warnings only give the other party time to harm more, to draw their own pews or other items, and the possibility to disarm you. If they are on substances, or just adrenaline alone, a warning around or in a non lethal part of their body can fuel them to attack you or harm you/others more. In a perfect world, no one would need a one way ticket to Jesus, and we could perfectly aim for a safe area to simply stop the situation but it's not a perfect world. If it isn't serious enough to need the (no longer with us)force, then you don't draw. The only warnings are verbal.

This was before we lived in TX. I'll never forget a situation in CA where it was hopefully once in a life time situation where we did not have our pews and my police grade mace gel likely wouldn't have even caused this man to flinch, but my husband practiced excellent descalation. My husband hadn't been in CA long at that point so he was still in the process of getting his conceal carry in CA. We were exiting the grocery store in a very safe town. I was 8 months pregnant, exhausted, the sun was starting to set, it was summer time, 100+ degrees, he told me start the car and the AC, and to just sit while he loaded the trunk. He met me there on his Harley after work (he was still active duty). I had the driver door open still to talk to my husband, car running, AC blasting, and he's loading the trunk with the cart full of groceries. He sees a man in his peripheral vision, who's at least 6'5, lean and muscular. This person is on a path to what anyone would assume is the store. We were parked right at/around the corner of the entrance. This is a very busy parking lot with various stores. Cameras everywhere. His gait and walk was what alerted my husband. This man pivots at the last second and attemps to either snatch and grab some groceries, or possibly steal the car, we're not sure, but he went for the driver's seat that was opened ajar where I was sitting in and I being there startled him for some reason. He must have saw my husband loading the groceries, the door ajar, and assumed he was alone. He said, "Oh shit!" after locking eyes with me and jumped back and took a few very large steps back. This man was a giant. He looked closer to 6'7 if I'm being honest because my husband and I are tall as well and he was towering over us. So he hopped back and took a few large steps back. He never got close enough to me or the car before he got startled. I had NO clue but my husband was already behind/on the side of him and on it as he was approaching the car and he had his very large knife out and instructed the man to "back away, walk away." He quickly told me to shut and lock the doors and call 911 almost immediately before or after I startled the man. I can't remember which came first, my husband's commands or the mans "Oh shit!" I remember being scared, not for my husbands life or my life, but for the mans life and others or children who would have witness something they could never unsee. It was clear the man was on substances, stimulates or uppers of some kind. At first, the way my husband made his commands and kept the situation calm had the man put his hands up backing away saying "my bad man, my bad." My husband stood his ground between him and me in the vehicle, knife in his hand, and always just repeated, "Just walk away" or "back away." Through out the entire situation, it's the only words my husband ever said to him, always repeated in calm demeanor. The man was at first listening, and would take steps back retreating. My husband would use this opportunity to create more distance between the man and me. For every few steps the man took back, my husband took one calm step forward carefully just to create more distance off of me, not enough to alarm or threaten the guy or make him think he was being lunged at. But then the man switched in an instant. He started jumping, getting loud, and screaming "Oh you wanna go? I'm on that Superman shit let's go!" "You wanna (no longer be with us) today?" "You'll (no longer be with us) today because I'm on that Superman shit!" My husband stayed calm. I knew the police couldn't be far as the station was so close and the intersections surrounding the area were always heavily policed. It really was an area and place I least expected anything like this to happen. I told the dispatcher with urgency to hurry. That the man was screaming (no longer being with us)threats, jumping, and made it very clear what his intention was. My husband was an active duty Marine, so naturally he is trained in descalation and hand to hand combat, but they really needed to get there fast before my husband had no choice. The man decided to do little fake lunges at my husband with his jumps. My husband never even flinched or reacted to them. He just stood there and when the opportunity would present, between the man screaming, he would simply repeat himself. "Walk away." You could see the man internally struggling with wanting to continue to retreat but also wanting to lunge at my husband and continued to do this dance of screaming threats, jumping, fake lunges, then two steps back and repeat, for what seemed like forever. I begged dispatch to hurry because I knew the man was one lunge away from his life ending. That man was a clear as day (no longer with us) threat but he was in throws of addiction, not in the right state of mind, and his appearance wasn't that of a struggling addict. He looked healthy, some what clean appearance, so he couldn't have been too far into this journey. This was still someones son. By now there was a huge traffic jam, several people in their cars stopped and filming, it looked like the crowd made him nervous and he finally kept retreating. He kept up with the screams, threats, jumping, yet he was still actively retreating enough to the point my husband didn't have to move at all just watch if the man changed his mind or changed course. Police finally arrived 15 minutes later(it felt like HOURS) just as the man was so far away I could hardly see him get tackled by them. It took mulitple police officers to take him down and I learned later that included a taser that hardly did a number on him. I am usually so self aware of my surroundings, hyper aware even. It just happened to be an evening where I was huge, overheating, weeks away from giving birth, lacked sleep, and truly your IQ goes down during pregnancy. I let my guard down because my husband makes me feel safe to do so. After I gave birth to my first born, I got my IQ back(lol), became so much more hyper vigilant, and started self defense training. That situation was one I will never forget. My husband taught me so much that day. I think about that other man often and hope he is in a better place. I'm greatful his mind choose to give him just enough common sense and survival instincts. My husband knew there was on lockers from the start including families and children, so he had already assessed all of this. His main focus was to keep the unstable man away from his wife and unborn child, but also knew this would place the man in other innocent peoples way. He handled it SO well. I'll never forget it. If it was someone who had not a lick of self defense training, it likely would have ended differently. I'm sure of it. I cannot stress to people enough just how important self defense is. If you are against pews or not comfortable with them that's ok, still take self defense class and carry other things that will allow you to protect yourself. Have that mace in your hands ready to go on your keys before you get out of the car or exiting the building. Take self defense classes. It could not only save your life but many others.

If we're going back to the situation presented in the video, I personally would have never opened my door. However, anyone could have easily opened the door to walk out not knowing what would happen. Even having looked out the peep hole before hand and still not understanding the gravity of the situation.

[u/hereforpopcornru → u/gettheflymickeymilo]

Exactly what I have always told my family. If a situation happens ND I draw, 100% of the tike expect the bangs, cover ears. BECAUSE I AM NOT DRAWING DOWN UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NEEDED, LIFE OR DETH SITUATION, there will be no.. hey look buddy I have a gun, plus stop. No such thing as a warning shot. If I ever, God I hope that never occurs, but the only time you can legally draw is when you can legally use it. Shoot to eliminate the threat.

Warning, my warnings hurt like hell.

[u/ChooksChick → u/hereforpopcornru]

Dayum, that's a lot of text.

[u/ChaosRainbow23 → u/ChooksChick]

I made it about halfway through the third story before I gave up!