Needed it and didn't have it...and got lucky.

kymasabe · July 25, 2006, 08:38 PM

I'm a plumber, got to a customers house today, had a 20 second conversation with her and got started working on her water heater in the garage. There was another contractor van in the driveway but I didn't pay attention to it. It's not uncommon for customers to book multiple contractors/service people on the same day so they don't have to miss more than a day of work.

I had aprox a 15-20 minute repair to make and about half-way thru the repair, I heard a woman screaming "stop it, get out, stop it, get out..." It was in the house somewhere but I thought it was the TV, didn't hear any other noise or voices. About 5 minutes later and at the end of my repair, I heard her screaming it again....now I'm starting to think it's not the TV and starting to get concerned. I knocked on the door from the garage to the house...and hear in a mans voice "Oh sheit, someone's here, let's get out of here". And then the customer started screaming "call the police!"
Keep in mind, I had a very brief conversation with her when I got there so the whole time there was no voice recognition, I didn't know what her voice really sounded like so until the end, didn't think it was her.
Anyway, after hearing the call for the police, reached for my Kel-Tec...wasn't there...I don't carry at work, freaks out the customers. Ran to the truck, grabbed my K-Bar knife and the office called right at that moment, told my manager to call the police and then I headed to the house. That minute it took to open the truck, reach inside to grab my knife and answer a quick call....two guys came out of the house, got in their van and started backing out of the driveway. I didn't stop them, I had no idea what the situation inside was. Went inside and found the woman customer sobbing and her 18 year old son there all shaken up. Apparently they (the bad guys) had broken some furniture, dumped stuff on the floor in a rage and then told her they were going to kill her son right there in the living room right in front of her...then they heard my knock on the door.

I did alot of things wrong today...I feel guilty that I wasn't aware enough to have payed attention to her screaming (again, thought it was the TV) the first time I heard it. Lucky I didnt get hurt/killed when I knocked on the door.
May have saved a life today in the process so have to feel good about that...but I'm pretty freaked out about the whole situation.
Cops showed up eventually, got statements, and did catch the guys. One has a history of violent crime.
I may not be able to carry my little Kel-Tec .32 everywhere....but as of this afternoon, I now have a S&W model 36 revolver "truck gun" loaded with Federal HydraShok .38 special hollow points and two full speed loaders.
Lets hope I never need them.

croyance · July 25, 2006, 08:57 PM

Good story and shows the bullying nature of criminals. I hope that you can conceal your gun in a way that does not alarm customers.
Let us hope that nobody ever needs to defend themselves. It was lucky that you were there.
Yeah, that .32 ACP would have been thin defense had they been different sorts.
Remember to practice with the speedloaders.

Socrates · July 25, 2006, 09:22 PM

Hi
I'd give serious thought to something like an Air Marshall shoulder rig, or thunderwear. Truck guns are usually in the truck when you need them.

S
PS Congrats for foiling a robbery, or murder, or both.

**Bud Helms** · July 25, 2006, 09:26 PM

Moving to General.

moredes · July 27, 2006, 12:15 AM

Something similiar happened to me once; it convinced me that deep (even slow) concealment beat leaving my wife and runnin' to the car to get my gun.

When I think I absolutely gotta carry and it has to be "print proof" despite a slow draw (i. e., not shoulder-holstered under a jacket that would be inappropriate wear for the occasion, not print when I reach as high as I can while leaning away from the strong side; that will allow me to bend over, or lay down and not compromise nor print), I use a Confidant Shirt by Kramer.

It's not what I'd wanna use everyday, but if ya gotta be "print proof" under a T-shirt or button-shirt, it works pretty well. Works real well under coveralls.

http://www.kramerleather.com/product...&categoryID=21

My other choice would be a smaller gun in an ankle holster if I was wearing long pants.

Anthony Terry · July 27, 2006, 12:29 AM

i have an inside the pants holster. it is hid good and easy to get. just like sticking the pistol down your pants, like tha G's do!

