I just got back from vacation today and thought you I'd share my experience during a stop in Montgomery Alabama.
My family, ( 5yr old girl, 4yr old girl, and a 1yr old boy, and wife).
We were traveling down to Gulf Shores Alabama when my 4 yr old decided she had to "pee" and BAD, so I took the next exit I could find.
When I got off the exit I wheeled it into the closest gas station I could find.......As I was helping my wife unload the girls, (both had to go now) I realized we were being watched by pretty much the whole gas station.
After my wife hustled the kids into the station I closed the door to my van and decided to smoke a cigarette, that is when I noticed a man near the rear passenger side of my van, I casually walked to the front passenger side crossing across the front to see what he was doing.
That is when I saw his gun poking out of the front of his pants for the world to see, I was kind of shocked, about his appearance , and his preferred carry method, but hey I thought "different area, different culture, whatever."
He knew I was looking at him out of the corner of my eye, and I was also watching for my wife and kids to come out of the station............
As this is happening, another car pulls up next to my passenger side of my van one space over and the guy walks up on the gas station side walk passing me and proceeds to stare me down and mumble something in a thick southern accent ,the other car has only 1 guy in it..................as soon as that guy opens his door, the guy with the gun blocks him from getting out and PULLS HIS GUN.
Now this is where I will tell you I started shaking like a leaf......nothing else mattered......I didn't want to pull my gun and save the day....I went from being somewhat aware of my situation to totally scared....All I wanted is for my wife and kids to get in so I could get them out of that situation......and by the way my 1 yr old is in the van.....
As he pulls his gun 2 of his buddies pop out from behind the building and start saying something....one looked at me and said something to the one with the gun and when he looked over at me that is when I actually moved my shirt and put my hand on my gun..........I was behind the front drivers fender and they could not see, but I failed to realize that all the other people including the ones inside the station could.....
At this time my wife pops out of the station with my little ones running up to the car, my wife can see by my face that all is not well, I tell her to put the kids in the car, as she was doing so the guy being "held up" throws his car into reverse and makes a break for it..
As he is making a break for it I push my wife in the door with my kids, shut it, I jump in put my gun on my lap and proceeded to bust ass out of the lot.......
I could not stop from shaking, and it made me realize, that whatever you think you might do, how well you think you are prepared, you don't know how you are going to react until you are in that situation.....
All I wanted to do was RUN from that situation just to get my kids outta there.......It was a truly humbling experience.
By the way my wife said everyone in the store was watching "something" out in the parking lot but no one was calling the cops......and neither did anyone pumping gas.. they all just watched.
My family, ( 5yr old girl, 4yr old girl, and a 1yr old boy, and wife).
We were traveling down to Gulf Shores Alabama when my 4 yr old decided she had to "pee" and BAD, so I took the next exit I could find.
When I got off the exit I wheeled it into the closest gas station I could find.......As I was helping my wife unload the girls, (both had to go now) I realized we were being watched by pretty much the whole gas station.
After my wife hustled the kids into the station I closed the door to my van and decided to smoke a cigarette, that is when I noticed a man near the rear passenger side of my van, I casually walked to the front passenger side crossing across the front to see what he was doing.
That is when I saw his gun poking out of the front of his pants for the world to see, I was kind of shocked, about his appearance , and his preferred carry method, but hey I thought "different area, different culture, whatever."
He knew I was looking at him out of the corner of my eye, and I was also watching for my wife and kids to come out of the station............
As this is happening, another car pulls up next to my passenger side of my van one space over and the guy walks up on the gas station side walk passing me and proceeds to stare me down and mumble something in a thick southern accent ,the other car has only 1 guy in it..................as soon as that guy opens his door, the guy with the gun blocks him from getting out and PULLS HIS GUN.
Now this is where I will tell you I started shaking like a leaf......nothing else mattered......I didn't want to pull my gun and save the day....I went from being somewhat aware of my situation to totally scared....All I wanted is for my wife and kids to get in so I could get them out of that situation......and by the way my 1 yr old is in the van.....
As he pulls his gun 2 of his buddies pop out from behind the building and start saying something....one looked at me and said something to the one with the gun and when he looked over at me that is when I actually moved my shirt and put my hand on my gun..........I was behind the front drivers fender and they could not see, but I failed to realize that all the other people including the ones inside the station could.....
At this time my wife pops out of the station with my little ones running up to the car, my wife can see by my face that all is not well, I tell her to put the kids in the car, as she was doing so the guy being "held up" throws his car into reverse and makes a break for it..
As he is making a break for it I push my wife in the door with my kids, shut it, I jump in put my gun on my lap and proceeded to bust ass out of the lot.......
I could not stop from shaking, and it made me realize, that whatever you think you might do, how well you think you are prepared, you don't know how you are going to react until you are in that situation.....
All I wanted to do was RUN from that situation just to get my kids outta there.......It was a truly humbling experience.
By the way my wife said everyone in the store was watching "something" out in the parking lot but no one was calling the cops......and neither did anyone pumping gas.. they all just watched.