An Encounter at Wal-Mart

It seemed an eternity looking into the menacing, sneering face of the hoodlum who had began his approach from my rear. He sized up the man with the gun, a little girl behind him.

Wait a minute--I thought Norm Dicks said “Everyone knows when you have guns, bad things happen.”

I've had this encounter. In my case, the significant differences were:

It was dark and no other customers were around in the lot (it was an unplanned emergency stop).

Wife and infant child were both present.

There were more like eight hoodlums. At the time, it seemed like more.

I couldn't stick around and call it in to the police afterward. Guess why.

Which raises the question: Will you allow yourself or your family to be caught defenseless in a "gun free zone," which may include entire states that do not "permit" concealed carry?

Here's the most compelling and powerful part of this narrative, at least for me, and it comes not from the main post, but from an afterthought comment:

Funny it wasn't, I said, I was scared. She said, "I wasn't, I was with you."

As a father, I can tell you that is the kind of trust I will not betray.

Regardless of who thinks otherwise.

[Via 1894C]