Packin' Heat Now

Well, I have finally had it up to my eyebrows with the drivers here in Central Florida. Yesterday, while driving to church for a meeting, I had a jerk follow me around the lakefront glued to my tailpipe. I could tell that he was just in a hurry and didn't want to do the 25 mph speed limit. Probably thought he could push me along. Really got under my skin, but I let it go and just continued on. This crap happens about once a week and I'm pretty used to it.

So, today, as I was leaving work and heading over to a friends house, I pull through town and, on the east side of town, where the highway goes from 6 to 4 lanes, I was in the center lane and accelerating to the posted 55 mph speed limit. I look up and there is a F-350 work van so freakin' close that I can't see either headlight. Well, I signal my upcoming left turn and move into the decel land. This idiot follows me, never letting up for one inch. I time my left turn so that he gets held up in traffic and then I accelerate to 75 mph on this little side street before slowing to make my right onto another side street. Well, as I check my mirrors, jerkwad is coming up hard. I decide that I have had it and just slow to the posted 30 mph. Idiot boy follows me and catches me as I make my left turm onto a dirt road, where my friends house is. The idiot turns and starts to pass me. Keep in mind that I'm only going 5-10 mph. He slows right next to me, so I hit the brakes to get stopped before he sideswipes me. He pulls past me and slows. Then he starts yelling at me in his rearview mirror as he is giving me the "I'm #1 Sign" out the window. I was able to turn into my friends drive and jerkboy went on his merry way.

I have no clue what I did to get under this retards skin, but I have decided that I will never again subject myself to the possibility of being murdered with a 6,000 pound vehicle, or anything else, without having something with which to defend myself. I have had a concealed carry permit for years, but have felt the need to carry on just a few occasions. No longer. From this day forward, I will carry my Taurus Millenium 45 ACP in my tank bag or in a holster under my shirt/jacket.

This guy scared the crap outta me and I swear that I will never feel that defenseless again. Thanks for letting me vent.

Eric

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Eric,
I know how you feel in a situation like that. I, too, have a cc permit and do carry a lot of times when riding. I don't have it for the situation where I'm on the road moving along as to pull it out and shoot with any control would be difficult. And to stop and do something means being vulnerable for a short time, too.

Not to say there isn't some comfort in knowing you can stop and defend, but I'm usually more interested in getting away from jerks a.s.a.p. I would prefer to pull into a side drive, turnaround, parking lot, side street, or parking spot if possible. Sometimes I will just pull to the right and motion the cage to go around while being ready to take evasive action if they get too close. I know it sounds simple when I write this, but the damage a jerk can do to you is so easy to perpetrate, it's never worth the actions of anything that can ever be construed as confrontational. I know you weren't, but it sounds like that jerk was the kind that wouldn't have minded at all just sideswiping you and leaving the area as fast as he could.

We just always need to be defensive, never aggressive--unless, of course, you can confront him on even turf--which most cage drivers wouldn't do. It's so much easier to be brave when you think there is no consequense--when you can overpower your opponent with two tons of steel.

RonK

Very true, RonK, very true. We are all Swarchenegger when in our tin castle.

The way I read it, Simpleman was feeling like he was being targeted. There for I agree that packing would be justifiable. We all know it is not a good idea to pick on a cage with a bike. It sounds like Simpleman did what he could to let that SOB around when it was safe to do so. That punk was just being an a$$hat. My take on this situation as it is told is that he was in the right and has every right to carry for his own defense.

JMO
Moon

Dont assume that you would be in the right for showing/using your heat. My understanging ( and I am not a lawyer or LEO) is that you must be in immediate danger of death or serious injury to even show your firearm. Traffic incidents may not qualify for this in the way of a legal definition. Check with someone who really knows before you get into the situation where using your heat is worse than backing off and getting out of there. The law aint always what we assume.
Mikeyrx (who used to carry to the pharmacy every day)

mikeyrx wrote:Dont assume that you would be in the right for showing/using your heat. My understanging ( and I am not a lawyer or LEO) is that you must be in immediate danger of death or serious injury to even show your firearm. Traffic incidents may not qualify for this in the way of a legal definition. Check with someone who really knows before you get into the situation where using your heat is worse than backing off and getting out of there. The law aint always what we assume.
Mikeyrx (who used to carry to the pharmacy every day)

Agreed,,,
That is exactly why I don’t carry. I have the cc permit and used to carry but not now. I am the type that will pull it if provoked. Just saying that if your in a position that requires personal protection it is better to have it than not. I still carry in my truck and it is in a safe. It takes 4 movements to have it ready. This is what works for me. Now it seems that the only time it gets pulled out, it is to be cleaned.

Some people can carry and pull it when only at last resort. I am not that person and I know it. Kudos to those that can. Remember I keep mine locked up for YOUR protection not mine.

Peace
Moon

Badmoon wrote:Some people can carry and pull it when only at last resort. I am not that person and I know it. Kudos to those that can. Remember I keep mine locked up for YOUR protection not mine.

Exactly. I have carried for over 25 years and have never showed, or used, it. On several occasions, I had it at the ready but, unless I either see or feel an iminent threat of danger or death, I will not show or use it. It isn't a playground toy that can be used to scare away someone. It is a deadly weapon that I will only use to kill someone who I feel is trying to kill me or my family.

Now, in this instance, I felt that this idiot had the capacity to do great bodily harm to me. In this instance, I would have been much more comfortable with some protection. Not saying that anything would have turned out differently, just that I would have had a greater piece of mind. I still would have had the crap scared outta me and he still would be an idiot, but I would just feel better being able to respond if he went to the next level.

