A notable interaction
I'm in L.A. on business this week. Tonight, I walked to the Subway across the street for a sandwich for dinner. I left the restaurant and started walking back to my hotel. About ten paces out of the restaurant, just before I turned the corner onto the sidewalk, I noticed a man standing by a street light on the sidewalk. I kept my eyes on him as I passed him and when I was about three paces past him, he started to walk up to me. He had a soda cup in his hand, so I at first thought he might be begging for change. I stopped walking, turned to face him, and said, "Can I help you, man?"
I don't remember if he said anything or what. We had a weird little moment where I waited to see what he was going to do and he acted weird, kind of squirming around and not making eye contact. It was too weird and I immediately walked back to the entrance of the resaurant. Weird-guy followed me. I considered going into the restaurant, but then I would kind of be trapped there, and what if the guy just followed me in? Problem moved, but not solved. I also considered calling 911, but I didn't want to distract myself from the situation. So I just squared off and stared at the guy.
He muttered something about, "You're just going to walk past me like that..." I didn't really do anything different. I just stood there, squared off and watching him. Then he said something like, "I'll tell you what, we're gonna forget this happened," and I said, "I like it. I'm going to walk this way now." Then I walked away from him while he went into the restaurant and filled up his soda cup.
I have no idea why he approached me in the first place. I have no idea why he followed me. I have no idea why he changed his mind either, although I can speculate that my reaction had something to do with it.
So, here's my gun-related thought: I'm travelling in Cali, so my guns are back at home in GA. I don't travel with my pistol, and I couldn't carry in CA anyway. But if this had happened in GA, it would be the closest thing to drawing I'd ever have come. I don't think that actually drawing was justified... or was it? Anyway, I wonder whether, in this kind of situation, clearing the cover garment and putting hand-on-pistol would be appropriate. I didn't have a gun, so it never even entered into my mind, but if it had been you, and you had been armed, would you have handled it any differently?
I don't remember if he said anything or what. We had a weird little moment where I waited to see what he was going to do and he acted weird, kind of squirming around and not making eye contact. It was too weird and I immediately walked back to the entrance of the resaurant. Weird-guy followed me. I considered going into the restaurant, but then I would kind of be trapped there, and what if the guy just followed me in? Problem moved, but not solved. I also considered calling 911, but I didn't want to distract myself from the situation. So I just squared off and stared at the guy.
He muttered something about, "You're just going to walk past me like that..." I didn't really do anything different. I just stood there, squared off and watching him. Then he said something like, "I'll tell you what, we're gonna forget this happened," and I said, "I like it. I'm going to walk this way now." Then I walked away from him while he went into the restaurant and filled up his soda cup.
I have no idea why he approached me in the first place. I have no idea why he followed me. I have no idea why he changed his mind either, although I can speculate that my reaction had something to do with it.
So, here's my gun-related thought: I'm travelling in Cali, so my guns are back at home in GA. I don't travel with my pistol, and I couldn't carry in CA anyway. But if this had happened in GA, it would be the closest thing to drawing I'd ever have come. I don't think that actually drawing was justified... or was it? Anyway, I wonder whether, in this kind of situation, clearing the cover garment and putting hand-on-pistol would be appropriate. I didn't have a gun, so it never even entered into my mind, but if it had been you, and you had been armed, would you have handled it any differently?