I’ve been carrying a handgun on a pretty much daily basis for about 25 years. In all those years I have never had to shoot anyone or even draw my gun. I’m very grateful for that fact!! Only once have I felt the need to put my hand on my gun to discourage a very aggressive “panhandler”. It seems that reaching for something on the belt behind your hip is a somewhat universal sign. I was wondering how many non law enforcement folks have actually had to use their handgun in self defense. I don’t plan on giving up the practice, but I’m just curious as to how often does the need arise? I’m zero for 25 years. Hopefully that’s the norm.

Zero in 30 years and happy about it...still carry.

None other than as a combat infantryman. I carry all of the time but have never had to use a weapon to protect myself.

I have dispatched a few varmints on the ranch.

I've carried for 11 years now, and while there have been a few times where I was glad to have it handy, I never needed it for 2 legged types. Not even to reach for it.

I have pulled it in the woods when approached by a feral hog on a trail, but the hog ignored me and trotted off into the woods.

0 for 25 +/- years.

carried for 28 years. Never had to "use" the pistol.

Part of the equation is just the fact of bad guys knowing you might be armed which deters many of them.

IMHO, shall issue CHL laws have made EVERYONE safer, regardless if you own a gun or not. Simply because bad guys don't know who carries and who does not.

I've carried for 38 years now. Thank God it's 0.

Zero for 26 years.

I hope that continues.

I'm at 11 years now, never had any need. that said we've had these threads once or twice, never do seem to get anyone who's needed to use their weapon in them.

Interesting reading! It gave me a flashback to the time when I was in the airport long term parking lot to pick up my car after a flight in from NY. A car full of of thug type guys cut across my path and stopped short in front of me....they asked where long term parking was and they were in it! I immediately reached back toward my hip and one of the guys in the back seat yelled to the driver: Go! Go! Go! I kept my hand on my hip and they took off in a big hurry! I realized then that I didn't have a gun with me because I just got off an airplane!

quote:

Originally posted by FenderBender:
I'm at 11 years now, never had any need. that said we've had these threads once or twice, never do seem to get anyone who's needed to use their weapon in them.

At least 2 other discussion forum I have read have had similar threads ... all with the same results.

I was at a walk-up ATM, I was being crowded by three yoofs. I asked them to back off and give me some space, they laughed and gave me the "No hablo" reply.

While reaching for my wallet in my back pocket I "accidentally" exposed my holstered pistol. The yoofs immediately remembered some very important business someplace else. I did not draw, nor even touch, my pistol.

I think that they were kind of surprised to see an Old Guy who was armed. What they should have realized was that my generation, most of us did serve some military time, we did learn how to use firearms, and here in Florida the chances that a random person is carrying are pretty good.

My third renewal will be coming up in 2020, so I've been carrying for close to 15 years. Only on occasion until 2016. Nearly 100% of the time, since. I've never been obliged to even reach, much less draw, much less shoot.

Twice as non LEO:
In downtown Cincinnati, two dudes tried to hustle me into a car. Robbery attempt, I would guess, as it would not be profitable to kidnap me. I drew a Combat Commander and they disappeared.
I went to the crapper in the rest area of the toll road around Chicago and a dude tried to rob me at knife point. I flashed a nickle plated S&W Model 19 and left without further trouble.
No shots fired.
And now I just avoid sketchy areas. Boring, aint it?

0 for 11, though there have been a couple times I was really glad to have it.

0 for 27 yrs. I tend to be even more careful about avoiding trouble when I am carrying.

Bruce

The last time I can think of that I might have liked to have had a gun on me was over 25 years ago, coincidentally with an aggressive panhandler. The incident didn't escalate that far. Since I was getting gas for my car at the time, if the need had arisen I could have given him a face or snootful of gas. I haven't had such a need since. Not going to risky places, engaging in risky behavior or hanging with flaky people avoids almost all trouble.

quote:

It seems that reaching for something on the belt behind your hip is a somewhat universal sign.

This makes a case for a BUG, not for what people usually think of (in case the main gun malfunctions or is lost control of), but as the first gun you go to. With a small pistol or revolver in a front pocket, you can appear to have your hand casually in your pocket, but with your hand already on a gun. With the right gun and pant pockets, because your hand is already on the gun, draw from a pocket can be pretty quick. Most people watch faces for visual cues, not hands (LEO trainees have to have this drummed into their heads), but reaching behind your hip is pretty obvious. I did this pretty regularly, but have gotten lazy or complacent. For one thing, not many pants have a pocket large enough to have a firing grip on a gun.

Extremely close, several years ago, when I was still living in an apartment. One evening, I decided to go to the range. At the time, I had let my CHL expire and was too lazy to renew, so, I cannot carry the gun and had to put it in the glove compartment. As I drove toward the exit gate, there were 2 young punks loitering around the code box. I drove up and asked what they were doing. They said, "How do we get out of here?" I pointed them to the pedestrian gate. As they were heading there, I had to roll the window down completely to enter the code to exit. As I was doing that, I also turned my head to see where them punks were. In a flash, they ran back and tried to grab me out of the car. Man, in a total shock, my left hand was honking the horn like crazy, while the right was reaching to open the glove compartment to grab the gun. The 2 assholes ran off into the dark. So shaken up still, I got out of the car and started screaming, "You SOBs, come back here, and I'll kill you". I reported the incident to the 2 cops I saw who were in the next door convenient store having some coffee, and they were totally uninterested in doing anything about it.

This incident really made me mad, because, as aware as I am of the surrounding, I still almost got caught.

Also, I wonder if things had turned out a little differently, if my CHL was not expired, and the gun was on me at the time.

Once about 4 years ago. I had just stepped out of my truck at night in a deserted parking lot at my factory. Reached back into the truck to retrieve my revolver and a drink from the armrest cup holder. Felt someone approaching me from behind. Spun around and pointed it at a man rapidly walking towards me with something in his left hand that looked like a pipe. I did not have to discharge. He took off like a scalded dog.

Once in 11 years...

Long story.... issue with neighbor and dogs.