I'm driving down Hwy 280 yesterday, heading home frome work, when I saw this guy in front of me in an S-10 pickup giving someone in the car next to him the finger at a red light. My first thought was I wander what those two are into it about. The person in the other car never responded and they went ahead and turned when the light turned green, as they were sitting in the turn lane to do so. The guy in front of me then starts giving the finger to the other drivers turning as well, as they pass him. Now my thought is whats up with this idiot. As our light turns green and we start to go, he starts giving everyone he passes the finger, shaking his fist at them, etc... He even starts swapping lanes as he approaches other vehicles, to be able to fully extend his arm out the window to give them the finger. We come down a hill and he moves into the turn lane, to make a left hand turn. Our light is turning red and we are going to have to come to a stop. I can see he is rumaging around in his truck for something. As luck would have it, I end up being parked right next to him, on his right. I look over and he has picked up what looks to be a wooden chair leg or club of some sort. He raises it and points it at me and mouths something. It's at that moment I raised my .380 Sig Sauer. I didn't point it at him, just raised it pointing it straight up, but let him get a good look at it. Judging by the look on his face, the way he dropped the club, and the fact that he ran the red light and went ahead and turned, I guess he was through "playing".

Freaking idiot ... good for you

I wouldn't have shown him anything until he was out of the car with that wooden leg and then it would have been mashed between his eyes. Dang IDOT, glad he stopped and hopefully he learned a lesson.

I didn't run the red light on purpose. My gas pedal got stuck

I'd call the law on someone like that. He's going to get somebody hurt, or somebody is going to hurt him.

I thought you were going to say it turned out to be a mannequin.

The last person on here who bragged about flashing his gun got fried!

That's what I was thinking. Besides that, what if the guy had T-boned a housewife and her kids when he ran the red? Or anybody for that matter.

Lets hear more about this.

Where on 280?

Didn't the last guy flashing his guy just show it because the adjacent driver was yelling or a punkass kid or something? I don't remember the adjacent driver showing a weapon, peg leg, gun, etc., but the gun-flasher held up his gun to intimidate him.

Serious question for attorney or LEO, would that be considered brandishing a firearm?

Serious question x2...who cares? He's lawfully permitted to carry the weapon. He had witnessed "off" behavior and was "threatened" with a weapon. "Brandishing" the weapon defused the situation HE was in. He didn't make him run the red light or anything else. Dude coulda put the stick down and sat there with his thumb in his mouth. Good on you Ford...

x2

Lets throw this out there. Sally Sue is setting in the lane behind this and all she sees is F-150 holding up a gun. She freaks and calls the law. All the cops know is a dude in a certain F-150 truck is waiving a gun. They pull him over, and in fact he meets the description and also processes a firearm. What then?

To be clear, I'm not saying he was in the wrong, just posing the question.

That would be squarely on the shoulders of the guy who ran the red light and was acting crazy, NOT the person showing that he was willing and able to defend himself if said crazy person came looking for a fight. If F150 was just flashing his weapon to act like a bad-A that's one thing, but when it's in response to threatening behavior, that's completely different in my book.

I didn't say he did anything wrong or should have done anything different than he did. I just asked those who know the law and those that are tasked to enforce it what their opinion is on the situation as described. It could possibly help anyone who is reading this stay out of legal trouble.

. He's permitted to carry. He didn't fire it. "He said/she said" kinda thing. Better question is what would Sally Sue do when the idot shot her a bird while waving the stick at her?

I would have stuck my middle finger at him before he had a chance to show me.

Probably buzz off in her Prius Hybrid.

If I'm not mistaken it would be menacing.

I don't give a rip what the police said. I didn't point it at him. I simply held it up. I'm licensed to carry it, it's in the confines of my truck and he acted in a threatening manner towards me first. He showed his weapon to me and pointed it at me. I just simply showed him mine in return.

you don't have to point your gun AT someone to be "brandishing" it.........simply holding it up and "showing" it to someone can be considered "brandishing".

Now, considering that he supposedly threatened you with a weapon first, you would probably be alright.

I was just holding it up trying to read the serial number. I can't help it if he saw it.

We had a guy that was trespassing on us I saw him when he was drawing back on us and I pulled my shotgun up on him. Game warden told me that even though he was trespassing drew first he could press menacing charges on me.

You got it! ..I had some azzhats from mississippi call the law on me & my girlfriend about 16years ago..I was only 17 didn't even own a weapon! But these folks was riding my rear & when I let them go around I jumped on the theirs..This went on a few mins for a few miles till they turned off..Turns out they called the law saying I pointed a gun at them..I got pulled over & had to 2 cops sticking guns in my dayum face I got out the truck & got put in the back seat of a cop car..I then watched the people from Mississippi pull up pointing & smiling oh that's him!!..4 cops preceded to the back of the car asking me where's the gun, I told I don't have one & don't own a handgun I'm only 17..So then the questioning moved to son where did u throw the gun we need to know..So let's just say that ended the conversation of me talking to cops I didn't have chit to say then..They ended up taking me to Strickland youth center for menacing..And I'll say this I've never forgotten that mississippi tag I remember it well,and also the remark the mobile city police officer made to me when we past usa hospital..(Your lucky your ass ain't going there cause I could've shot your ass tonight & turned around smiling)...

