Approached by beggar at the gas pump

[QuietDan]

Very odd response at the gas pump yesterday in Smyrna. Was out and around with my Deacon from church on the way to a churchy event in Nashville. He's in his Roman Collar and I'm in a shirt and tie with my suit-jacket on the back seat. The Deacon's driving and I volunteered to pay for his gas. We stop for gas at Thornton's and I'm pumping.

I get approached from behind (I REALLY HATE THAT!) by a skinny-shifty-seedy fellow wanting a few bucks for gas and yadda-yadda . . . I turned toward him, take a step back to increase the distance, with the left hand gesturing out and away "No! NO! -- Don't come up to me at the gas-pumps!" He's fixin' to ramp up the beg, seeing as my companion looks like a soft-touch pastor or something, and as I turned around to him he sees my HCP-legal EMP inside the waistband (as I don't have my suit-jacket on). He stops talking mid-sentence, backing up and, really, fleeing to his vehicle. He must have thought I was the Deacon's body-guard or something.

I'm generally a CC HCP guy, my somewhat OC was an accident of a warm car that had my covering suit-jacket on the back seat instead of on and concealing my waist-banded pistol.

I don't usually get the "run away! run away!" reaction like that, me being such a sweet and gentle guy and all . . .

Edited March 2, 2012 by QuietDan

[Guest 6.8 AR]

That ploy has been used by people outside restaurants and gas pumps to get money.

Probably didn't even have a car. I have been approached like that and told them to look

elsewhere. I stayed around the area I was approached and saw the person get quite a

sum of money in a short while. Even though it could have been legitimate, I won't play.

Anyone walking up to you at a gas pump, ATM or restaurant asking for money should be

viewed as suspect. Don't play!

[Guest A10thunderbolt]

I quit giving money to the people at the 398 Exit off I-40, I gave this guy money after he said he had to go to his dads funeral and said he didn't have enough gas to get back home( He said he was going to chattanooga) He takes the money goes to his car and heads towards jefferson Co (the opposite Way).

[Erik88]

Impossible!! Many here will claim an openly carried pistol makes you a target!!!!

[Smith]

Anyone who doesn't have the ability to contact friends or family for help, is one who is a user and more than likely not to be trusted.

[Guest A10thunderbolt]

I figure, my money is better donated to those who may need it that are known by me or my friends Sick, Elderly, House burned....Ect

[Caster]

THIS, is the reason I pull back my shirt and switch to open carry when pumping gas.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Tis a shame its harder than ever to trust people nowadays. Alternately, maybe a shame I'm getting excessively paranoid in old age.

A few days ago, 11p at walmart, there were a couple of more-than-usual shady looking dudes hanging at walmart as far as I could tell neither entering, shopping, or leaving. Maybe some folks think I look shady. Maybe the dudes were just waiting for their walmart clerk wives or girlfriends to get off work and drive em home, for all I know.

Leaving, right outside a young lady asks if I had jumper cables. I honestly replied no, but didn't mention having a booster battery. If it had been daytime or if I hadn't just passed by a couple of odd ducks on the way out, would have been happy to jump off the gal's car. Just suspected maybe the young lady had something to do with the loitering dudes, and it could possibly have been a setup. 99.9 percent chance it was just a woman with a bad battery, but the 0.1 percent made it seem risky to be a good samaritan at that hour.

[QuietDan]

Tis a shame its harder than ever to trust people nowadays. Alternately, maybe a shame I'm getting excessively paranoid in old age.

A few days ago, 11p at walmart, there were a couple of more-than-usual shady looking dudes hanging at walmart as far as I could tell neither entering, shopping, or leaving. Maybe some folks think I look shady. Maybe the dudes were just waiting for their walmart clerk wives or girlfriends to get off work and drive em home, for all I know.

Leaving, right outside a young lady asks if I had jumper cables. I honestly replied no, but didn't mention having a booster battery. If it had been daytime or if I hadn't just passed by a couple of odd ducks on the way out, would have been happy to jump off the gal's car. Just suspected maybe the young lady had something to do with the loitering dudes, and it could possibly have been a setup. 99.9 percent chance it was just a woman with a bad battery, but the 0.1 percent made it seem risky to be a good samaritan at that hour.

Sounds like a good call on your part. Get your guard down talking to a "vulnerable" female and then get jumped by the shady jerks casing the Walmart parking lot. This ploy doesn't pass the smell test. If she actually needed a jump, I'm thinking the first folks to ask are the Walmart folks themselves. They'll take care of their legitimate customers.

