Drawing Your Weapon Is Not Enough

Being armed for your own defense is only a good idea if you are prepared to use the weapon to defend yourself. Jogger attacked in Tampa neighborhood rescued by father, son

Click thru for the details on the attack that the father and son stopped. That isn't the lesson of the day.

"I carry a concealed weapon. I drew my weapon," Charles said. "I yelled at him, 'Get off of her! Get off of her! I'll shoot you!' And ultimately, he stopped hitting her."

While the jogger escaped at that moment, Charles became the new target.

"He came at me and I still had my gun drawn, pointed right at him, and told him to stop or I would shoot. But he kept coming," he said. "Unfortunately, I allowed him to get too close to me, at which point he hit me in the head. I stumbled backward, fell onto the sidewalk, hit my head on the sidewalk, and things got a little fuzzy at that point."

People have died from a fall where they hit their head on concrete. If he had been alone, he could have been disarmed and shot. This could have gone wrong in so many ways. You don't carry concealed unless you are willing to use the weapon. Otherwise you may be better off with some other form of defense, like pepper spray. Drawing a gun and not using it is tantamount to asking to have it taken away from you.

And once again, you are NOT protected by your zip code.

"No one can believe that this happened here," Charles said. "We can't believe this happened here. And hopefully, it never happens here again."

At least it all turned out OK, but wishful thinking, and treating a gun like a magic talisman is not the way to ensure your safety.