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SewTexas wrote:

Keith B wrote:

SewTexas wrote: Had I been carrying, he would have been the one scared!

Glad you weren't carrying. Just getting close to you in a parking lot, especially since he was going to the car beside you and it was daylight, would not have justified drawing on him. I would possibly have put my hand in a purse or on the handgun, but kept it hidden until there was evidence you were being threatened.

I'm not sure if it would have been justified or not, but if he had meant harm, even if I'd been carrying, I probably wouldn't be here to have posted. The guy was as quiet as Bat Man. And he had no business being inches away from a strange woman in a parking lot. For a few seconds, I was terrified.

Think of it as an educational opportunity.

First, always be aware of your surroundings, that way you don't get spooked.

Second, keep in mind that even a defensive display of a firearm can land you in prison if you cannot demonstrate an actual realistic fear of grave bodily harm.

The bar isn't what you feel is justified, it is what you can convince a jury of your peers is justified.

We cannot even demonstrate the threat of deadly force unless the criteria for the use of deadly force are met.

RicoTX wrote:I usually say hello before I get too close in that situation, even more so if it's a woman. I will also wait until they get in their car or whatever...unless they are taking forever...then I just say hi and get in my truck lol.

Good advice. If you let people know you are there and do so in a friendly manner it can lower everyone's blood pressure and prevent a situation from unnecessarily escalating.

SewTexas wrote:

Keith B wrote:

SewTexas wrote: Had I been carrying, he would have been the one scared!

Glad you weren't carrying. Just getting close to you in a parking lot, especially since he was going to the car beside you and it was daylight, would not have justified drawing on him. I would possibly have put my hand in a purse or on the handgun, but kept it hidden until there was evidence you were being threatened.

I'm not sure if it would have been justified or not, but if he had meant harm, even if I'd been carrying, I probably wouldn't be here to have posted. The guy was as quiet as Bat Man. And he had no business being inches away from a strange woman in a parking lot. For a few seconds, I was terrified.

It's a good thing you were not carrying because had you even flashed your weapon much less drawn it you'd be in serious trouble.

There was no immediate threat of grave bodily harm or death in that situation, he was acting lawfully in a place you both were lawfully.

Parking lots are crowded, they've intentionally designed them to get the maximum number of vehicles on the lot thus leaving minimal space between them.

Your only choice here is to have better situational awareness in the future when you are in parking lots. At a minimum take a look around you ever few seconds rather than getting fixated on the task at hand.