[Fallguy]

When I pump gas I tend to turn around and put my back up against my truck...never really realized that till now. Have always tried to keep my head on a swivle.

Glad all went well.

But have to agree with Erik88, couldn't have been seeing your weapon that scared him off...we know from 1000s of post on here a visable weapon makes you a target, not a deterent.

[CQB Elite]

My two oldest daughters are Girl Scouts. They had a Troop at Home Depot here in Collierville that was doing a cookie sales booth. As they were closing up for the day a man approached and sat near them. He kept staring at their table. There was another guy sitting in a car with his cellphone to his ear but he wasn't talking on it. The Troop mom called her husband who got there a couple of minutes later. As soon as the husband showed up the first guy left on foot and the guy sitting in his car drove away.

I told my wife that her and my girls arn't working a booth unless it's my day off and me & Ed Brown are there.

[JAB]

I 'planned on' getting my HCP for several years. One thing that finally put me 'over the top' was having to stop for gas in Chattanooga one night. It just so happened that, just after I began pumping gas, a few car loads of 'less than savory' looking characters pulled in to the gas station parking lot and just seemed to be sort of milling around. The closest thing I had to a self defense tool, at the time, was my Case Sodbuster pocket knife. I stood there pumping gas with my weak hand while holding my open pocket knife, concealed by my leg, in my strong hand.

But have to agree with Erik88, couldn't have been seeing your weapon that scared him off...we know from 1000s of post on here a visable weapon makes you a target, not a deterent.

Well, just to play devil's advocate. the OP said that the shady character managed to sneak up on him. His account of events also indicated that the shady character did not see his (the OP's) handgun until after the OP was aware of the presence of the shady character. If the shady character did, in actuality, have bad intentions and saw the OP's openly carried handgun before the OP was aware the shady character had snuck up on him, the OP could have been posting a very different account. Specifically, he could have been recounting how he was pumping gas when a shady character snuck up behind him, took his openly carried firearm and used it to rob him and the deacon.

I'm not criticizing the OP - I have been known to open carry for similar reasons in similar circumstances. I am just pointing out that such scenarios could go either way. I know that some people say that open carry is an unnecessary risk while others consider it a deterrent. To my mind, both sides are potentially correct.

[Guest A10thunderbolt]

I agree both sides have valid arguments, I don't open carry though mainly just to avoid those LEO's that don't know the law and who wan't to be the only one's carrying. All it takes is one bad apple to cause you to have a really bad day.

[peejman]

I attended UTC for a few years and lived on campus. Coming across a beggar on campus was not uncommon, particularly on weekends. We quickly learned to travel in groups, safety in numbers. After a few encounters, our standard answer became... "we don't have any money (college students... duh), but we'll gladly get you something to eat from the cafeteria with our meal card if you're hungry."

My roommate and I were on our way back from lunch on a sunday and a guy actually took us up on the offer. I recall him being somewhat scruffy looking, but neither of us got any sort of bad vibe about the situation. He walked about a block with us back to the cafeteria. He sat on a bench outside, we went in and got him a big tray of food... burger, salad, fruit, pie, etc. We handed it to him, he thanked us and ate it right there.

[Caster]

My roommate and I were on our way back from lunch on a sunday and a guy actually took us up on the offer. I recall him being somewhat scruffy looking, but neither of us got any sort of bad vibe about the situation. He walked about a block with us back to the cafeteria. He sat on a bench outside, we went in and got him a big tray of food... burger, salad, fruit, pie, etc. We handed it to him, he thanked us and ate it right there.

That's cool. I never have a problem feeding people. I'l gladly buy anyone who's hungry a bite to eat with my last dollar.....but I won't give them a dime.

[C.lunn]

The point that made me want to get my HCP when I turned 21 was when I was 20 I was walking around Nashville one night and was on the shelby street bridge taking pics (by myself dumb I know) but I was approached asking for money. He told me he was going to be honest he wanted beer money. Not having anything on me that I could defend myself if he didnt believe me if I said no so i decided I'd joke with him to lighten the mood and asked what kind of beer bc I couldn't give him any money if he was going to buy a crappy beer. He laughed and said bud weiser. I said fine gave him $2. Normally I would not give money but I felt uneasy and knew I'd throw it away on something dumb anyways.

Then I got a job for comcast's collection agency and got hounded in the ghettos of Nashville all the time but refused everyone those times.

