I thought I would share an event that happened yesterday as well as my reflections on it. Here is the event:
At about 6pm I stopped at Pilot at the 465/37 exit to fill up. Immediately after I pull up to the pump a guy pulls up in a rush to the other side of the pump. He hops out and comes right over to my side of the pump and asks me for some help with gas money. He explains that he is a trucker who got laid off after making the first leg of a trip (apparently his boss just shut down the business while he was on his trip), has borrowed a friend's vehicle, and is trying to get home to Illinois. Since he got laid off away from the home office he wasn't able to collect his pay. In an effort to prove that he wasn't a "bum" who wanted drug money, he insisted that he didn't want cash but would only accept a card payment.
Here is what I did:
Without really thinking about it, I immediately took the gas nozzle out of the pump and created a physical barrier between me and him when he first came over to my side. I also took a step back and turned my right side slightly away from him and put my right hand loosely in my right pants pocket, such that it was directly over my wallet and my concealed Glock 21. I assessed his body position, especially his hands, which were out of his pockets. I assessed both his clothing (which was normal/average, not really shabby, thuggy, etc.) and his truck (a newer Ranger, with luggage in the bed). I was paying attention to my surroundings, looking for any other person who might be an accomplice to him. I started pumping my gas, and decided that I would buy him 5 gallons of gas. Throughout the remainder of the event, I kept my guard on high and right hand near my right side.
After reflection, here is what I learned:
1. All of my reactions were pretty much automatic. While I wasn't on 'autopilot', I certainly wasn't reacting slowly and mentally fumbling around trying to figure out what to do.
2. I was fairly calm and had no hesitation in my actions.
3. I had a clearly formed plan of what I would do if he 'made a move'. I was completely ready to shout 'stop, back away from me' and move my hand in position to draw if he escalated the situation.
4. My mental preparation of thinking through various scenarios paid off. I have no formal training whatsoever. I don't go to the range as much as I should, but enough to feel confident in my ability to shoot defensively. My only real 'training' consists of mental scenarios and reading INGO. I am convinced that both are what made me react so confidently.
5. Situations can occur to anyone, at any time. Always be prepared.
6. After I left the station, I felt conflicted. Did I just get scammed, or did I really help someone out who needed it? I don't know. But, I feel good that the worst case scenario is that I got scammed for $15, while on the other hand I may have just really helped a guy out for only $15.
7. While we should remain weary and aware, sometimes people may really need help and we shouldn't pass an opportunity to help someone.
Thoughts?
At about 6pm I stopped at Pilot at the 465/37 exit to fill up. Immediately after I pull up to the pump a guy pulls up in a rush to the other side of the pump. He hops out and comes right over to my side of the pump and asks me for some help with gas money. He explains that he is a trucker who got laid off after making the first leg of a trip (apparently his boss just shut down the business while he was on his trip), has borrowed a friend's vehicle, and is trying to get home to Illinois. Since he got laid off away from the home office he wasn't able to collect his pay. In an effort to prove that he wasn't a "bum" who wanted drug money, he insisted that he didn't want cash but would only accept a card payment.
Here is what I did:
Without really thinking about it, I immediately took the gas nozzle out of the pump and created a physical barrier between me and him when he first came over to my side. I also took a step back and turned my right side slightly away from him and put my right hand loosely in my right pants pocket, such that it was directly over my wallet and my concealed Glock 21. I assessed his body position, especially his hands, which were out of his pockets. I assessed both his clothing (which was normal/average, not really shabby, thuggy, etc.) and his truck (a newer Ranger, with luggage in the bed). I was paying attention to my surroundings, looking for any other person who might be an accomplice to him. I started pumping my gas, and decided that I would buy him 5 gallons of gas. Throughout the remainder of the event, I kept my guard on high and right hand near my right side.
After reflection, here is what I learned:
1. All of my reactions were pretty much automatic. While I wasn't on 'autopilot', I certainly wasn't reacting slowly and mentally fumbling around trying to figure out what to do.
2. I was fairly calm and had no hesitation in my actions.
3. I had a clearly formed plan of what I would do if he 'made a move'. I was completely ready to shout 'stop, back away from me' and move my hand in position to draw if he escalated the situation.
4. My mental preparation of thinking through various scenarios paid off. I have no formal training whatsoever. I don't go to the range as much as I should, but enough to feel confident in my ability to shoot defensively. My only real 'training' consists of mental scenarios and reading INGO. I am convinced that both are what made me react so confidently.
5. Situations can occur to anyone, at any time. Always be prepared.
6. After I left the station, I felt conflicted. Did I just get scammed, or did I really help someone out who needed it? I don't know. But, I feel good that the worst case scenario is that I got scammed for $15, while on the other hand I may have just really helped a guy out for only $15.
7. While we should remain weary and aware, sometimes people may really need help and we shouldn't pass an opportunity to help someone.
Thoughts?