SOSARMS · July 27, 2006, 06:11 AM

If you're a repairman, then i assume you have a tool kit..............Think that i'd have another wrench in that box...........

Edward429451 · July 27, 2006, 09:03 AM

Toolbox carry is no good in a customers house. The toddlers like to play swipe the tool & run when you're gone getting a tool from the truck or turning the water on/off etc. Too much risk for a kid to get it.

The amount of contortionism involved with service work precludes carrying anything but a Mini revolver like an NAA etc., and even then you still might lose it! Thats been my experiance anyway.

May as well just grab a razorknife or a 12" Crescent wrench.

Glad it worked out for you.

Omega blood · July 28, 2006, 12:16 AM

I would not feel guilty if I were you.
I used to work as a cable man, so I am familiar with your daily working situation.
Had I been where you were I would have had the same reaction.
You can’t be a hero, you can only be you.
You can’t expect just because it’s a “situation you should have been aware of” that you did something wrong.
Let me tell you what I did wrong one on the job.
Showed up to the customer’s apartment. Introduced my self. One of the first things she said to me was that her husband was a cop. I did not prompt or ask for conversation, other than asking where she wanted the cable.
What I should have done was to walk outside and called my supervisor to “assist” me in the installation.
I got lucky and didn’t accused of anything.

Dave AA · July 30, 2006, 10:53 PM

I do home warranty work, and I carry a 340SC in a Desantis Nemesis pocket holster.

July 25, 2006, 08:38 PM	#1
kymasabe Senior Member Join Date: June 10, 2005 Location: Northern by birth, Southern by choice. Posts: 1,634	Needed it and didn't have it...and got lucky. I'm a plumber, got to a customers house today, had a 20 second conversation with her and got started working on her water heater in the garage. There was another contractor van in the driveway but I didn't pay attention to it. It's not uncommon for customers to book multiple contractors/service people on the same day so they don't have to miss more than a day of work. I had aprox a 15-20 minute repair to make and about half-way thru the repair, I heard a woman screaming "stop it, get out, stop it, get out..." It was in the house somewhere but I thought it was the TV, didn't hear any other noise or voices. About 5 minutes later and at the end of my repair, I heard her screaming it again....now I'm starting to think it's not the TV and starting to get concerned. I knocked on the door from the garage to the house...and hear in a mans voice "Oh sheit, someone's here, let's get out of here". And then the customer started screaming "call the police!" Keep in mind, I had a very brief conversation with her when I got there so the whole time there was no voice recognition, I didn't know what her voice really sounded like so until the end, didn't think it was her. Anyway, after hearing the call for the police, reached for my Kel-Tec...wasn't there...I don't carry at work, freaks out the customers. Ran to the truck, grabbed my K-Bar knife and the office called right at that moment, told my manager to call the police and then I headed to the house. That minute it took to open the truck, reach inside to grab my knife and answer a quick call....two guys came out of the house, got in their van and started backing out of the driveway. I didn't stop them, I had no idea what the situation inside was. Went inside and found the woman customer sobbing and her 18 year old son there all shaken up. Apparently they (the bad guys) had broken some furniture, dumped stuff on the floor in a rage and then told her they were going to kill her son right there in the living room right in front of her...then they heard my knock on the door. I did alot of things wrong today...I feel guilty that I wasn't aware enough to have payed attention to her screaming (again, thought it was the TV) the first time I heard it. Lucky I didnt get hurt/killed when I knocked on the door. May have saved a life today in the process so have to feel good about that...but I'm pretty freaked out about the whole situation. Cops showed up eventually, got statements, and did catch the guys. One has a history of violent crime. I may not be able to carry my little Kel-Tec .32 everywhere....but as of this afternoon, I now have a S&W model 36 revolver "truck gun" loaded with Federal HydraShok .38 special hollow points and two full speed loaders. Lets hope I never need them. __________________ God's creatures big and small, eat them one, eat them all.

