depicts your assuming to much. So let me get this straight, if you had OC instead of deescalating a situation you would have got into a confrontation with the guy? Thats smart, and your giving me advice? OC is not the end all be all and if your carrying it for all the "other" scenarios your asking for trouble. In my opinion it doesn't work unless you have a static target letting you shoot them square in the face otherwise it just pisses them off.
But to each his own. If I ever have to use my firearm I would rather be able to say "I had no other choice" then "well I was carrying spray but decided to jump a few steps up the Force Continuum without trying other options" Remember what may seem so clear cut to you in a case of self-defense, may not be,to an overzealous DA. Why give them the wiggle room?
joehaus, I assume nothing. I never said instead of deescalating I would have gotten into a confrontation with the guy. I said I had three choices,
ignore, fight or shoot, and I liked having a 4th choice,
OC spray.
I also said this driver came at me and my wife, and that I watched to make sure he went away.
I deliberately stayed out of his way and made sure there was no follow up.
That's about as much deescalation as you can get.
I have been in some situations though where a conflict became inevitable, through no fault of my own. On one occasion, I used some of my martial arts training in defense of a neighbor being beat up by more than a dozen thugs in our neighborhood. One punk tried to hit me with something metal in his fist. I took him down with an ogoshi, and put a heavy thumb into his Adams apple until my son pulled me off him, and he left choking and coughing. I would have preferred to use OC in that same situation, as it would have prevented me from ending up on the ground choking the fool. It made me a pretty good target to get kicked while I was on the ground. With OC, he still would have left coughing and choking, but I'd have been on my feet and better able to respond to several other slimeballs who were still kicking my neighbor. In my takedown, I also lost my glasses, which was a definite disadvantage to me.
You're right, OC is not the end all, all in one tool. But once I had this particular fool on the ground I'm pretty sure I could have sprayed his face pretty good, and stood up and helped my neighbor get out from under several thugs who were wailing on him. It took more than an hour for police to respond to the call for help.
If I ever had to go to court because someone got shot, I'd rather be able to say, I had the option of using less lethal force. I was prepared to NOT shoot or fight the scumbag. If in fact I was forced to, on the "Continuum of force", use a firearm when deescalation, Command Voice, OC spray all failed, I think that is a better defense than going right to a firearm because that is the only self defense weapon you have.
Ever hear the old saw about when all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail? Well if all you have is a gun, you really limit your choices.
Now I can't carry an ASP like a LEO, and while I'm pretty confident in my ability to handle myself, at least enough to "get away", I can and do carry OC at all times. It's another option.
By the way, in your first post, you never mentioned "deescalating" the confrontation, you just said you would rather have just a gun and not have to worry in such a stressful situation about having to use OC, "while I was off duty."
You know, you can go to the academy, and you can wear a badge and uniform, but that doesn't mean you are the expert in self defense or personal protection. I have a tad of experience myself, and outside the military I have never had to shoot at anyone. Don't fool yourself into thinking you know it all just because you wear a blue or black shirt. There are some "non-Leo's" who have a pretty good handle on how to handle themselves, and Big Daddy and I are two of them. There are many more on this forum, both LEO and military and regular citizens. There are several here I'd gladly stand back to back with in a tough situation, rather than with some wannabe who thinks they know it all.
I see you decided to challenge my answer rather than Big Daddy45... good choice. Maybe you're not as foolish as you make yourself sound. Keep working on that thought process and you might get to get your pension some day.
In the meantime, maybe you better understand who you are talking to on this forum before you continue to let your mouth make promises your not likely to be able to keep.
Welcome to the forum. Always nice to have a new person, especially one who brings so much info to us, untrained, unwashed masses.