The Time I'm Glad I Didn't Draw

This happened about a year ago in a gas station parking lot in Georgia. I’ve been carrying for about seven years, pretty much any time I leave the house. I believe very strongly in de-escalation, in being the bigger man, in avoiding conflict, etc. I’m the guy who retreats when I have no duty to do so. But sometimes you’re thrust into conflict and can’t look the other way.As you may know, Atlanta is one of the largest sex trafficking hubs of North America; I’m a native, and from the elementary school stranger danger talks, to the signs at the airport and popular tourist hotspots, it’s been ingrained in me that there are bad people close to home that will do harm to kids.When I was exiting a gas station parking lot in Duluth, GA last fall, I saw a man tackle a 12 year old kid to the pavement and try to drag him into a nearby van. The kid was screaming for help, “Get Him Off Me!” etc. A small crowd of onlookers was gathering but nobody was intervening. I pulled my phone out with my left hand and dialed 911 while reaching right hand on the grip of my sp101 at 4 o’clock. I yelled firmly to the man that I’m calling the police, they’ll be here in a moment, and that he shouldn’t try to leave; both he and the child quieted, but did not disentangle, and the man told me it was a family matter.It was then that I noticed other people in the van. Another man and a woman, and another child came out to see what was happening. It became clear that the man was the child’s uncle, that the kid was having a psychotic episode and seizure, and panicking in a public place, and the uncle was trying to coax him into the car so they could go home. The family did not speak perfect English, and my adrenaline was pounding so hard that someone else had to basically interpret their side of events as I kept my eyes fixated on the kid who was still sitting on the pavement, but no longer pinned down. At this point, I still had my phone out, since the operator asked me to stay on the line, but I was not reaching for my gun.Police arrived quickly, maybe 3 minutes, but they felt like the longest three minutes of my life. I was shaking by the time they got there, I briefly explained that I was the one who called, but it seemed to be a family matter. They chatted briefly with the uncle and the rest of the family, and everyone left shortly after.I can’t stop thinking about that day, more than a year later. How things could’ve escalated, how a gun would not have made that situation better. I challenge each of you to put yourselves in a similar situation, and think long and hard about when force is justified. What looks like a child abduction may just be a family member trying to keep a special needs kid from hurting himself. via /r/CCW https://ift.tt/36boCzo