How would you react?

[Paul1]

#1. Stranger danger. Sad, but I don’t help strangers, especially with my family in tow, and in remote locations. Assuming I can see the guy, I wouldn’t exit the car in the first place. Drive away, call 911, wait for the law.

#2. If I am out of the car, with a stranger’s gun drawn, I would move away from the car to draw his attention away from my family, while drawing my weapon and trying to put myself at a tactical advantage from a cover standpoint.

#3. Release the hound! We almost always travel with our 4-legged companion. I would instruct my wife to release the dog. Our dog is high energy and, while not particularly vicious, very wary of strangers. Her barking and running would provide yet another distraction.

I’m making a lot of assumptions here. If his gun is at low ready, I’m not shooting. High ready, maybe. Any movement toward the car and hopefully my training kicks in. I’ve got 22 chances to stop him.

[Paul1]

@Johnnyq60, I’m probably in the minority here, but I simply don’t help strangers. Our world is too jacked up for me to trust anyone. I’ll call for help, and watch from a distance until said help arrives. Or if I’m with a group I will help. Even though I’m in decent shape, at 50+ years old I’m not going to win many 1-on-1 encounters, so I avoid altogether.

[Erik10]

I’d push the button triggering the springs I buried under his feet and we’d all watch the guy launched into the air never to be seen again.

never been much for hypothetical situations.

[Zavier_D]

@Todd30

You are going to your cabin in the woods. Upon arriving in your car you get out and there is a man at the front of your cabin. You get out and ask if you can help him and he pulls a gun on you. What would you do? Your car is 5 feet behind you. He is 10 yards away from you. No cover but, your car. Your family is in the car.

Away from Car towards tree for cover. I want any fire coming at me not my family

[Todd30]

I understand, the scenarios are just that and a true and correct action is something that only exists at that moment. How another person would react to a situation is a guess. Your actions being a good outcome is a guess. How you are going to respond to this can only be guessed. I think the best reaction is be flexible, adapt to each situation. Keep your radar on and be safe out there.

[George80]

@Paul1

I’m making a lot of assumptions here. If his gun is at low ready, I’m not shooting. High ready, maybe.

I hadn’t considered that in my answer and assumed that I’m looking down the barrel of hist gun. If the gun is at low ready, I’m going to back up to the car, try to get in and drive away as he might just be trying to get me to back off.

[Erik10]

Situational awareness and common sense certainly helps. Walking up on a strange person at your front door is NOT the most intelligent decision. Likewise, taking shelter at your car with loved ones inside also is a bad day in my book. Experience has taught me that if you see someone standing at your door, drive past, park, and have wife stay in car and ready to call police while you take position near a tree that isn’t in the line of fire where missed rounds would be headed towards loved ones. Obviously it could be a neighbor letting you know something happened, or someone wanting to sell you something…but in rural cabin’esque environments, I’d be far more suspicious and wouldn’t just pull up and park with loved ones in the car.

[Brandon46]

At that point the attention would be on me so running to the vehicle can possibly mean drawing attention to your family, I would act confused and say sorry I must have drove up the wrong driveway (knowing its obviously my property) and as long as the situation is calm and takes my plea I would then go to my car and calmly leave. Return later with nearest law enforcement. If that didn’t work and the person was still very irritated I would run to the to the nearest tree away from the vehicle (if it was my cabin) but in this situation no cover so anything to to draw attention away from my family, as soon as shots are fired my wife would definitely book it without me as we have an understanding that or child’s safety if priority. Hope nobody here ever has to deal with this, it has happened to my wife’s uncle in Alaska when he went to his cabin in the bush there was a squatter there and he was erratic and had a gun so they just left. 5 days later the state police came and arrested the guy. They were glad everyone was safe including the trespasser, but were upset they lost 5 days of there hunting trip.

[Timothy82]

Damn well first I know I wouldn’t get out of my car if I saw a man standing at my door…Id drive off and call 911. However, if this is a situation where I don’t have a choice and I’m standing there and he pulls a gun…im going to find cover and hope this bad guy hasn’t been practicing this scenario…

Id bet he cant get rounds on me before i can take cover…and get rounds on him…I dont know…even if i did get rounds on him, I’d be changing my underwear after…dang.

[John512]

@Thomas148

So this aint when you fall to the ground an curl up in a fetal position and start yelling for mommy

SERPINTINE!

Not knowing the terrain etc. you might have other options. You said your wife was armed, so I assume she has had training and knows how to shoot. And she has a cell phone so she has called 911. Now is there a big tree as close to you as the car? If you go back to the car if a firefight is a given, you are going to draw the fire to the car where even if he misses you he may hit a family member. Of course I dont know the situation. If you were behind a tree could wifey start backing the car up and you safely make your way through the bushes and meet her at the closest safe location? 911 and police are on the way. If you mention shooting the police WILL arrive quickly.

