Common Sense Safety

[MikeVodka]

What common sense safety stuff do you do?
Not gun safety, but normal people safety. Like locking the house door behind you when you get the mail or news paper, or always locking the car door when driving. Do you get gas an night? Do you cross the street to go around a group or trouble makers, or walk right by them?
Where do you draw the line between asserting your rights (things you should be able to do) and common sense safety?

[AZSATT]

Great question, as I personally believe the best confrontation is the one that is completely avoided, which we can have only so much control over.

Gas at night: not generally. And never without checking out the whole area first - regardless of daylight.
Locked doors: Always - in house, home or not, and always in my truck - soon as I step in. It's just easy.
I don't buy or pick up newspapers - get my "news" online mostly, and I have a PO Box, so I have to disarm going in - but I still check out the Post Office before going inside. (The lot is generally empty when I'm there anyway.)
Driving - especially at night, and most especially in "the city" - I always try to leave a gap between the nose of my truck and the vehicle in front of me at a traffic light. I'm always scanning the area at traffic lights, and do my part in ensuring I'm not completely along side another car... I like to see "them" without them so easily seeing me.
In public, I always maintain a "bladed" defensive posture - but in a casual manner (e.g. in line at a check out lane). My strong-side elbow always hovers over my CC gun, so I do most transactions left-handed on purpose.
So much of this is just "second nature" from doing it so much, I'm aware that I'm doing these things and more, but "better safe than sorry" kind of mindset, you know?

The group or gang of trouble-makers - that would have to be completely situational. If they're directly in my path, say near my vehicle, I may consider watching and waiting while sizing them up. However, if I can easily navigate around them, I would without a second thought - though still watching my six. The "cop" in me still has to take a back seat to more sound reason and logic, because I'd otherwise walk right up making eye contact, "reading them" up and down and speaking very loudly and clearly directly to them... not always the wisest approach, though generally effective in sending a message.

How about you?

[MADnMO]

Originally Posted by AZSATT

Driving - especially at night, and most especially in "the city" - I always try to leave a gap between the nose of my truck and the vehicle in front of me at a traffic light. I'm always scanning the area at traffic lights, and do my part in ensuring I'm not completely along side another car... I like to see "them" without them so easily seeing me.

I always keep room between me and the car in front of me for maneuvering if need be.
I never pull along side another vehicle, always staggered.
I have a back-up camera in my truck which I can flip a switch and turn on anytime. Like when I pull up to an ATM.
I also never carry anything in my right hand.

It all becomes habit after awhile.

[Ektarr]

Good advice, all of it. I've always left room between me and the car in front at a stop, but because I have years of truck driving behind me and because it's a habit I cultivated after having been #2 in a 4-car collision. My "rule of thumb" is that I always stop still being able to see the the guy's tires in front of me.

Thanks for the tips. I'll be making adjustments in my day-to-day behavior.

[HK4U]

Lots of good advice. I arm my security system at night while sleeping. A gun is always near by both my wife and I when we are home. Usually if I have to go out side for some reason, especially at night, my hand gun goes with me. When I am goiing somewhere in my car or walking for that matter I usually have a back up gun.

[MikeVodka]

i do my best to stay out of bad places and situations. I will get gas at night on occasion but only armed with a combative mindset. I attend a community college here in AZ and can't have a gun in the car and parking off campus would involve walking about a mile, i find myself not making any stops on the way to or from school even if i have to back track.

on the flip side i do enjoy a pub crawl only these days i do it with a nasty lil folder.

As for the trouble makers, i think sometimes everything you do can't avoid a crappy situation and when that guy 3 feet away from you with his friends all around asks for your wallet, the pistol on your hip is going to seem like a million miles away. and when that pistol comes out it might just be an excursive in futility.

Also, without a wife or kids with me I consider the "run like hell" option as very viable.

I think the difference between the sheep and the sheepdog is that the sheepdog knows that every day when he goes to work that a drunk driver might kill him dead. the sheepdog accepts this risk and drives to work anyways, and the sheep thinks they will be fine no matter what.

[AZSATT]

[QUOTE=MikeVodka;83535]As for the trouble makers, i think sometimes everything you do can't avoid a crappy situation and when that guy 3 feet away from you with his friends all around asks for your wallet, the pistol on your hip is going to seem like a million miles away. and when that pistol comes out it might just be an excursive in futility.
/QUOTE]

That sucks about having to be unarmed at school in hours of darkness. You're right. Despite our best intentions to the contrary, sometimes we cannot control the how/when & where it goes down.

However, I'd encourage you to train for the BG with his BG buddies around you. Drawing from concealment and engagement multiple targets from less than 1' to 4 or 5' away is - in my estimation - the "standard" CCW training should entail. Doing so in short order (3 seconds or less) should be the goal.

Running like your @$$ is on fire is a viable knife-defense, at least until you create the time & space necessary to engage with deadly force. And you're right about the "sheepdog" mindset. Knowing and being prepared is huge when it comes to the proper mental mindset. Expecting and anticipating the level of violence in such a physical encounter, coupled with effective training so you're dishing out more than your share even before your gun 'clears leather' has to happen. It just has too - when you're up against multiple bad guys that intend to do you harm.

[KimberPB]

A lot of good answers and I do many of the same things you guys do. One thing I'll add is something, that a majority of the time, goes unseen and hopefully never needed. Training and practice.

Like all of you have said sometime bad situations just can not be avoided and if I happen to find myself in one I don't want to have to think but just react. You never know, one day that practice you put in shooting weak hand or from retention may just come in handy.

Lastly any of you guys ever play out different scenarios in your head when you’re sitting in a restaurant, in line at a store, ect?

[MADnMO]

Originally Posted by KimberPB

A lot of good answers and I do many of the same things you guys do. One thing I'll add is something, that a majority of the time, goes unseen and hopefully never needed. Training and practice.

Like all of you have said sometime bad situations just can not be avoided and if I happen to find myself in one I don't want to have to think but just react. You never know, one day that practice you put in shooting weak hand or from retention may just come in handy.

Lastly any of you guys ever play out different scenarios in your head when you’re sitting in a restaurant, in line at a store, ect?

Everywhere I go, especially when I am with my family I scope out how I am going to protect them if something happens. I thought I was probably a little weird for thinking that way.