When have you come the closest to shooting someone?

[Jer]

Crazy that you posted that! Whenever I clean my guns, I like to always keep at least ONE fully operational and ready to be loaded. Lately I've been feeling stupid doing that though, since nothing ever happens. Great story!

+1

Just like whenever I clean guns or go to the range or a competition or whatever I ALWAYS have at least one gun loaded with carry ammo on my person. I've heard WAY too many stories to think I'm safe at a gun range or at a 'designated shooting place' out in the sticks. I rotate what guns I shoot/clean and always have another one loaded with carry ammo ready to go just in case. Some days I train with my target handgun (G17) and keep my carry gun (G26) on me. Other times I will practice with the carry gun and at those times I load my target gun with carry ammo to keep on me. Call it paranoid but it makes sense that if you carry in places you think are safe you also carry in places where there's lots of guns and things might not be as safe.

[gnihcraes]

true... a friend that I take with me to shooting areas and ranges, always has a loaded weapon other than the one he is practicing with for those same reasons. He's more than once had some stranger walk up while they were shooting and not feel comfortable with that person being there...(non shooters, just strangers) (usually happens at the outdoor shooting places on public lands)...

[BigMat]

The Doh! Moments remind me of a story. Speaking of going shooting and no keeping a gun handy

About a year ago I was out in the desert outside of Tucson and doing some moving and shooting practice on a few targets with a friend of mine. It’s about 11pm and we think we are totally alone, as we are way out of town. We wrap up shooting for a while and the two of us are down range picking up brass, all hunched over with flash lights, just talking about form, and women, and so on. As we are doing this a car pulls up next to our campsite, where ALL of our guns were, and aims its headlights right at us. We are sitting there, fully blind to what this guy is doing and he spends a few long seconds in his car just looking at us.

The guy is in a really old beat up car so we put police out of the equation right away, which just makes us more nervous. He starts shouting out of his car, asking about what we are doing and what we are up to and so on, and you can tell the guy just isn’t right in the head. Words are slurred and he isn’t always making sense. He starts asking questions we don’t like to answer, about where we live, if we have women at home alone, what/how many guns we have. My friend is an Army sniper(shame on him) starts moving off to one side and I start going the other direction as best we can, making our way towards our guns, real slow, as he is going on with his questions. I did my best to keep my strong side away from him, didn’t have anything on me, but I figured it would be best if only I knew that.

After about the 2 longest minutes I had in a long time, I am standing behind my truck’s engine, trying to get to my rifle, and my friend is behind my truck, in the dark with his rifle. The guy eventually took off, no idea who he was or what he was up to, but we sure got the wrong vibe and got caught completely unprepared.

We felt un-believably stupid that night. The deserts out there are generally not a safe place, at night especially, and some fool weirdo is the least of one’s worries, but he caught us, just lucky it wasn’t a drug runner or something of that ilk. I switched form a one-point sling to a two point sling, so as I could pick up ammo with my rifle on after that night.


I have a few storys from the desert come to think of it

[ColoEnthusiast]

That was a pretty bizarre situation!
I've never had anything quite like that happen, but probably 10 years ago or so I just started keeping a gun on me while checking targets, etc. In addition to that, I also keep any other arms that are left on the table unloaded. It just occurred to me that instead of someone checking out your guns while you are downrange (which really irritates me, but fortunately is rare), they could easily use them against you or steal them.
Probably a good thing for all members to consider. Imagine how it would feel for any of us, as responsible gun owners, to have one of our guns used to harm someone or commit a crime.

[Jer]

Sorry we're getting off on a bit of a tangent but since we're on this little side topic I will post the story I heard quite a while ago. It takes place at Pawnee and it goes like this:

Three College age kids are out shooting and arrived in two trucks. While shooting another car pulls up somewhat close to the others but nothing to make them think too much. One of the kids heads back to town leaving the other two who continue shooting. Since the witness left the rest is just hearsay but it doesn't take a forensic expert to figure this one out. Both were found shot to death and no firearms or ammo or anything of value was found. The kid who left to go back into town had a vague description of the car/guy but said that they had half a dozen or so firearms that they brought with that were nowhere to be found. Sounds to me like the guy got there and was planning his timing for when they had unloaded their guns and were either checking targets, reloading or both to make his move.

Now, as I already stated I have NO idea if this story is accurate or not but even if it's 100% fabricated it could easily happen if you're not careful and teaches a very good lesson.

I'll not let you get back to your regularly scheduled thread of confirmed stories.

[TFOGGER]

Ok...the wife and I are camping up near Reudi reservoir, about a mile and a half up a 4WD road, and well off the main path. It started raining about 4:30, and we went to bed at about 10. I'm sleeping in boxer shorts and a tshirt, as it is a bit brisk in early September in those parts. About 3 am, I'm awakened by the sound of a barely muffled small block Chevy, and a whole BUNCH of light coming through the side of the tent. Some jackass in a rusted out mid seventies Blazer with about 6 sets of off road lights pulls right into the campsite, and says "I'm hunting bears, seen any? I have my 1911 in my hand, partially hidden behind my right hip, cocked and locked. I am standing in the pouring rain, in a t-shirt and boxers, and this jackhole wants to have a conversation about hunting conditions in the middle of the night? Something didn't feel right about the situation, but said idjit must have seen something that made him want to move on to an easier target. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep the rest of that night, and now I have a lever action 45-70 in the tent when we're camping(I figure it makes better bear medicine than the .45acp, anyhow).

[Irving]

This was a great thread, and since we have so many new members recently, I thought I'd bump it up.

[Graves]

Good call - I killed a man in Reno, just to watch him die.

[Bailey Guns]

How about, "When have you come the closest to NEVER shooting someone?"

My two partners and I had just finished the judgmental training part of a CO concealed handgun class a month or so ago. When we're "shooting" on the simulator our guns are locked in the safe - safety reasons and all that.

Here we are, the 3 of us, certified, professional firearms instructors teaching people how to be prepared, avoid conflict, always be ready, blah, blah, blah...

We come out of the classroom after the last student left, it's dark, and there's some shifty looking transient-type hanging out in the shadows in front of our class. Guy was "out there", too. He starts quickly walking right towards the 3 of us without saying a word...like he's on a mission.

My partner quietly asks, "You got your gun?".

"Uh, no. It's in the safe. Do you have yours?", I asked.

"No. It's in the safe."

In about a 1/4 second I'd already visualized the headlines in the paper the next day:

3 Concealed Firearm Instructors Robbed in Front of Shooting School - None Armed!

Luckily the kid was just curious what we were doing and wandered away after a few innocent questions.

I felt stupid.

[BigBear]

Well, my one story already has a thread. But I do have another one that's kind of simple and funny.

My brother is a hardcore liberal... he wasn't until he got married (go figure). Anyways, grandpa (rest in peace), dad, and I always go (went) shooting and talked about guns, etc. So they are no stranger to my family. One day John (my brother) is spending the night at my place. It was a long day for me and I was tired, so I "forgot" John was spending the night traveling through to go back home. Middle of the night I wake up and hear some noises in the kitchen. Get out of bed, go to the closet and pull out the 12 ga. I walk into the kitchen and yell, "What the @$#^ you doing mother @#$^?!" at the top of my lungs while racking the slide and leveling the barrel.... John screams like the woman he is and sprays milk everywhere. I realize it's him and apologize profusely... "Not used to having others in the house" I say. This was before I was married.

To this day he rarely talks to me and hates guns.....