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I wasn't initially going to post this, but a thread about a guy killed while breaking into a tent and another article today about a woman missing while going camping made me rethink it and post it as a warning to others who go into remote areas.
Two weeks back, on Tuesday the 25th, I went camping with two friends with whom we often do "dads and daughters" activities. We had six kids with us total, including my two daughters and their friend who was tagging along. We went to Indian Cove camping grounds by Twentynine Palms and had one of the group sites, set up two tents and one camper. I was in one tent with my daughter and her friend, my other daughter was with her friend in another tent and the third dad was in the camper with his son.
The first night, at about 1:45 am, I was woken up by loud voice from the dad in the camper talking to someone very loudly, along the lines: "Who are you? This is a private camp ground. What are you doing here?" Then, he called the two of us by name and yelled that we have company and to come out of our tents. So, I grabbed my gun, HK USP 9c, that was in my Agis holster by Tier 1 Concealed (my CCW rig) by my side next to my sleeping bag and went out. I normally keep it where my outstretched arm is if I lay on my back, so it's not in the way, but if I'm startled, it's where I would naturally be looking for a gun. I always keep it in a holster so that the trigger guard is fully covered, the way I would keep it on my belt. The whole setup goes from my belt to the ground next to me, then back to the belt. My friend also had a gun, a Ruger in 380 (not sure if it's LC380, but along those lines) and he came out with the gun drawn.
With no shoes and just in boxers the two of us stepped out, took standing cover behind the large bushes and started walking towards the commotion while looking around for any additional people. I was whispering to my friend to take better cover (he is way less experienced), to keep quiet and not to use a flashlight to look at the ground - the moon was enough and the flashlight is to illuminate the intruder. He managed to yell at the guy that he needed to leave and that we were armed and ready to defend, so after several cuss words and a sort-of explanation that he was only looking for recyclables, he got back into his car and left.
We don't know whether he was armed and what his real intent was. My friend who woke up first and confronted the guy says that he was driving very slowly and stopping, consistent with casing the campsite. Was it just to steal things? Maybe. It's tough to judge when you're startled in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere. He didn't leave immediately when confronted and only left after all three of us where out there.
After he left, I took a flashlight and cleared the area around the campsite, then drove in both directions while searching the sides of the road with the flashlight to see if he parked anywhere in the vicinity. He was gone.
The kids were a bit scared, so we had to explain to them that it was under control and that we were safe and ready. It was a good experience for them to see a confrontation that was resolved without having to use excessive force, but also to know that the force was there for protection if things escalated.
As for me, it made me think about all the mistakes that we made as a group. While I was completely prepared to draw and fire from the low ready with the gun in the holster, and had no concerns about being able to execute mechanics (I shoot USPSA) and hit the target under pressure, I was not prepared (enough) to take control of the overall situation - coordinate my friends, secure kids and campground, etc. I played it by ear and it all looked good in the end, but it was improvising on the spot and not something that I could do subconsciously the way I could draw, shoot and manipulate my gun. So, I will look at some (gasp) tactical training to make sure I know the basics of how to handle these types of situations. Not about shooting and gun handling, but about dealing with real-life situations with multiple people.
The reason I'm posting this is to give the rest of the community a heads-up that we live in a society where the norms are breaking down and we can all run into people that think it's a good idea to approach a campsite at 2 AM. It's also an example of a situation where the gun was used for protection without shots fired and without all the usual bravado and drama - the goal was to have the intruder leave and search for easier targets.
On the positive note, when I got back from clearing the road, I got to see a fox leaving our campgrounds after munching on some of the kids' leftovers (a separate discussion altogether with the kids).
Two weeks back, on Tuesday the 25th, I went camping with two friends with whom we often do "dads and daughters" activities. We had six kids with us total, including my two daughters and their friend who was tagging along. We went to Indian Cove camping grounds by Twentynine Palms and had one of the group sites, set up two tents and one camper. I was in one tent with my daughter and her friend, my other daughter was with her friend in another tent and the third dad was in the camper with his son.
The first night, at about 1:45 am, I was woken up by loud voice from the dad in the camper talking to someone very loudly, along the lines: "Who are you? This is a private camp ground. What are you doing here?" Then, he called the two of us by name and yelled that we have company and to come out of our tents. So, I grabbed my gun, HK USP 9c, that was in my Agis holster by Tier 1 Concealed (my CCW rig) by my side next to my sleeping bag and went out. I normally keep it where my outstretched arm is if I lay on my back, so it's not in the way, but if I'm startled, it's where I would naturally be looking for a gun. I always keep it in a holster so that the trigger guard is fully covered, the way I would keep it on my belt. The whole setup goes from my belt to the ground next to me, then back to the belt. My friend also had a gun, a Ruger in 380 (not sure if it's LC380, but along those lines) and he came out with the gun drawn.
With no shoes and just in boxers the two of us stepped out, took standing cover behind the large bushes and started walking towards the commotion while looking around for any additional people. I was whispering to my friend to take better cover (he is way less experienced), to keep quiet and not to use a flashlight to look at the ground - the moon was enough and the flashlight is to illuminate the intruder. He managed to yell at the guy that he needed to leave and that we were armed and ready to defend, so after several cuss words and a sort-of explanation that he was only looking for recyclables, he got back into his car and left.
We don't know whether he was armed and what his real intent was. My friend who woke up first and confronted the guy says that he was driving very slowly and stopping, consistent with casing the campsite. Was it just to steal things? Maybe. It's tough to judge when you're startled in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere. He didn't leave immediately when confronted and only left after all three of us where out there.
After he left, I took a flashlight and cleared the area around the campsite, then drove in both directions while searching the sides of the road with the flashlight to see if he parked anywhere in the vicinity. He was gone.
The kids were a bit scared, so we had to explain to them that it was under control and that we were safe and ready. It was a good experience for them to see a confrontation that was resolved without having to use excessive force, but also to know that the force was there for protection if things escalated.
As for me, it made me think about all the mistakes that we made as a group. While I was completely prepared to draw and fire from the low ready with the gun in the holster, and had no concerns about being able to execute mechanics (I shoot USPSA) and hit the target under pressure, I was not prepared (enough) to take control of the overall situation - coordinate my friends, secure kids and campground, etc. I played it by ear and it all looked good in the end, but it was improvising on the spot and not something that I could do subconsciously the way I could draw, shoot and manipulate my gun. So, I will look at some (gasp) tactical training to make sure I know the basics of how to handle these types of situations. Not about shooting and gun handling, but about dealing with real-life situations with multiple people.
The reason I'm posting this is to give the rest of the community a heads-up that we live in a society where the norms are breaking down and we can all run into people that think it's a good idea to approach a campsite at 2 AM. It's also an example of a situation where the gun was used for protection without shots fired and without all the usual bravado and drama - the goal was to have the intruder leave and search for easier targets.
On the positive note, when I got back from clearing the road, I got to see a fox leaving our campgrounds after munching on some of the kids' leftovers (a separate discussion altogether with the kids).
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