July 27, 2006, 09:03 AM	#8
Edward429451 Senior Member Join Date: November 12, 2000 Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado Posts: 5,981	Toolbox carry is no good in a customers house. The toddlers like to play swipe the tool & run when you're gone getting a tool from the truck or turning the water on/off etc. Too much risk for a kid to get it. The amount of contortionism involved with service work precludes carrying anything but a Mini revolver like an NAA etc., and even then you still might lose it! Thats been my experiance anyway. May as well just grab a razorknife or a 12" Crescent wrench. Glad it worked out for you. __________________ "Always place your clothes and weapons where you can find them in the dark" Lazarus Long "Understand that the enemy is not the enemy in his own eyes ;this may offer you an opportunity to make him your friend. If not, you can kill him without hate, and quickly." Lazarus Long

July 30, 2006, 10:53 PM	#10
Dave AA Senior Member Join Date: August 18, 1999 Posts: 390	I do home warranty work, and I carry a 340SC in a Desantis Nemesis pocket holster. __________________ Take with food or milk

July 25, 2006, 08:57 PM	#2
croyance Senior Member Join Date: March 30, 2001 Posts: 3,604	Good story and shows the bullying nature of criminals. I hope that you can conceal your gun in a way that does not alarm customers. Let us hope that nobody ever needs to defend themselves. It was lucky that you were there. Yeah, that .32 ACP would have been thin defense had they been different sorts. Remember to practice with the speedloaders.

July 25, 2006, 09:22 PM	#3
Socrates Senior Member Join Date: January 5, 2005 Location: East Bay NorCal, People's Republik of Kalifornia Posts: 5,866	Hi I'd give serious thought to something like an Air Marshall shoulder rig, or thunderwear. Truck guns are usually in the truck when you need them. S PS Congrats for foiling a robbery, or murder, or both.

July 25, 2006, 09:26 PM	#4
Bud Helms Staff Join Date: December 31, 1999 Location: Middle Georgia Posts: 10,553	Moving to General.

July 27, 2006, 12:15 AM	#5
moredes Registered User Join Date: September 7, 2001 Posts: 326	Something similiar happened to me once; it convinced me that deep (even slow) concealment beat leaving my wife and runnin' to the car to get my gun. When I think I absolutely gotta carry and it has to be "print proof" despite a slow draw (i. e., not shoulder-holstered under a jacket that would be inappropriate wear for the occasion, not print when I reach as high as I can while leaning away from the strong side; that will allow me to bend over, or lay down and not compromise nor print), I use a Confidant Shirt by Kramer. It's not what I'd wanna use everyday, but if ya gotta be "print proof" under a T-shirt or button-shirt, it works pretty well. Works real well under coveralls. http://www.kramerleather.com/product...&categoryID=21 My other choice would be a smaller gun in an ankle holster if I was wearing long pants.

July 27, 2006, 12:29 AM	#6
Anthony Terry Senior Member Join Date: July 10, 2006 Location: Virginia. Posts: 661	i have an inside the pants holster. it is hid good and easy to get. just like sticking the pistol down your pants, like tha G's do!

July 27, 2006, 06:11 AM	#7
SOSARMS Senior Member Join Date: June 13, 2006 Location: The great Buckeye state...where nuts are not just for eating Posts: 617	If you're a repairman, then i assume you have a tool kit..............Think that i'd have another wrench in that box...........

July 28, 2006, 12:16 AM	#9
Omega blood Senior Member Join Date: November 7, 2005 Posts: 161	I would not feel guilty if I were you. I used to work as a cable man, so I am familiar with your daily working situation. Had I been where you were I would have had the same reaction. You can’t be a hero, you can only be you. You can’t expect just because it’s a “situation you should have been aware of” that you did something wrong. Let me tell you what I did wrong one on the job. Showed up to the customer’s apartment. Introduced my self. One of the first things she said to me was that her husband was a cop. I did not prompt or ask for conversation, other than asking where she wanted the cable. What I should have done was to walk outside and called my supervisor to “assist” me in the installation. I got lucky and didn’t accused of anything.