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

[Fallguy]

Well, just to play devil's advocate. the OP said that the shady character managed to sneak up on him. His account of events also indicated that the shady character did not see his (the OP's) handgun until after the OP was aware of the presence of the shady character. If the shady character did, in actuality, have bad intentions and saw the OP's openly carried handgun before the OP was aware the shady character had snuck up on him, the OP could have been posting a very different account. Specifically, he could have been recounting how he was pumping gas when a shady character snuck up behind him, took his openly carried firearm and used it to rob him and the deacon.

I'm not criticizing the OP - I have been known to open carry for similar reasons in similar circumstances. I am just pointing out that such scenarios could go either way. I know that some people say that open carry is an unnecessary risk while others consider it a deterrent. To my mind, both sides are potentially correct.

Are you saying the shady character didn't have bad intentions and just happened to back of after seing the handgun?

Perhaps.... of course if the OP had seen him sooner and/or the shady character seen the handgun sooner...there may not have even been a noticble encounter at all.

As you say there are valid points to be made on both sides and therefore should be up to the person.....but that is why it gets me a bit when it's posted the OC is bad period.

Sorry QuietDan...I am usually one that complains about when OC is mentioned (which I know you weren't doing per se) in a thread that it turns into a CC v OC debate....and now I have contributed to it. So I'm done with that aspect.

[Guest airborne1525]

Had something similar happen to me at Walmart. I posted on here if you want to go read, think the title is Today at Walmart.

[Guest airborne1525]

It's in handguns and self defense. Title is Knoxville Walmart Tonight.

Glad your sit turned out well for yourself and your brother in Christ. I shared what happened to me with my pastor and I stated, maybe the guy say my guardian angel beside me. My pastor who always seems to know how to make someone laugh stated, in the Bible, men fell to their knees in fear at the sight of an angel. Since the bad guy in my story turned and ran, he must have seen the angel of death pointing at him

[Mike]

A firm, not aggressive, but firm "Stop!, can I help you?" can help keep them from approaching as close. Keeping your head moving and looking around you is critical at places like these. You can ID and stop people before they get too close to you.

[QuietDan]

A firm, not aggressive, but firm "Stop!, can I help you?" can help keep them from approaching as close. Keeping your head moving and looking around you is critical at places like these. You can ID and stop people before they get too close to you.

Thank you, and yes! I observed him about 8-10 feet out, he got to about . . . 6 feet.Part of my scan was block by the pump and I had been talking to the Deacon.

When this happens, they get my 'no' and they don't get 'can I help you?' Their words change but the song remains the same. I had about a paragraph on don't give beggars money to drink with, but that song remains the same as well. I'll save it for another day.

[Oh Shoot]

Probably gonna see a lot more "beggars" at gas pumps going forward.

I may be one past $5/gallon!

- OS

[Guest ArmaDeFuego]

Anyone who doesn't have the ability to contact friends or family for help, is one who is a user and more than likely not to be trusted.

This is so true. I also love when they give me some sob story about how they are far away from home & have no money. I am always tempted to ask them "If you were low on money then why did you leave home?"

I would love to travel the country but I cant 'cause I gotta stay at home & WORK. I am a firm believer that 99.9% of the time the situation you find yourself in is of your own design. I hate how nowdays everyone feels like they are a victim & the situation they are in is a result of bad luck or something like that. NO, its a result of your own stupid choices. Oh, I'm sorry, you are broke & dont have any money? Well maybe you should have stayed in school or got a job & STAYED in it instead of showing up every day LATE & getting fired & then not having any good references to get another job with.........

Ok I'm gonna get off my soap box now before I get in trouble. I have seen bad things legitimately happen to people before, but like I said, the vast majority of the time it is as a result of their own decisions.....

[Links2k]

THIS, is the reason I pull back my shirt and switch to open carry when pumping gas.

That's the only way that I know how to pump gas. Back against the car and head on a swivel.

[Patton]

Semi-related story, One day I was with three friends and one of them said stop at this next store and let me get a can of dip. As we are pulling in I see the typical pan handler and told my friend," walk straight up to him and ask him for a dollar". So my friend goes straight up to the guy and ask. The bum had the most bizarre look on his face and said, "Buddy, I was getting ready to ask you the same thing". I have used this once myself and it throws them so off guard. I normally step back and throw my left hand up while reaching back with my right and say, "I can call a ON DUTY officer to come talk with you and thats all I can do". I look so much like a cop they say no man I don't need any trouble.