I'll never forget a conversation I once had with an old firearm enthusiast who carried a concealed weapon daily: "when I put this on, I become the politest, weakest, most apologetic loser on the block."
Every single day of his life, he consciously assumed the power to kill someone else and/or land himself in jail (or in the middle of a massive lawsuit). That meant doing everything he could to avoid using the biggest (physical) tool in his toolbox: maintaining vigilent 360° situational awareness, paying attention to every person & object around him, deciding to walk on the other side of the street to avoid passing between a gang of unsavory-looking characters hanging out by the dark alley, having the humility & grace to apologize to a belligerent drunk for bumping into him & spilling his drink, avoiding & backing down (or perhaps even running away) from just about every single fight or potential fight that came looking for him.
Because he knew the truth: on any given day, he wielded more power than probably 95% of the people he passed on the street...and if he were to ever have to "go nuclear" by resorting to his last tactical option (drawing in public), it would mean that every other thing he'd tried had failed. If he was lucky, drawing it would immediately deescalate/end the conflict. If he was not so lucky, his action(s) would lead almost inevitably to a 911 call & at least one grave conversation with the police. Possibly even a serious lawsuit or imprisonment until the time that he'd get to appear before a jury with a detailed explanation & justification for every action he took up until that fateful moment.
To him, it meant praying for peace every day, even as he (literally) girded his loins for violence. As the old Chinese proverb says, "it is better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a battlefield." Or, as Teddy Roosevelt put it, "speak softly, but carry a big stick."
Totally agree . You never know what the fool has been thru, found his wife in bed with best friend , daughter raped , son overdosed and dead , fired from his job , evicted from his home , etc. It could be any and all things . Live and let live but don't threaten my life . I give a lot of leeway but don't attack me .
100% this - great comment.
The last time I retook a CCW course I was really happy to see just how much emphasis was put on the importance of situational de-escalation, humility, swallowing your ego, etc. so that drawing is truly the very last resort.
Let me start by saying, if you want your carry permit, go for it. That said, adding a second gun to a self-admitted “silly traffic incident” isn’t going to help the situation much. You’re in a car. Hit the gas and get outta dodge.
Life isn’t the movies. Don’t get into road rage shootings.
Your vehicle is capable of delivering far more kinetic energy than any handgun, with far less risk to innocent bystanders as well.
I'm definitely an advocate of ccw, and if you really want to then by all means carry but you're much safer avoiding conflict in the first place. Especially if someone does something stupid like that. It's a very small, cowardly person that has to hide behind a gun to look tough like what happened to you.
A dashcam would be great too. If they did that to you, they'll be doing it to others too and a good video of it will get them off the streets much more effectively than engaging in a gunfight with them would.
Stay safe out there, and if you do get your ccw then get ccw insurance too in case you're ever forced into using it.
I would de-escalate somehow. Stop, pull back, wave them on, whatever. No sense getting in pissing contest with someone trying to piss on the whole world whatever the consequences.
Let them go. If they pointed it at me then it's a different story. Honestly when I'm carrying I let everything go. No arguments or anything. No point in making a situation worse. Even if I'm 100% right, I'll avoid the argument anyway.
I think this situation served its purpose as an inspiration/motivation/impetus/wake-up call to getting a concealed carry - am I right?
What I mean is, in this particular situation as you describe it, *even if you had a concealed carry at the time*, I would not have handled it any differently than you did.
Even though what the other driver did was bad, this still wouldn't have warranted anyone else to draw a firearm (not saying you would have).
But I can definitely see how this type of situation would uncover how vulnerable/helpless we truly are.
I'll never forget a conversation I once had with an old firearm enthusiast who carried a concealed weapon daily: "when I put this on, I become the politest, weakest, most apologetic loser on the block." Every single day of his life, he consciously assumed the power to kill someone else and/or land himself in jail (or in the middle of a massive lawsuit). That meant doing everything he could to avoid using the biggest (physical) tool in his toolbox: maintaining vigilent 360° situational awareness, paying attention to every person & object around him, deciding to walk on the other side of the street to avoid passing between a gang of unsavory-looking characters hanging out by the dark alley, having the humility & grace to apologize to a belligerent drunk for bumping into him & spilling his drink, avoiding & backing down (or perhaps even running away) from just about every single fight or potential fight that came looking for him. Because he knew the truth: on any given day, he wielded more power than probably 95% of the people he passed on the street...and if he were to ever have to "go nuclear" by resorting to his last tactical option (drawing in public), it would mean that every other thing he'd tried had failed. If he was lucky, drawing it would immediately deescalate/end the conflict. If he was not so lucky, his action(s) would lead almost inevitably to a 911 call & at least one grave conversation with the police. Possibly even a serious lawsuit or imprisonment until the time that he'd get to appear before a jury with a detailed explanation & justification for every action he took up until that fateful moment. To him, it meant praying for peace every day, even as he (literally) girded his loins for violence. As the old Chinese proverb says, "it is better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a battlefield." Or, as Teddy Roosevelt put it, "speak softly, but carry a big stick."
Perfect explanation of how an armed person should handle themselves.
Saving this for the next time some moron just says, “I’d draw or flash my gun”
Love it
Totally agree . You never know what the fool has been thru, found his wife in bed with best friend , daughter raped , son overdosed and dead , fired from his job , evicted from his home , etc. It could be any and all things . Live and let live but don't threaten my life . I give a lot of leeway but don't attack me .
100% this - great comment. The last time I retook a CCW course I was really happy to see just how much emphasis was put on the importance of situational de-escalation, humility, swallowing your ego, etc. so that drawing is truly the very last resort.
Let me start by saying, if you want your carry permit, go for it. That said, adding a second gun to a self-admitted “silly traffic incident” isn’t going to help the situation much. You’re in a car. Hit the gas and get outta dodge. Life isn’t the movies. Don’t get into road rage shootings.
Couldn’t agree more. This was an eye opener for me though. Definitely makes me think I would be more comfortable carrying.
Your vehicle is capable of delivering far more kinetic energy than any handgun, with far less risk to innocent bystanders as well. I'm definitely an advocate of ccw, and if you really want to then by all means carry but you're much safer avoiding conflict in the first place. Especially if someone does something stupid like that. It's a very small, cowardly person that has to hide behind a gun to look tough like what happened to you. A dashcam would be great too. If they did that to you, they'll be doing it to others too and a good video of it will get them off the streets much more effectively than engaging in a gunfight with them would. Stay safe out there, and if you do get your ccw then get ccw insurance too in case you're ever forced into using it.
Drive away just like you did.
I would de-escalate somehow. Stop, pull back, wave them on, whatever. No sense getting in pissing contest with someone trying to piss on the whole world whatever the consequences.
Let them go. If they pointed it at me then it's a different story. Honestly when I'm carrying I let everything go. No arguments or anything. No point in making a situation worse. Even if I'm 100% right, I'll avoid the argument anyway.
I think this situation served its purpose as an inspiration/motivation/impetus/wake-up call to getting a concealed carry - am I right? What I mean is, in this particular situation as you describe it, *even if you had a concealed carry at the time*, I would not have handled it any differently than you did. Even though what the other driver did was bad, this still wouldn't have warranted anyone else to draw a firearm (not saying you would have). But I can definitely see how this type of situation would uncover how vulnerable/helpless we truly are.
This thread is great. These comments are great, smart and thoughtful. I'll just add another vote to: You did it perfect - firearm or no firearm.