Bridgeport, Connecticut. Murder capital of New England. Three gang bangers approached me from a distance. I changed directions three times to avoid them. Each time, they changed direction to intercept me. They were getting off on it.
But you should have seen their faces when the role reversal occurred. As they got within striking distance, I stopped, stood my ground, thrust my hand into my pants pocket, and pulled my hand up so that the hammer of my Beretta rested just out-of-sight below the top of my front pants pocket.
All three sets of eyes immediately went straight to my hand. They stopped dead in their tracks. They did not know whether or not I had a handgun (I did). But the mere fact that I might have a handgun made them decide that they had other things to do. They crept around me and moved on to something -- or someone -- else.
The irony is that this incident happened while I walked through a security parking lot. I could have picked up a stone and hit the security office from where I stood. Those three punks could have cared less. Whatever they had planned was going to be quick and brutal. I might not be alive today if not for the presence of my Beretta.
The old saying is true: the police are still minutes away when seconds count. Always try to have a contingency plan in place -- even if it only involves tossing a decoy wallet at a mugger (filled with expired credit cards and a bit of currency) and running away.
But you should have seen their faces when the role reversal occurred. As they got within striking distance, I stopped, stood my ground, thrust my hand into my pants pocket, and pulled my hand up so that the hammer of my Beretta rested just out-of-sight below the top of my front pants pocket.
All three sets of eyes immediately went straight to my hand. They stopped dead in their tracks. They did not know whether or not I had a handgun (I did). But the mere fact that I might have a handgun made them decide that they had other things to do. They crept around me and moved on to something -- or someone -- else.
The irony is that this incident happened while I walked through a security parking lot. I could have picked up a stone and hit the security office from where I stood. Those three punks could have cared less. Whatever they had planned was going to be quick and brutal. I might not be alive today if not for the presence of my Beretta.
The old saying is true: the police are still minutes away when seconds count. Always try to have a contingency plan in place -- even if it only involves tossing a decoy wallet at a mugger (filled with expired credit cards and a bit of currency) and running away.