What ifs are popular at work.

[festus]

I work with a lot of retired military and also a lot of civilians that have never served. This being said we what if each other on breaks. Some of the scenarios are quit tough. Here is an example.

You are in your car at a stop light. Next to you is a school bus full of small children. What if a thug tries to car jack you...positioning himself between the bus (in full view of the children) and your car. You cannot pull forward or back due to traffic.

Chew it over and let me know what you think.

[HK4U]

Well at least that close I am not likely to miss him.

[PascalFleischman]

Originally Posted by festus

I work with a lot of retired military and also a lot of civilians that have never served. This being said we what if each other on breaks. Some of the scenarios are quit tough. Here is an example.

You are in your car at a stop light. Next to you is a school bus full of small children. What if a thug tries to car jack you...positioning himself between the bus (in full view of the children) and your car. You cannot pull forward or back due to traffic.

Chew it over and let me know what you think.

School busses sit much higher than I do. I'd be worried about the car next to IT. That being said, I'd POOL ZEE TREEGOR OONTEEL EET GOOES "CLEEEEEEK"

[Cooter]

That is a good point. School buses are pretty high up there. But what if it was a mini-van full of kids instead?

[Red Hat]

If it's clear on my right I'd get out of the car and while he was getting in I'd double tap him. If the BG wanted me as a hostage I'd mover over in the passenger seat and hope he would drive. Once clear and I have a chance I'd empty my weapon in him. If the School bus had a lot of little children on it I'd rather let the BG drive off than traumatize them. I can get another vehicle. If he forces me to react, children or no children I'd have to react...

[rmarcustrucker]

depends...are we talking about a school bus full of kids like some of our inner cities? If they tried to take a hostage one of the "kids" might pull out a gun of their own and "gack" em'. Possibly the 3rd graders that threatened and brought weapons to kill their teacher would be on that bus.
Second, I drive a Jeep Wrangler and I'm pretty good about leaving myself an out at lights. I can also access my firearm from the seated position and he would be close enough that if my life where in danger I could shoot him.

[toreskha]

I'd either let him have the car and then get him, or pull the wheel to the right and make a quick escape.

I always watch for people hanging around intersections before stopping and I usually stop a good distance before I have to to give a good escape route. If someone approaches, or a car in front breaks down, or whatever, I want to have a generously sized piece of road to move around in.

If I'm coming up to a mostly abandoned intersection, esp at night, I slow down ahead of time so that the light will change before I get there. If that doesn't work, I stop about 20-30 feet ahead of time and then let the car roll slowly to make it a moving target.

If anyone approaches the car, I won't hesitate to (carefully) run the light or make an unplanned turn. This is especially the case at deserted intersections, where perps don't think twice about shooting you from 10-15 feet away, then dumping you out and taking your car, bullet holes and all.

[teknoid]

If he was between the bus and my car, I'd seriously consider a BG sandwich. I always leave room in front of my truck. I know it's "messy", but the insurance should cover the damage.

[Onlinedad]

why not get out of the car, let him get in, then with him being on the other side away from the bus, pull your piece and jack your car back. He should be distracted enough while getting in the car for you to get the drop on him. Also at this point you can take positive control of his weapon ending the situation without worrying about the children. Of course when you draw down on him if he wanted to try anything stupid like trying to get his weapon pointed back at you... well your weapon should be at just about his head level...so... boom... headshot

[joespahr]

In order for the perp to have positioned himself between the driver side of my car and the school bus, he had to have walked into the intersection at some point. I'm not one of those oblivious drivers and I pay close attention to what pedestrians are doing, especially at intersections when I'm not moving. So he approaches my car, but I'm waiting weapon in hand when he gets to the door. What happens next depends purely on the circumstances. If he's armed, I'm not going to wait-the presense of a weapon equals a deadly threat and we have stand your ground here in OK. Sorry kids-you probably see worse on TV anyway. If he doesn't have a weapon, I'll just let him know that he picked the wrong car and go along my way. I'll call the cops and let them deal with him.