Anger at the Intersection: Should I Shoot?
Please note that we are NOT the original writers of this blog post. All credit goes to the original writers. Find the original post as published at this link: https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/blog/anger-at-the-intersection-should-i-shoot/
You can use your car to”clear some room,” but remember: This may be considered using deadly force and, if you must ram another vehicle to make your escape, you might damage your vehicle to the point it is no longer drivable. That not only restricts your escape options but also could provoke even greater anger on your attacker. If you must push another vehicle with yours, then slowly make contact, then hit gas. This will reduce the initial effect (which could set off your airbag system).
If, while reading this, you’re thinking of getting from the vehicle to either talk to this guy or participate in a hands on fight, please think again. There is no telling what he is capable of doing, and facing a man wielding a hammer is not how you want to end a long day. Your car gives you a degree of protection. The attacker will need to smash the windows and unlock the doors to get at you, and the confined space of the vehicle takes away some of his advantage. But do not get me wrong: Staying put in your car doesn’t ensure your safety. You’re still in grave danger. But you would increase that threat in the event that you got out of your car.
Once you have the gun into play, can you get the sights on target? Based on where the attacker is standing, you might have real trouble even getting the gun pointed correctly. There is a reason most police officers never move forward of the”B” article during a traffic stop. (For those not familiar, the”A” post is at the edge of the windshield. The”B” post is in the rear edge of the forwardmost door. The”C” post is at the edge of the rear window and, in the case of station wagons, the”D” post is in the rear of the cargo area.)
The article Anger at the Intersection: Should I Shoot? Appeared first on USCCA.
Being attacked by a madman as you sit in your vehicle is a chilling proposal and one you must handle correctly if you want to survive. And once the battle is over, you’ve got the legal wake to manage.
For those who have ever seen a road-rage episode, this is something you should consider long before it ever happens.
You have also got to consider what it is like to take a gun within an enclosed vehicle without hearing protection. You will very likely be shooting through glass. Unless you’re wearing sunglasses, you’ll be doing this without eye protection. The sound and pressure of shooting from inside a vehicle is intense. I’ve only ever done it with hearing protection, and it was still enough to be disconcerting the first couple of times. Add to that the exploding glass that includes shooting through a tempered side window, and you have added a level of distraction and danger above and beyond that of the incident unfolding around you. This actually is a desperate and dangerous situation on several levels.
The 1 thing we’ve not addressed to this point is that the call to 911. It should be a given that you reach for your phone and dial the emergency number as soon as you can. At the minimum, dial 911 and set the phone down on the floor of the car and shout to the dispatcher as much information as you can while quickly considering your options. Shout out just what is happening and where you are. Shout at the attacker and let him stop. All of that will get recorded by the emergency dispatch system and should help in your legal defense. Make the call to 911 when you can.
Within seconds of the impact, you’re startled by the sound of something hitting the roof of your vehicle. There, standing by your door, is the driver of the Nissan. He is bashing the top of your car with some type of object as he yells obscenities about how you apparently cut him off on the highway earlier. He is demanding that you get out of the car, yelling about your driving abilities, your mom and how he can not believe you got a license.
Let us first look at your escape options. Can you drive away? In case you have paid attention to your environment, you should have left an”escape option” in front of you. In bumper-to-bumper traffic, you must always try to leave at least a half of a car length of open space in front of you when you come to a stop sign or traffic sign. This space will, in some cases, allow you to drive away from trouble if you want to. If, in heavy traffic, you pull up behind the car stopped in front of you, you have no room to maneuver if you need to escape. With a half a car length of open space in front of you, you can turn the wheels and get your car moving, even if you have to go down in the ditch or up on the sidewalk to break free from danger.
Should You Draw Your Gun?
