Really strange day...

Recently I've been looking into buying a Pila GL3 Xenon with rechargeables, but my current financial situation was holding me back... until I decided to buy one today. Why? Read on...

I went to school (college) this morning, and as I was walking from the parking lot to the cafeteria some ******* walks up to me from behind and starts screaming and singing very loudly at the top of his lungs. This (obviously) came off as very confrontational, so the first thing that crossed my mind (and I'm sure most people would've done the same) is I had to beat this guy's a-- if it came down to it. The only problem is school rules state any fight will lead to suspension/expulsion (good bye college), and I didn't want to fight unless I had to. Because he never made a threat/did not physically touch me, I had little to no options but to do nothing. After asking the guy if he was retarded, I proceeded to tell the nearest security officer who had a word with him.

So where does a Pila GL3 come in to all this? He could've very easily been someone inclined to strike out at me (he was only one step away from that IMHO), high on drugs, or both. With school rules being so tight and myself trying to avoid physical confrontation, a powerful flashlight is a great solution. I did have my SF A2 in my pocket at the time, but during the day it's just not bright enough to deter someone. This is where the GL3 could've come in and I would've been able to temporarily blind him with 200 lumens. After this incident I did not hesitate to buy this light today, after recieving the light I will feel more secure about walking around by myself on campus or anywhere for that matter.

Strange story aside, I found a great deal from Kibitz in the B/S/T section for a Pila GL2 but today's events were the deciding factor in buying a GL3. Thanks kibitz for the awesome offer! I can't wait for it to come, I hope JSBurlys can send it to me ASAP! I am looking forward to getting the new Codex module, with the GL3 it will be IMHO one awesome flashlight!

Maybe you should buy some good running shoes too! I can't really say that I like these anti-self defence policies.

Hm well this sounds like an unpleasant experience alright, i guess you where lucky and nothing really happend.
What you said about using the light to blind him, could have had an adverse effect by escalating the situation tho... If he wanted to hurt you and saw you reaching for something then he would have definately made his move.
All i can say is in the future, just keep your cool as you did and distance your self as much as physicaly possible. The last guy that tried to surprise me by screaming behind me landed on his back after i grabbed and tossed him over my shoulder, only after i saw his face i realised he was just a friend screwing around... unfortunately i got "violent" reflexes..

Sunlight on a typical day is between 32,000 and 100,000 lux.

With a 200 lumen flashlight, you'd have to get awfully close to him for this to work...close enough that he might perceive it as a physical threat before you had the chance to blind him.

A flashlight really aint a good self defense weapon unless you have mace or a gun attached to it...
Can't see why this situation would make you want to buy a flashlight either, everything went fine, none was hurt, you maybe lost some pride, but if you had a light and provoced the guy maybe both of you had ended up in a hospital.

It might be just me, but I found a lot of people here a bit paranoid. People usually don't want to hurt you, I've been around a lot in "dangerous" neighbourhoods etc, but as long as you keep your cool and dont do anything stupid you'll end up fine. If everyone drew a knife, gun, flashlight(well, maybe not that =)) as soon as they felt threatened, there would be a lot more bodies lying around here.

But glad you enjoy your light, the PILA GL3 seems to be a hell of a light!

This isn't the first time someone's screamed in my ear, and to be honest it's getting annoying. The ridiculous thing is it's never a crackhead or gangbanger, it's always stupid high school nerds who think they can get away with anything. I always wanted to see what happened if I gave a can of whoop a-- (in terms of lumens that is).

In this particular incident the guy wasn't a gang banger, he was some wannabe/poser sitting on the bench with his "friends" wearing a baseball hat and camo pants (typical high school wannabe) and as I passed by he followed me and scremed in my ears. The other time I was walking to my car and I passed 3 high school nerds (14 years old at the most) playing football in the street. One of them thought it would be cute to scream in my ear as he passed me by, because get this: he just made a touchdown. Not because he wanted to pick a fight, take my wallet or steal my car: but he made a touchdown. WTF. You know if I told their mommy/daddy they would've just said "boys will be boys!" That or they would've sued me for walking on the front yard.

C'mon, you know you know you would want to give 'em a eyeful of lumens (if not more), admit it.:naughty:

I walk on campus at night by myself, and I don't want to be on the wrong end of the stick day or night. If it was something serious it's better him/her than me (in terms of receiving lumens, of course).

Lobo said:

If everyone drew a knife, gun, flashlight(well, maybe not that =)) as soon as they felt threatened, there would be a lot more bodies lying around here.

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Knife and gun I agree, flashlight not so much.

Lobo said:

But glad you enjoy your light, the PILA GL3 seems to be a hell of a light!

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I haven't received it from JSBurlys yet, I just ordered it yesterday so I'm waiting on the order. It will rock, can't wait for the Codex 3 to come out!

Well, I don't know you personally, so therefore can't speculate on what makes you stand out as a person they can victimize this way.
If you look odd, show you are a loner, then they may feel you lack the strength of numbers like you, and think they can get away with it.
Assess yourself, assert your unwavered emotions, make them look stupid (even though I think it's hard to do a better job than them!)
In the end, years from now you will be constantly yelling in their ear, through a drive thru intercom as you place your order.

Carry (discreetly) a video camera,
perhaps even a cell-phone unit would suffice.

Once you've got it on "tape", you can present your side of things
to the authorities, as "Verbal Assault" or whatever.

Might even be prudent to have your Attorney do this presentation. <wink>


Please continue doing your best to exercise Restraint,
so that YOU are not perceived as the one who started it.


BTW, i'm a bit confused why High-School students are on your College campus. ? ? ?


Regardless, good luck in the future.

Fightin' Fire With Fire...

+1

they even sell a mini "Safety Sport" 1.8 oz air horn that is very pocketable...


OMG - This would be awesome!!!

Raptor# said:

Fightin' Fire With Fire...

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I'm glad you found a reason to buy a flashlight, but I really think the idea of a flashlight for self defense is ridiculous. During the day you might as well whisper "stop." As physical force isn't an option, I second the air horn. I'd check with school authorities about the air horn ahead of time; who knows what they'll make of it? Explain your situation and ask what other options are available, too. Good luck buddy.

:buddies:

WNG said:

In the end, years from now you will be constantly yelling in their ear, through a drive thru intercom as you place your order.

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Hehe I agree.

I do stand out from others. I have long hair (like a rocker), but that doesn't change the fact that I'm 6' and 240 lbs. Their big mistake is they completely underestimate my physical size because of my hair. Or they're completely stupid. Whatever.

I should rephrase the high school students, they are fresh graduates of high school and therefore their perception of community college is "high school part 2" (you get the idea).

I purchased a Pila as a threat deterrent. Besides I needed a reason to buy a GL3! Every flashaholic has an excuse!:naughty:

Thanks for wishing me luck guys.:thanks:

I carry Fox Labs OC spray for protection on campus. It's not mentioned in the handbook as illegal so I consider it ok for carry. But I've never felt I needed it... not once.