Single or double action? Opinions wanted.

[Nolacopusmc]

Am I the only one on here that wouldn't wait for LE if it was thought that a BG was inside my friend's house and his wife was inside? Who cares if she was "in the bathroom" or another assumed safe place? I couldn't live with myself if she died because I waited outside for the cops.

Obviously you are not....please refer to post #1.

Also, there is a difference between thinking a bad guy is in the house, and checking your house when you are pretty sure know one is there and then posting what a ninja you are. Not sure about this one just yet.

If it was my wife, yeah, my mom, yeah, my fiends wife? He may have to go in on his own. Seriously think about the ramification of your actions from more than just an internet chat level.

I totally understand what you are saying about if she dies, but what if...
1. She is in there with a lover
2. She arms herself and charges you out of fear or stupidity
3. You have negligent discharge because you are stressed and trip, fall, shoot at a shadow, etc.....and yes, it happens.
4. Shoot the bad guy and save the day, thus incurring the jail-time, lawsuits, and personal stress that comes with that situation while your friend and his wife live happily ever after. Are you really ready to put YOUR FAMILY through the repercussions of that while you are in prison or out of work because you were fired due to the media attention or "inability to do your job to standards" because of the stress?

I have a very simple rule I teach in my class when it comes to jumping into these types of situations as a "third party", meaning the force or violence is not happening to your or your immediate family......

"If I would die for you, I would kill for you"

If you would literally step in front of a bullet or go to prison for that person, and thus put your family through all the emotional, financial, and physiological stress that comes with that, then do it. Otherwise, get to safety by any legal means necessary, and call 911. Unless you live in the sticks, the police will be there in a relative small amount of time.

Obviously if someone is inside being raped or killed, that is a completely different scenario, but your typical bump in the night, which is what we have in the OP....call 911. Furthermore, as the "wife" in the OP demonstrated, a better understanding and "plan" of what to do, like get out the house, in these types of situations goes a long way into not making the situations worse.

Each scenario of course is a separate incident and your actions must be based on all known factors at that time, but as a GENERAL rule, you do not go looking for the bad guy.


ETA to Schnugee....

1. Were the gun and wife in same house?

2. If the wife were not in the house, would you have went in and still "swept" the house? Honestly?


Thanks

 

[Nolacopusmc]

It sounded to me like the OP went into his apartment and retrieved his gun then went up to his friend's apartment to extract the girl. Maybe I read it wrong?

Maybe so, I was under the impression the apartment and friend were in the same house

 

[spanky]

Maybe so, I was under the impression the apartment and friend were in the same house

Since the OP referred to "property management staff," I believe it was reasonable to assume that the OP and his friend live in the same apartment complex, thus him retrieving his weapon from his apartment then proceeding to his friend's.

 

[spanky]

After reading it a few more times, I think you're right. Looks like they are in the same apartment.

 

[Nolacopusmc]

Since the OP referred to "property management staff," I believe it was reasonable to assume that the OP and his friend live in the same apartment complex, thus him retrieving his weapon from his apartment then proceeding to his friend's.

Gotcha.

Background - after a particularly trying afternoon at work, I get a call from my friend & roommate's wife.

i took it to mean, since he referred to his friend as his roommate' that they all three lived in the same apartment.

Hopefully he will clarify.

If it indeed was the same apartment as the gun, there is the whole "running through the threat area" to get the gun aspect to consider. i think most here would have the gun on them or a second, third, or fourth gun in the vehicle or woodshed. LOL

 

[jmcrawf1]

Since the OP referred to "property management staff," I believe it was reasonable to assume that the OP and his friend live in the same apartment complex, thus him retrieving his weapon from his apartment then proceeding to his friend's.

Makes more sense than running to the bedroom and racking in a round then coming out to look for bad guys.

 

[spanky]

Yeah.

 

[Guate_shooter]

Sorry guys but this is very confusing, he said

"I arrive home, rush up the stairs to the door, and see one of the ladies from the office outside the apartment. I identify myself, produce my key and unlock the front door. I enter and proceed directly to my room, and my Taurus PT99. On a daily basis, the weapon stays near my bed, rounds in the magazine but not in chamber, safety engaged. I disengage the safety, rack the slide to chamber a round and go about sweeping the apartment or any signs of a threat."

This makes me understand they were in the same apartment and the female was locked in the bathroom while waiting on him to clear the area, i hope he explains.

 

[spanky]

I'm sure you're right. I misread it (a couple times, apparently). That's what a few hours of sleep in a couple days will do to you.

 

[W1nds0rF0x]

Said all that to ask this: is it the general consensus of the pistol shooting community to never carry a pistol in single-action mode, when a double-action option is present?

I can't answer that because I am where Spanky is, but rather than take the word of "the COP that answered the call" because that's not way different than stopping and asking the first person you see on the street; I would pose that directly to someone who does training like Paul Gomez or someone similar.

My opinion is to have a gun that makes that choice a non-question.

Oh, NOW you've done it....

 

[Baldrik78]

So wait, what do cops think of those of us that carry 1911s? I mean, they immediately discharge the moment that safety comes off.

 

[Nolacopusmc]

So wait, what do cops think of those of us that carry 1911s? I mean, they immediately discharge the moment that safety comes off.