I was involved in an indecent, I came across a person had been shot on the roadside, Remote location, I called 911, mentioned shooting and the Sheriff must have driven 100 MPH to get from where he was to the location we were at. Followed within minutes by a swat team, ambulance and ultimately a medivac helicopter. In the end it was discovered it had been stupidity, a person had set up targets in some brush, No background and the rounds were going across a road which is where the person got hit. Police caught them. A couple days later I was asked to give a statement which I did. I asked what type of gun it was and it was an FN 5-7. It was quite exciting to say the least and the person survived, Had been hit 2x.

Interesting thing if you ever find yourself in this situation, There was almost zero blood, if the person had not said they had been shot you wouldnt know it. All the bleeding was internal, externally the entry wounds just looked like 2 small welts.

I read in the paper a couple years later all the guy got was 10 hours community service and lost their hunting rights for 2 years. It was reported not 1 hour after he was sentenced he stopped at a gun store and tried to purchase several guns but got stopped by the background check. Some people are just real losers.

[504DevilVet]

Well it wouldn’t be the first time someone shot at me. I’ve mostly managed to avoid 7.62mm rounds, RPG-9’s, grenades, mortar rounds, and IED attacks. Over the years I’ve become proficient at sizing up a situation and I must have done something right because I survived 39 months in combat fighting well armed insurgents up close and personal. I just don’t see anyone getting the drop in me after all that mess I dealt with. Not to mention I was trained by some of the best and served with some of the best of what the US Army has to offer. Pic of me during a Clearing mission in Baghdad 2007

[Todd30]

Hearing gun shots are one thing, hearing that crack of of bullet whizzing by is another.

[William_H]

I know for a fact that tearing down, condemning , with all wrongful words, and hatard, WILL DESTROY a person too. MAYBE WORSE.

WE NEED EVERY GOOD PERSON, HERE, to train very hard, sharpen those priceless talents, train with all your equipment and heart. There is a reason, also I try to be humors, but not now.

You can be even be a greater person to walk away from a possible FIGHT.

Please walk away, do not fight with a pistol unless you have to. I AM NOT CONTROLLING OR BEING MEAN TO ANYONE.

I speak from experience over this fine weekend, I was threatened by a bad mouth, and threatened by someone driving a car.

IT IS VERY HARD to just to stay away and clear yourself
with out words or more bad action

Thank you !!!

[amnoverwatch]

No offense but why wouldn’t I have the SA to look at my surroundings with my bright headlights prior to getting out? I never leave my vehicle just because I am at my destination. If I didn’t have line of sight to the door to the cabin before walking five feet then I wouldn’t park there, lastly my car as cover with my family inside of it while a nice knife twist to the scenario is again showing the importance of doing a scan before you get out or put your vehicle in park (depending on the area, you might want to drive around the area before you get out and look for a better spot better lighting etc).

Scenario correction, I see an unidentified male at the door to my cabin. If it’s business hours I would drive away and call the reservation number assuming I am not the explicit owner of the property. If I am the owner then I call the police tell them the location and take my family for some food while I wait for bad news on what’s missing or damaged at my cabin. If the SOB pulled a gun at any point of that then he’s in for a bad day because I don’t even date a girl without training her how to “ride shotgun” so he better hope he’s fast and a better shot than her otherwise I’m calling USCCA after I get off the line with 911.

[Todd30]

If you stay with the basics of self-defense you will 1. seek an escape route. Evade, escape. That is always your first and foremost action to take. 2. de-escalate the situation if you can not escape. 3. Use a lesser force if possible. Then after these have been applied or you can not avoid the situation you have to react and defend with lethal force. Saying this your ability to be aware of your situation and avoid getting into bad situations then you will never have to bother with using lethal force. When I teach classes I spend a lot of time on situational awareness. This is the most important training a person could have. It will keep you out of trouble.

[Cobra]

@amnoverwatch. Welcome to the community, train hard and stay safe.

[amnoverwatch]

Thanks for the welcome, will do.

[William_H]

To many people have proved here in the State of Florida that they wish to us use a firearm with out all that you mention here. NO RULES. EDUCATION, AND YOU CAN NOT FORCE LAWS DOWN THEM

THEY DO NOT DESIRE OUR EDUCATION. I fully understand were your at here, but I will not fight you. I ask for people to work and help people learn the correct ways; USCCA or somewhere. Not wise to pull a firearm here at home, you will go to jail. I KNOW WHAT THE BOOK SAYS AND COMPLETELY.

[Johnnyq60]

Welcome to the family and you are in the right place at the right time.

[AdamHutch]

Welcome to the family! @amnoverwatch glad you’re here!