Scenario Question

[HerbM]

...glass and that firing in a closed car won't do wonders for my hearing. ...

My car was once hit on the roof by a golf shot while I was driving down a major road parallel to the course. I honestly thought someone was shooting -- in the car with me.

I couldn't hear well for 30-40 minutes.

I am am realistically contemplating shooting in the car and don't have a truly immediate threat now, I will seriously consider putting plugs in my ears.

Really.

[Furyataurus]

I'm left handed as well and I keep my pistol on the seat next to me covered with a towel to conceal it since I'm left handed. I would've drawn my pistol with my right hand, I've been practicing shooting and drawing with my right hand, and told him to drop the knife, get back away from me and that he's going to jail. For Terroristic Threats(Class B), aggravated kidnapping(it would be a stretch) 1st degree felony, deadly conduct class A. If he made/makes ANY move towards me, I'd shoot.

[mgood]

My door is locked. Period. If the door is closed, the door is locked, whether I'm in the vehicle or out of it.
I'm driving a truck for a living again. Something I've done on and off for the last 20 years or so. A long time ago, an old trucker taught me to always keep the doors locked. He was a Korean War vet and served in the 82nd Airborne. He was an old man, but still not someone to be trifled with. He was very much into situational awareness. I spent several weeks in the cab of a truck with him travelling across the country and that's what he drilled into me. "The door is your first line of defense. Even if you're sitting in the driver's seat reading a book with the window down, the door is locked. Whether it's a buddy of yours pulling a prank or someone meaning to do real harm, even with the window down, the first thing most people will do is grab the door handle. That will give you an extra moment to react." I took that advice to heart. I've so made it a part of my routine that I can't stop myself from doing it. I can think to myself, "I'm only going to move 20 feet. I do not need to lock the door or buckle my seatbelt." I can think that all I want but when I get there, my seatbelt will be buckled and the door will be locked, often with me having no conscious recollection of doing it.

So my door is locked. The window could be down. Highly unlikely, but possible. We'll go with the window being down for the sake of arguement.

Something else I rarely do is pull up so far I can't maneuver. I was always pretty much in the habit of leaving enough space so that I can see where the tires of the vehicle in front of me contact the ground. That's what I was taught in driver's ed, about a hundred years ago. And the same thing was reinforced by the old airborne truck driver. "Always leave yourself an escape."
Drive-throughs worry me. (But I still get about 60% of my food from them.) You can be blocked in. A previous post mentioned being accosted in the drive-through line. But that's a scenario I play out in my head at least once a day. I lived in Southern California for several years where space is tight. Drive throughs are built for compact cars. (Though I was surprised to find that full-sized trucks/SUVs are nearly as common there as here.) You may have no exit with a car in front of you, the building to the left, a high curb with bushes and rocks to your right and another car behind.

My personal vehicle is a 1/2-ton Chevy pickup. When I play "what-if" games, I think about whether I can go over that curb or whether I can bump that car's bumper to create an extra foot or two to allow me a way out.
Bottom line, if I'm in my vehicle and it's running, my first choice is to drive out of the situation before I even consider pulling a gun. I'm driving a 5000 pound weapon.

But we'll say for the sake of this scenario that I can not get the vehicle out.
I'm drawing and moving towards the passenger seat, laying down across the seat or sliding completely over. If he reaches in through the window, I will fire.
My pistol is in a gun rug that is partly unzipped and under the center console/armrest (which folds up to make a seat back if someone's sitting in the middle). In a major accident, yeah, the weapon will go flying. But in just a hard-braking panic stop, it stays secure. I'm still working on a better method of vehicle carry. On my belt under a shirt does not seem to be the answer. I'm thinking of ways to secure it between the seats.

[dihappy]

I like that. If i had to go for my gun, i would probably lean/lay over onto the passengers side while drawing my weapon up to aim. I would command him to back away and if he tried anything i would shoot while laying down and hope my eardrums dont rupture from shooting a .45 in an eclosed space, lol.

[bryang]

I think anyone that drives has had similar situations in the past. I know I have and each time I honestly did not know what I did to make them so mad. We are living in a time where everyone is stressed out to the limit. The least thing happens and they blow up. HerbM gave the scenario where you may become a mistaken target because you are in the white car and the guy thinks you are the one that ran him off the road and the guy that did it is long gone.

"If any bad guy has a weapon deployed and has chosen us a target then the odds are VERY good we have already made several mistakes. Every situation is different, and you could get targeted by the guy who was chasing a DIFFERENT white Honda Civic who is two lanes over and three cars ahead now, or just made the right turn on red and disappeared after running the idiot with the weapon off the road, (Stuff happens), so I will just speak for myself and my own actions." (HerbM)

This actually happened in Dallas. I can't remember where I read it at now, but it went down exactly the way he said. The guy was boxed in and couldn't get away and his window was down, etc...(Stuff does Happen) By running these scenarios over in your mind it helps you to become mentally prepared and ready to act instead of trying to figure out what is happening, what do I do now. If you don't already know and have a plan for what to do...it's to late.

I have learned so much in the past few months while waiting for my CHL to come in and most of it is how NOT to have to use your weapon. How that mental preparedness is 90% of the fight.

In the short time that I have had my CHL I have already noticed a change in the way I drive, or do anything for that matter. I am more aware of what is going on around me. I drive the speed limit and stay in the right hand lane so the lunatics will have plenty of room to do their thing. I make sure I turn on my turn signal at least a half of a block before I slow down and make a turn, and watch the guy that is behind me, etc, etc.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and comments. They have made me to think more...and that's a good thing.

Remember: distance is your friend...and NEVER give up!