20 Feb 01

This from a student who completed a Basic Defensive Handgun Course with us late last year:

"I'm the last one in the world one whom I thought would ever have to use the instruction I received. Happily, it worked!

Last week, my father and I were in a large metro area away from where we live. We were there to attend a funeral. We stopped at a 7-11 late in the evening on our way back to our hotel. We needed something to drink.

The 7-11 had locked their doors, but they had a walkthrough window. As I was waiting by the window for the clerk to get our soft drinks, two men walked up to the front door and tried to open it. It, of course, was locked, but they rattled it with great force. In their frustration, they started yelling with a threatening tone to the clerk to open the door so that they could use the ATM machine on the inside.

The clerk, of course, refused. They then turned to face me and demanded that I tell the clerk to open the door. I assumed the interview stance, made eye contact, and said, "I don't think I can help you, sir." They suddenly became quiet, looked at each other, and then abruptly left without saying another word.

I was not carrying a gun, but my posture alone was apparently enough to make them nervous.

As is usually the case, I'll never know what would have happened if I had done something else or had done nothing. In any event, we picked up our drinks and returned to our hotel without further incident. We never saw them again"

Lesson: The best way to win a war is by reputation. In poker, far more money changes hands due to bluffing than due to good cards!

/John