Was I wrong? Would I have been wronger? Uh... more wrong...

[Steelharp]

Today my son-in-law calls after church. He is broke down on the side of the road with his van full of my grandkids. (Out of gas; gauge doesn't work, and it fooled him.)

 

He was on a stretch on Gallatin Rd near Gallatin where the shoulder is about as wide as the vehicle. I came and parked behind him, my wife comes along with a gas can about 20 minutes later. Now, he has to stand on the white line to put the gas in, so he's practically in traffic. I stand behind his van a little ways, waving cars over in to the left lane while he puts gas in.

 

Everything is going ok, people are politely getting over... then, this one asshole in a pretty big white pickup hauling an empty wire mesh trailer starts coming. No traffic in the left lane, plenty of room for him to get over. Instead, he starts bearing down on me, honks his horn, flying, and flips me off as he passes me!! Jerk!

 

1) Was I wrong to alert the traffic and get them to move over?

2) Yes, I was carrying. If I had presented it, would that have been more wrong?

[DaveS]

Getting traffic to move over was right. NOT presenting your gun was the right thing to do too. Your grandkids were there and no reason to esculate the morons pi**y mood. You did right. You walked away the winner, as he already prooved he was a losser!

 

Dave

[quesogrande]

Presentation can be considered, Aggravated Assault.

 

I relative of a friend of mine was charge with this because.  While driving an the A-hole behind,  he held his side arm up in the back window, it was aimed in the air. 

 

btw- a tag number and a call might have gotten the "pretty big white truck"  driver in trouble. I vehicle can be a weapon too, a 3000 lbs one.

 

KEEP CLAM CARRY ON  -- good job

Edited June 30, 2013 by quesogrande

[dats82]

Should've shot his tires out; that's the way it's done in the movies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm kidding obviously.  Pulling a gun would have only made things worse.  Is he an asshole because he did not merge?  Yes.  Would you have been an asshole for pulling your gun and making the situation worse?  Yes.  Of course this is just my internet expert opinion.  :)

[Spiffy]

Pray for your enemies my brother.................I pray they walk out in front of a bus.  Maybe this will work for you too.

[RED333]

Good job all the way around Harp.

[rugerla1]

You did the right thing as stated by everyone else. Had you not been flagging traffic around and just stood there doing nothing and this $&#!head hit your son-in-law? You can bet he would have said "Well it would have helped if someone was flagging us around!". Some people are just pricks, and you saw a big one today. Glad nobody was hurt.

[Grand Torino]

Obviously the guy was a dick. It's not your fault some asshole can't cut a guy a break. And by the way....never draw that gun unless you feel the need to use it....just sayin'.

[NashvilleStage]

I think you were being polite & prudent in waiving traffic over, and wise in not drawing your firearm. As others have mentioned, that could have made things worse, either opening you up to the possibility of assault charges (even if false) or escalating the situation if the driver decided to get out & be confrontational. Theoretically speaking, it probably wouldn't have done any good regardless. Even if it was beyond the shadow of a doubt & 100% provable in court that the vehicle was going to hit you, and you justifiably shot the driver, the truck probably still would have hit you.

 

In hindsight, my idea would be to park the rescuing vehicle behind the stranded vehicle, but out in the lane enough to create a shield between you & oncoming traffic while refueling. A vehicle is much easier to see from a distance than a person, and in the worst case scenario would buffer a crash from the rear. You could still help direct traffic down the remaining open lane from the sheltered location. My .02. :)

Edited July 1, 2013 by NashvilleStage

[vontar]

1) Was I wrong to alert the traffic and get them to move over?

 

I don't see an issue with that.  I have flagged traffic around disabled vehicles until police arrived.  Officer only told me they had it and I could move.

Even a red cross instructor said what I done was right.

 

2) Yes, I was carrying. If I had presented it, would that have been more wrong?

 

Yes, that would have been wrong.

[peejman]

What they said, you did the right thing. Had you been in Knoxville, I bet I'd know the guy driving the truck. I have a friend that would probably do the same thing. He's a good guy as long as he's not behind the wheel. He can be a real arse when driving.

[Sam1]

Why would you even think of displaying? The two times people should ever see your junk is if your shirt becomes untucked on accident or you have to stop a threat. Although an asshole may anger you, it doesn't warrant the insinuation of a threat.

If it escalated to a situation that required a discharge, the defense that the guy honked and flipped you off, isn't gonna get much off the sentence. Edited July 1, 2013 by Sam1

[Steelharp]

Why would you even think of displaying? The two times people should ever see your junk is if your shirt becomes untucked on accident or you have to stop a threat. Although an asshole may anger you, it doesn't warrant the insinuation of a threat.

If it escalated to a situation that required a discharge, the defense that the guy honked and flipped you off, isn't gonna get much off the sentence.

Perhaps I didn't make it clear enough when I said, "he starts bearing down on me..." He was HEADING for me. I THINK that's perceived as an actual threat. Had he continued his course, he WOULD have struck me.

 

At any rate, thanks guys. I figured I did the right thing by not panicking. It was just a situation, and I wanted input from guys like y'all that know way more than I do. I'm glad I was NOT wrong in being a traffic director, and I was also NOT wrong by staying calm and not unholstering.

[RichardR]

What!?! No warning shot!? VP Biden would be so very displeased with you ...

