[RH77]

Originally Posted by Silveredwings

I don't know what makes the lives of me and my party extraneous. What word did you really mean here? Anecdotal?

"Unusual" is the word that best describes it.

And who said I carry? Did I?

Your implication was pretty strong when you stated,

I am now licensed to carry concealed large

First off, my point was that if I let the guy go in my circumstance, it wouldn't have escalated to the point that it did. My post was in defense to that rationale.

um...blink. blink... OK, in the heat of the moment after being forced into a ditch, I memorized his license plate and description as he sped away. I called the cops to let them handle it. Are you saying that was the right thing to do, but I was wrong to do it? I can't tell if you're just trying to be inflammatory of my ineffective response to a bad situation.

Sir, I'm in no way trying to be inflammatory. My response to you began after your name in the post. It was merely an inquiry as to how a gun would have helped in your situation. Honestly, I probably would have done the same thing. It's an unfortunate situation and I'm sorry it happened to you and your family.

Dude, I was driving a Miata, and had my step son with me. I had to get out of the car and walk to a phone. This was a "return to the scene" for the perp who had a truck and a Rottweiler and who knows what else, tried to run me over when he came back. I really don't think this has anything to do with a ****ing beemer.

Again, good information to have known the first time around. My point was safety over property and the use of a firearm. I used the vehicle in your garage as a reference.

If we're talking about hypotheticals, where he had threatened me with a gun...
if I had one available to me, I would have first, sought an escape route and used my cell phone (assuming I had one of those too) to call the cops such as they are. Failing that, I would have stalled for time as long as I thought was prudent considering the danger my party was in. Failing all that and remaining in imminent mortal danger, I would have aimed center mass and discharged a few rounds. Two, maybe three. No sweet talk. No reacharound. No shoot the pistol out of his hand. It's him or it's me. But the truth is that like the real situation, it's never that predictable or clear cut. That's why I don't carry. For all I know, his brother is syndicated. There's no walking away w/o some harm.

The feeling that "you're on your own," as the cop in my story told me, exacerbates the whole thing. Am I alone in seeing this?

Again, you are quoted to be licensed to carry. That elicited my reaction. It seems like a big misunderstanding on my part, and I apologize for the assumption. In this case you were indeed alone, and the Police negligent.

Exactly, great way to wrap it up. Unfortunately what makes both the

• tempers worse, and

• the dangers more real,

because of immediate helplessness on the part of victims and equally immediate impunity for the perps, is the perceived impotence of the cops, however anecdotal the facts may be.

This is where I have no apologies. What exactly happened before you were run off the road? Did the guy just drive up and knock you in a ditch, or was there some interaction beforehand? Before I get flamed for that question, read on...

I'll straight-out admit that I used to be a full-throttle road rager with a nasty temper. It was a real problem. As I finally saw that this was compromising the safety of those around me, I started to get it under control. Most of my readings have recommended to either ignore the other party, put your hands up in a gesture of apology (even though it may have clearly been their fault), or divert course. It's a real danger and it's not getting any better (and has to be getting worse for hypermilers).

Post after post in this thread, I see people retaliating for dirty looks, gestures, and performing dangerous maneuvers. This is the center of my argument. It's not easy, and requires self control. It's a shame that more people have not demonstrated that trait in this thread.

RH77