I agree, and that was the situation when I carried. I worked at one place for a year and a half before anyone even knew I had a gun. It was always out of sight and never shown. And I agree with your philosophy of not having it too handy (most of the time.) I must admit I had one or two instances in the pharmacy where I had it within reach beside the typewriter (typewriter-man that was LONG ago), and also handy to get at when I was followed out of the parking lot by the same car several nights in a row.
I guess we all agree that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. (We just dont need to routinely cure the idiots.)
Mikeyrx

mikeyrx wrote: (We just dont need to routinely cure the idiots.)

Yeah, but wouldn't it feel good Except when I fit the description

one word on protection

condoms kidding

I have reacted poorly while on my bike to cagers that have been somewhat aggressive, and looking back I am remiss. my behavior wasn't warrented.

I have no cc permit, I can within the law carry my side arm in my truck (glovebox&loaded) but no longer do so. Now while on the bike, if another driver gets to mis behaving and driving with complete disreguard for his or my safety, I move out of the way, and or ride like I stole it and get away from them. It is way easier for a bike, even my 600vlx to take evassive action on the hwy or streets than any four wheeler.

mark f

far from perfect, but extremely exposed on the bike and aware of it now.

Since I moved down to Orlando it seems that anyone with a new SUV must try to run me over. On one or more occasion I slow down for a stop light and they blow right bast me slamming on the breaks and end up halfway through the intersection. I start my slow day way before the intersection and amazingly non of those idiots have a cell phone glued to their ears. The looks I get when I knock on their windows and ask them if they need assistance is priceless.

Have you chacked your speedo to make sure you are really doing the speed limit? I calibrated mine and it was 20% off with the new tire and rearend. It was 12.5% off from the factory. I follow a lot of guys on bikes and they ride much slower than traffic and well under the speed limit. I bet most don't even know the speedo is the problem.

It doesn't take much to set someone off and the bike always looses if they hit us. ;-(

Nothing fun about looking in your mirror and seeing the bugs stuck in the grill of some douchebags truck. I don't know why, but I never seem to get tailgated in my car.



You definitely need to trade that Taurus in on a nice Kimber though

Oldsmobility wrote:Nothing fun about looking in your mirror and seeing the bugs stuck in the grill of some douchebags truck. I don't know why, but I never seem to get tailgated in my car.



You definitely need to trade that Taurus in on a nice Kimber though

Classy rig, Olds!

I tried packing heat. With my shoulder holster the curling iron burns my side and the hair dryer makes my jacket bulge, oh well.
Doc

I carry 90% of the time.

In California we have many road rage shootings on the freeways. Seems to happen more in the summer. Its been said that there are two sides to every tale, but unfortunately, in a shooting, you usually only hear one side.

lizard wrote:Its been said that there are two sides to every tale, but unfortunately, in a shooting, you usually only hear one side.

Only if the shooter does his job accurately and correctly!

I have always said that I don't suffer from road rage. I seriously get real calm, get my ass away from the situation and then evaluate my options. If the situation follows me, then I calmly make decisions that will, first of all, preserve my life and the lives of my passenger(s). Then I execute said decisions. The last thing that I EVER want to do is fire my weapon at some dinkhead that won't leave me alone, but I will.

In my opinion, (we all have one) a car, truck etc., can be classified as a deadly weapon when a crazy person is using it to intimidate a motorcycle operator. North Carolina law says that deadly use of force can be used "if a person of ordinary firmness believes that deadly force was necessary to prevent an imminent threat of death, great bodily harm, or sexual assault". There are some other issues that go along with that also. I would hope that I NEVER would have to resort to such actions, but.............I was taught long ago that "it is far better to be tried by twelve, than carried by six". Semper-fi Mike

marine-mp wrote:In my opinion, (we all have one) a car, truck etc., can be classified as a deadly weapon when a crazy person is using it to intimidate a motorcycle operator. North Carolina law says that deadly use of force can be used "if a person of ordinary firmness believes that deadly force was necessary to prevent an imminent threat of death, great bodily harm, or sexual assault". There are some other issues that go along with that also. I would hope that I NEVER would have to resort to such actions, but.............I was taught long ago that "it is far better to be tried by twelve, than carried by six". Semper-fi Mike

+1 Mike +1

For those of you that pack heat, where do you carry it when riding? Holster, boot, bag?

Steve-O wrote:For those of you that pack heat, where do you carry it when riding? Holster, boot, bag?

I have a Taurus Milennium 45 ACP that I carry in my tank bag and a KelTec 32 that is small enough for me to carry in my pocket. The Taurus goes with me when I know that I can either carry the tank bag with me or put it in a secure location for the day and the KelTec goes when I will be moving around and don't want to worry about the bag.

Custom high rider holster. (Taurisholsters.com) Semper-fi Mike

Do you have a holster for the kel tec or just keep it in your pocket? I would think that would not be very concealed...thought an underarm holster or one in the back would be best...or boot holster. I got see my uncle who is into this sort of thing over thanksgiving...I'm sure he'll have some tips.

Steve-O wrote:Do you have a holster for the kel tec or just keep it in your pocket? I would think that would not be very concealed...thought an underarm holster or one in the back would be best...or boot holster. I got see my uncle who is into this sort of thing over thanksgiving...I'm sure he'll have some tips.

KelTec is small and light enough to keep in my pocket. And the finish is parkerized, so it doesn't show nicks and scratches very much.