[Guest PapaB]

Here's something I'd suggest in a case like yours and in road rage situations. Have your cell phone ready for taking video (if it can) or to take some photo's. When something happens, as with the a-hole you described, get video or pictures of their actions. Get the tag number and call the police with the info. The same should be done with a road rage aggressor. Video or pictures are a great way to document what happened and protect yourself. I don't mean stick it in their face and taunt them, just quietly document their actions.

 

Putting your vehicle into traffic slightly, as someone suggested, could have been a deadly mistake. A semi in the right lane, if it had been unable to move over due to traffic, could have driven your car into the van causing serious harm or death to all present. You handled things the right way.

[Glock30]

I think you did fine. Alerting traffic was for the good of all parties involved.

 

No need to present in that situation. It would have taken things to a whole 'nother level. If you had a picture of his license plates and/or video of the incident, it would perhaps be worth a phone call to the cops.

Edited July 1, 2013 by Glock30

[Spots]

Sounds limr you handled it well. As a side note, and I am not condoning this at all, always park close enough that your door will reach far into the lane when shielding another car. I may have a.... friend who once opened a drivers door and headed around the hood on an asshole who did the same thing, like he was gonna run them over. He didnt swerve in time. His insurance bought the door back and I have a feeling he never did that shit again.

sent from the backwoods

[tnguy]

If there was any way you could have moved the van over a little, that would have probably been a good thing too. But everything turned out OK so that's all you can hope for. Sometimes you just have to put crap behind you.

[Pcdokk]

You did the right thing alerting oncoming traffic and watching out for the people on the side of the road. You also did the right thing NOT drawing your weapon you could have been charged with aggravated assault as others have mentioned. Keeping your cool was the right thing to do and acting as a responsible concealed carry individual furthers the cause. Like others have said I probably would have written down the license plate number of the a@@h%^e and called the cops. Just sayin... :up:

[PC7]

I will offer my opinion of this situation, since you asked, as tactfully as I can.

Let me see if I understand this correctly-
you were standing on or near a major road and when a vehicle came down this road, you felt like you may need to draw your weapon and shoot and kill the driver of said vehicle?

With all due respect, I think you need to reevaluate your carrying of a firearm for defense.
Or at the very least, reeducate yourself on the laws regarding the use of deadly force.

[Steelharp]

I will offer my opinion of this situation, since you asked, as tactfully as I can.

Let me see if I understand this correctly-
you were standing on or near a major road and when a vehicle came down this road, you felt like you may need to draw your weapon and shoot and kill the driver of said vehicle?

With all due respect, I think you need to reevaluate your carrying of a firearm for defense.
Or at the very least, reeducate yourself on the laws regarding the use of deadly force.

Let me try to say THIS as tactfully as I can; have you read any of the other replies?? Did you even comprehend the question as I stated it to begin with??

 

NOWHERE did I pull a redneck, "Yeah, I was gonna draw down on that dum sumbitch, but I figgered I'd just stand thar and see how close he could git afore I gunned him down."

 

You, sir, need to (actually) READ the original post, understand it, and then make an intelligent reply.

 

I know that a vehicle CAN be used as a deadly weapon. Had it been used in that way, I could have drawn. It was not, I did not, and I simply asked for clarification as to if I was correct or incorrect in waving traffic aside, and if threatened, would that have been grounds to present.

[PC7]

Let me try to say THIS as tactfully as I can; have you read any of the other replies?? Did you even comprehend the question as I stated it to begin with??
 
NOWHERE did I pull a redneck, "Yeah, I was gonna draw down on that dum sumbitch, but I figgered I'd just stand thar and see how close he could git afore I gunned him down."
 
You, sir, need to (actually) READ the original post, understand it, and then make an intelligent reply.
 
I know that a vehicle CAN be used as a deadly weapon. Had it been used in that way, I could have drawn. It was not, I did not, and I simply asked for clarification as to if I was correct or incorrect in waving traffic aside, and if threatened, would that have been grounds to present.

If a weapon is “presented” it is to use deadly force, and nothing less.

It was my understanding that you were asking if it was wrong or right to use deadly force (“Yes, I was carrying. If I had presented it, would that have been more wrong?”) against the driver of a vehicle coming down a road. Is this not correct? Please clarify if not.

Yes, a vehicle can be a deadly weapon, but using deadly force against a vehicle on a major road because that vehicle didn’t move over into the other lane is going to be a hard sell. Should have the driver moved over? Of course they should, if they are able. But not doing so, in my opinion, does not warrant deadly force if you are standing in a major thoroughfare.

You state “He was HEADING for me.” I assume you were in the road? Then of course he would be heading for you. By this logic, what if a person was to stand in a lane on the interstate? You would have vehicles “heading” strait for you. Would it justifiable deadly force to shoot at vehicles if they didn’t move into the other lane?

Yes, I read the other replies; most said it would be wrong to draw your weapon, and one mentioned it would be aggravated assault. Edited July 3, 2013 by PC7

[Steelharp]

Ok, that's a bit clearer. I was on the side of the road, NOT out in the lane of traffic. This guy pointed his truck toward me, at the shoulder. He then veered back into the traffic lane, and when he got up to me, blared the horn and flipped me off. Perhaps I wasn't clear about the details.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

I think you did fine Steelharp. Just wanted to suggest the most proper grammatical construction-- "It ud done been even more wronger." :)

Edited July 3, 2013 by Lester Weevils