There some serious jackasses that run that road. Several years ago there was a guy in a green 90's model Toyota extended cab 4wd that drove like a maniac from Bham out toward the Colonnade. This guy would get off the side of the road to go around people. He would drive across lanes wide open. He would fly through traffic. It was probably the same guy. I would see him occasionally and try to get away from him. I would see him atleast once a week, and he was driving the same way everytime.

I don't blame you for showing your gun. I would have done the same thing.

But I guess after years of driving 280....I might end up doing the same...lol

I with ya man..But here's the problem if the guy would've called the police u could've easily been killed permit or not if u would've made one wrong move, they'd would probably have shot u in your vehicle..

Good for you! I don't know if I would have remained as calm as you did once he threatened me with that club.

There was a Stan Pate AL Supreme Court case about this recently. He didn't point the shotgun at anyone and eventually got his case overturned, as I recall.

Money talks!

U did good f150, I bet he will think twice be for acting like and idiot and probably wonder is that f150 behind me .

I got out of the car and begged two boys in a suburban to get out and I would stomp their azz right there in the highway. We had just crossed the toll bridge fixing to turn left to go towards orange beach. Well they was a wreck so I turned on my blinker and was trying to get in other lane to go right, towards gulf shores. These bass bumping thugs cut me off and gave me and Jess the bird finger. So when I did get over in the other lane I just pulled off the road and got out. But they wouldn't get out. I told them I didn't appreciate them doing that to my wife. Jess was pissed at me. But she got over it. I ain't gonna put up with it, il be in jail one day.

Now they was flipping birds and laughing and cussing at me when I was in the car, but when I got out they rolled them windows up and got their phones out like little punks. These was grown men.

KICK HIS ASS SEABASS!!!!!!!!

Seabass!! That's perfect!!

my uncle used to help this farmer whose land he lived on. Somebody had been parking at one of his gates which was off the road. They were throwing beer cans and trash out. Well one night my uuncle and the farmer waited, for the guy to show up. When they walked up behind the car the guy put it in reverse and started to back out. My uncle blew the back windshield out of the camaro, with his shotgun. The fella immediately stopped. The farmer proceeded to talk to the guy and when he got done, my uncle told him next time he'll grab the one with the bucksot in it,like i shoulda done tonight. Never had no more problems. Same with your lunatic, the next time he starts acting crazy thinking bout whipping folks with that table leg, he's gonna think back to how diffrently that day could have went.

Table legs, flip flops, Daniel White ... Alabama's gettin' to be a dangerous place.

So just like the crazy 280 guy what would have happened here if they had pulled a gun out on you when you got out of your car. I prob would've got back on my car rolled up my windows and acted like a little punk not a grown man. Don't ever pull off the road to confront someone!!!!!

I would have got shot, or whipped them with it. If you want to be a puss that's fine, but not me. Im not trying to be a badd azz here, but they aint no one except my dad that will ever treat me like that for no reason. That's whats wrong with these punks, that lives off daddy's money, even after they are grown. They need the hell whipped out of them to show some respect.

I remember years back some guy got killed with a crossbow..

People get bit messing with DW

http://www.al.com/news/mobile/index.ssf/2014/07/no_prison_time_for_man_in_oran.html



Getting out to confront someone over road rage is a good way to get yourself killed.

Bingo that's what I've been saying. Way too many people think they are bad arses and think they can whip anybody. News flash you can't whip a hollow point to the chest.

Whats messed up is that they still found him Guilty of 2nd dgree asualt which if I'm not mistaken is 2-10 years. If he wouldnt have been a retired leo it would have ended diffrently. If somebody slams on brakes and stops a car, gets out and confronts someone, you should be allowed to shoot them. He probably should have just ran him over, though.

Flashing a weapon and pointing a weapon at somebody is two different things. There is nothing against the law about flashing a weapon. I believe this issue went to court last year or the year before that.

Someone please change DW's user name to Seabass. I'm still laughing about that. I bet those 2 kids have nightmares thinking about DW emerging from his vehicle. Lol

From a summary of Alabama SB286


EXPLANATION:
It shall be a rebuttable presumption that the mere carrying of a visible pistol, holstered or secured, in a public place, in and of itself, is not a violation of the Disorderly Conduct Law. A person cannot be charged with Disorderly Conduct for the Possession of A Firearm that is Openly Carried in a holster.

A person may not display or brandish a pistol in his or her hand in a public place or inside a private business. A person violates 13A-11-7(a)(1) of the Disorderly Conduct statute if he possess a loaded or unloaded pistol in a public place or private business. A person must have the pistol holstered or secured to be within the confinements of the law. A pistol is not secured in a person's hand. A person forfeits their defense if their pistol is not holstered or secured.

Furthermore, a person may also be charged under Section 13A-6-23 with the Crime of Menacing if the person's actions are placing a another person in fear of imminent serious physical injury.

There was a relatively recent judgement from the Alabama Supreme Court that said that simply pulling a gun out is not Menacing. Basically you need to point it at someone or start acting wild for it to become a Menacing crime.

Like the explanation says, if your intent is to scare someone by showing them a weapon, it is Menacing.

Preparing to defend yourself would not necessarily show a sole intent to scare and could therefore be a defense IMO.