As he bashes the surface of your car yet another time, you clearly hear that the guy holler,”I will kill you!” Those words are followed by another crashing blow on the roof, but this time you look up to see that the claws of a framing hammer have penetrated the roof of your vehicle and that the guy is struggling to free the hammer for another swing. He shouts,”I’ll drag your dumb ass outta this car and teach you how you can drive!”
One driver, seeing your plight, begins to make room for you to merge, but the guy behind him moves in to close the gap. You try to move up, but traffic won’t allow it. Merging becomes a game of cat-and-mouse. You finally see a tiny gap and deftly swoop into the right lane just in time to make your exit. As you roll down the off-ramp, you hear the blaring of a car horn behind you and can see in your mirror the driver of a black Nissan waving his arms as he repeatedly blasts his horn and yells finger gestures your way. He is ignored by you.
In certain states, the Castle Doctrine applies and lets you respond with deadly force if you’re inside your vehicle and someone tries to gain entry. But using deadly force should always be the last option.
Shooting From a Vehicle
If your attacker stays at or behind the”B” article, you will have a very difficult time bringing your gun to bear. A right-handed shooter will have to draw, turn and fire over his right shoulder. And, of course, the article provides some cover. Staying at the”B” article makes target acquisition very tough to get someone seated in the driver’s seat.
Where do you take your gun? Can you access it from the seated position? Have you ever trained with this eventuality? Can you safely draw the gun and bring it to bear on your attacker without sweeping the muzzle across your body?
This is a very serious and rapidly evolving situation. Clearly, the weapon that the attacker has chosen could kill you or cause you great bodily harm. He’s already driven it through the roof of your vehicle. This activity alone can be utilized to show his intent, but the words he has uttered clearly show that he intends to kill you. Right now, no one can argue that you are in grave danger.
Do you have a duty to retreat, or can you use deadly force to stop this assault? Even if you have a duty to retreat, do you have the capacity? From a tactical standpoint, can you access your gun, get on target and fire? What will happen if you do?
Your Self-Defense Options:
- Get out of the car and fight
- Drive off
- Pull your gun and shoot through the window
- Call 911 right away
Things to Consider Before You Act in Self-Defense
Ahead of you, a motorist attempts to rush through the intersection, but circumstances conspire against him and the rest of the drivers this afternoon. Tires squeal, and the noises of fenders being crushed and glass breaking fill the air as two vehicles collide several car lengths ahead of you. You know you will be stuck at this off-ramp for a while.
How Road Rage Starts
Don’t Ditch Your Automobile!
It’s been a long day at work, and traffic on your commute home is not making your day any easier. You flip on your turn signal and glance over your shoulder, only to see there’s no real gap in the seemingly endless string of cars and trucks.
If you are able to drive away, you should drive away. This situation is dangerous and volatile.
A Deadly Threat Emerges…
Executive Editor of Concealed Carry Magazine Kevin Michalowski is a USCCA and NRA Certified Trainer. He’s attended training as both teacher and student in multiple disciplines, including pistol, rifle, shotgun, empty-hand defense and rapid reaction to the active shooter. Kevin is also a accredited law enforcement officer in Wisconsin.
If you shoot this man, you’ll be required to verify that you reasonably believed that he introduced an imminent deadly threat, that he had the means and intent to carry out his threat and that you had no other option but to use deadly force. If the Castle Doctrine in your state carries over to busy vehicles, that may provide some help on your defense, but — even if it does — you will likely still have to show you had no other alternatives.
What would you do?
If you decide to draw your gun and engage your attacker with defensive gunfire, you’ll be bringing an entirely new set of”what if? /what now?” Questions into the table, the first of which is access and engagement.
But this presents another strategic problem for you. If you pull your gun and issue a verbal challenge, you may give the attacker the chance to shed his hammer and reach for a gun of his own. His doing so obviously escalates the situation to one that requires defensive gunfire on your part, but that puts you in even more danger. The last place you want to be if somebody is shooting at you is trapped in a car. If your attacker starts shooting, you will need to get out the far side of the vehicle as quickly as you can.