Most deadly gun known to man, second only to Taurus'. Lol

 

[Nomad.2nd]

So wait, what do cops think of those of us that carry 1911s? I mean, they immediately discharge the moment that safety comes off.

They blow up and kill everyone within 10 meters.


...Oh, wait, that's Glocks!


"I am the only one in the room professional enough to...."

 

[spanky]

What if a cop saw someone dual wielding a G20 and a 10mm 1911?

 

[jmcrawf1]

What if a cop saw someone dual wielding a G20 and a 10mm 1911?

 

[Baldrik78]

This is why we can't have nice things.

 

[Gus McCrae]

All you need to know about 1911s and Glocks

So wait, what do cops think of those of us that carry 1911s? I mean, they immediately discharge the moment that safety comes off.

 

[Nolacopusmc]

What if a cop saw someone dual wielding a G20 and a 10mm 1911?

The universe would never allow it.

 

[schnugee]

Sorry to keep you all guessing. My friend & apartment mate, his wife (also my apartment mate) and me (where ever I go, there I am) all reside in a 2 bedroom apartment.

I get a text message asking if I am home. I respond "no, still at work." I get one back, "oh crap, I'm hearing noises, I think someone is in here but my husband is at work also." I respond, "do you want me to come home and check?" She sends, "please do, I'm really scared." I hop in the car, and call property management while stuck at a light (maybe it is maintenance guy she heard, maybe they can get someone there sooner than me).

I drive directly and expeditiously home (about 7 minutes in day end traffic), all the while she keeps texting and asking where I am, what's taking so long? I give her updates as I am stopped at lights. I pull up, run up the stairs (3rd floor) and see the young lady from property management. I tell her who I am. I try the door, find it locked. I unlock the door with my key.

At this point my decision to enter is based upon a few key factors:

She is inside, away from any weapons, in a bathroom closet hiding (from her text messages) as of 45 seconds ago (her latest text sent) she has yet to be attacked, but still is frightened someone is there.

I think that if someone were in there and intended to do her harm they would have found her already (not a huge apartment, not independently wealthy) so I am >90% sure this is a false alarm.

I enter, walk three paces to my bedroom / bathroom door, open it and retrieve the PT99 from where it always sits. I pick it up, disengage the safety, and rack the slide to chamber a round. I keep my finger off the trigger, like I was trained. I exit my room from the other door and make my way to her hiding spot, looking for any signs of BG as I go. No signs at all.

I tell her I am home, please stay where she is until I have checked out the apartment.


Hopefully that helps to clarify the questions folks have had. Sorry my initial description lacked clarity, was typed at the end of a long and trying day. I was just trying to give a quick background, so my question of double / single action would make more sense.


If she was outside the apartment saying she thought someone was inside, no way I go rushing in. Stuff can be replaced, and we all have renter's insurance. My determination whether or not to call a LEO at that point would be made after I found out in detail what led her to believe someone was inside.

As she was still inside my primary concern was doing what I could to ensure her safety, in case my thinking that this is all a false alarm is tragically wrong.

 

[Nolacopusmc]

Sorry to keep you all guessing. My friend & apartment mate, his wife (also my apartment mate) and me (where ever I go, there I am) all reside in a 2 bedroom apartment.

I get a text message asking if I am home. I respond "no, still at work." I get one back, "oh crap, I'm hearing noises, I think someone is in here but my husband is at work also." I respond, "do you want me to come home and check?" She sends, "please do, I'm really scared." I hop in the car, and call property management while stuck at a light (maybe it is maintenance guy she heard, maybe they can get someone there sooner than me).

I drive directly and expeditiously home (about 7 minutes in day end traffic), all the while she keeps texting and asking where I am, what's taking so long? I give her updates as I am stopped at lights. I pull up, run up the stairs (3rd floor) and see the young lady from property management. I tell her who I am. I try the door, find it locked. I unlock the door with my key.

At this point my decision to enter is based upon a few key factors:

She is inside, away from any weapons, in a bathroom closet hiding (from her text messages) as of 45 seconds ago (her latest text sent) she has yet to be attacked, but still is frightened someone is there.

I think that if someone were in there and intended to do her harm they would have found her already (not a huge apartment, not independently wealthy) so I am >90% sure this is a false alarm.

I enter, walk three paces to my bedroom / bathroom door, open it and retrieve the PT99 from where it always sits. I pick it up, disengage the safety, and rack the slide to chamber a round. I keep my finger off the trigger, like I was trained. I exit my room from the other door and make my way to her hiding spot, looking for any signs of BG as I go. No signs at all.

I tell her I am home, please stay where she is until I have checked out the apartment.


Hopefully that helps to clarify the questions folks have had. Sorry my initial description lacked clarity, was typed at the end of a long and trying day. I was just trying to give a quick background, so my question of double / single action would make more sense.


If she was outside the apartment saying she thought someone was inside, no way I go rushing in. Stuff can be replaced, and we all have renter's insurance. My determination whether or not to call a LEO at that point would be made after I found out in detail what led her to believe someone was inside.

As she was still inside my primary concern was doing what I could to ensure her safety, in case my thinking that this is all a false alarm is tragically wrong.

Thanks. That does clear a lot up. My only other question is if your primary concern was her safety, why did you not go straight to her and get her out of the apartment? WHy did you feel the need to search the rest of the residence?