Since founding the USCCA, I’ve heard A LOT of harrowing self-defense incidents from members.
But then, I experienced my own…
It was 2 o’clock in the afternoon.
I had just finished lunch and stopped at a gas station on my way back to work.
This was near downtown West Bend, Wisconsin.
West Bend’s a nice town.
But like any town, trouble can pass through.
I was standing there filling up my truck – and it takes a LOT of fuel – when a white SUV pulled in a couple stalls over.
A man stepped out.
And started walking toward me.
Something about him set off alarms in my mind.
I was carrying.
Pump in the tank. Attention divided.
He kept closing the distance.
“Sir, excuse me,” I said. “Stay right there.”
I held up my hand.
(Here, I’m falling back on my training.)
“I want to help you, but I need you to stop right now.”
He looked startled.
And he stopped.
“What do you need?” I asked.
“Hey, man,” he said, “I’m just down on my luck. I need a little money.”
I told him, “Sir, I want you to turn around. Get in your car. And follow me to my office. Then I can help you.”
I wasn’t sure what he would do.
Sure enough, he did exactly that.
He followed me to USCCA Headquarters.
I called ahead to Steve Fisher, our Director of Training, so he could meet me out front – just in case.
But when he stepped out of his SUV this time, I saw something I hadn’t seen before.
There was a woman in the passenger seat.
And two small children in the back.
They weren’t passing through.
They were barely getting by.
It looked like they were living out of that vehicle.
I gave him everything in my wallet.
He cried.
And I gave him a hug.
I’m sharing this because I learned a valuable lesson that day.
It would have been so easy to overreact at that gas station.
It would have been easy to ignore him, too.
Instead, I handled it with composure.
Not because I’m gifted.
Not because I’m fearless.
Because I trained.
And training builds judgment – not just skill.
Training teaches you when to act.
And just as importantly … when not to.
Carrying a firearm isn’t about looking for trouble.
It’s about being prepared for it.
Prepared mentally.
Prepared legally.
Prepared emotionally.
That’s the protector mindset.
It allows you to protect life – without taking it unnecessarily.
And sometimes … it allows you to help someone who isn’t a threat at all.
