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Trust your instincts – A True Story

You Won’t Believe This…

Just heard a harrowing story from some close family members that I need to share. I’ve changed the names for the privacy of those involved in the incident. While enjoying a nice Easter Sunday barbecue with family, two relatives (we’ll call them Joe and Sarah) proceeded to tell me about a very scary encounter they had at a local shooting range a few days back.

This story gave me chills thinking about what might have happened if these two street savvy relatives hadn’t been there.

A Day At The Range

Their trip to the range started out normal. They showed up, picked an empty lane, put up a target—you know the drill. On this particular day, Sarah decided not to shoot (a life changing decision, although she didn’t know it yet). She normally enjoys shooting, but just wasn’t feeling too well and was just going to stand back and watch Joe shoot.

Being the observant and alert person she is, Sarah noticed something weird about the guy two lanes over. First off, after they’d been there 20 minutes (this other guys was there before them), he’d only fired 2 rounds. Very strange since he was standing right up at the bench and didn’t seam to be dealing with any sort of malfunction.

Sarah took notice of this and continued to watch Joe shoot, but her instincts told her to keep an eye on the other guy, something wasn’t quite right.

A few minutes later the guy picked his pistol up off the bench (this immediately grabbed Sarah’s attention). As he held the pistol he was visibly shaking. Sarah thought “Hmm… maybe he is disabled or something”. She certainly didn’t want to be rude or embarrass him by asking if everything was okay, but at this point she was on edge. She discretely brought it up to Joe and they both went to the range master.

After voicing their concern, the range master pointed out that he too had noticed the guy’s behavior as odd, but went on to say that “his shots are very on target” as if this somehow made up for all the odd behavior!!!

Shocked at this response, Joe and Sarah went back to their lane, still concerned, but wondering if they were just being paranoid. Paranoid or not, both Joe and Sarah kept a very close eye on the suspicious man 2 lanes down.

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The Disturbing Behavior Worsens

Minutes later, after having not fired a single additional round, the suspicious individual (gun in hand) turned his head around to look at Sarah.

It was the kind of look someone gives when they know they are being watched. As his face came into full view, Sarah described him as looking right through her with cold piercing eyes. It gave her chills. This was too much. She could no longer explain away this guy’s suspicious behavior. Way too many red flags at this point.

As the guy turned back around, Sarah grabbed Joe and signaled to him that they needed to talk to the staff again immediately.

Once again confronted with a reluctant and not very pro-active staff, they explained that the staff needed to intervene and talk to this man immediately. This time the staff could tell from their tone and sense of urgency that something was clearly going on.

Joe and Sarah decided to keep a safe distance while the staff casually but cautiously approached the man and engaged him in a distracting conversation to assess any issues.

A Frightening Discovery

At this point one staff member was able to see an odd looking hand-written note on the shooter’s bench, while another staff member was talking with the man.

After a closer look, the note revealed a list of emergency contacts and an ominous line that changed the whole situation. The line read, “I’ve left a note at home explaining why I did this.”

The range staff finally realized what Sarah and Joe had picked up on. This guy was going through a suicidal crisis and was an extreme danger to himself and everyone around him.

The Resolution

Joe and Sarah were happy to say that from this point on, the staff’s actions were professional. The authorities were called and the man did not put up a fight, but most importantly – the situation ended with nobody getting hurt.

An event that could have ended with a traumatic suicide (no doubt leaving everyone at the range and the man’s family with some serious sh*t to work through), or worse, an active shooter or murder suicide, was averted by the observations and actions of two regular people.

Joe and Sarah aren’t former special ops soldiers and they aren’t psychologists or mental health professionals either. They are regular folks who were simply smart enough to pay attention to their surroundings and who weren’t afraid to act preemptively when they noticed something suspicious. Sarah especially listened to her gut.

She saved that man’s life and potentially the lives of several others that day all because she had the courage to listen to her gut instincts, even when it went against what others thought.

What I found most shocking in this encounter was the range staff’s willingness to rationalize suspicious behavior (something that is all-too-common in the imagined cocoon of safety many people live in).

A range master’s job is to keep everyone on the firing line and any others in the area safe. To see something that looks suspicious and explain it away is gross negligence when it’s your job to keep people safe.

Trust Your Gut!

Gut instincts exist for a reason. Have you ever had a gut instinct about something like this and been wrong? I know I haven’t.

When something bad is about to happen you almost always get that uneasy feeling. There is a lot of communication that goes on between the lines (body language, eye movements, and other non-verbal cues) that our subconscious mind is extremely good at identifying as “DANGEROUS.”

In polite society and the comfort of a relatively safe first world country (depending on where you live in the US), there is a strong tendency to explain away strange behavior. We’ve been trained to suppress our instincts by rationalizing strange things we notice. Sometimes this is good, but often it can be really bad. For example, it’s politically incorrect to cross to the other side of the street when you see a guy walking toward you who “looks a bit off“.

But having that uneasy feeling about an individual is almost always based on the body’s intuitive ability to pick up on non-verbal communication, signals the worrisome individual probably doesn’t even know he or she is sending. You may not even be able to describe what was worrisome. You just know that you’ve got an uneasy feeling.

You Aren’t Always Just Being Paranoid

Listening to those feelings is not paranoia, it’s street smarts. Ignore these feelings at your own peril.

Talk to people who’ve been mugged, attacked, beaten, robbed, raped, or kidnapped and I bet 9 out of 10 (if they weren’t taken completely by surprise) had some uneasy feeling right before the SHTF. It’s universal. I’ve certainly had that feeling before every dangerous situation I’ve been in.

Paying attention to those primal instincts is something you can’t afford to learn the hard way. In fact, tapping into those instincts is something you should actively cultivate.

Final Thoughts

I hope this story can be a reminder that gut instincts are there for a reason, and maybe someone out there reading this can avoid a dangerous situation because of it.

And I hope it also serves as a reminder that even in places where there are designated safety personnel, you can’t afford to totally let your guard down or ignore a gut feeling because “nobody else seems worried.” Our safety and the safety of those around us is our responsibility.

Let me know your thoughts…

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327 thoughts on “Trust your instincts – A True Story”

  1. I have been a proponent of following my instincts ever since I was a very young child. I great up on the streets of Newark NJ. I had to believe in my instincts to keep from walking into……WHAT EVER. Kept me and my friends out of a lot of ratchet situations. Sometimes they didn’t listen to me and paid for it. I thank God for His intervention through GUT FEELINGS!

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  2. Good memo. I am sure that everyone can relate to the information offered. We need to be reminded to remember that weird feeling is there for a reason. We need to be aware and not be ashamed to pay heed to it. It may save your life. It has mine more times than I care to remember in my life as a law officer.

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  3. Totally agree, we should pay attention to our surrounding, not the cellphone when we are out on the street. I was new in country, I saw couple of young dude on the street around 2 am , the weather was freezing, I offer them free ride, instead , they threatened me to drive them towards out if city, in middle if nowhere, during the drive one if the guy grab the I the other guy who was sitting on front and start checking him, he was begging him to let go, I realized I made really made a bad choice to offer them a ride, after driving for an hour, I start thinking that Im in trouble, now what need to be done to get rid off these scary duds, from a distance I notice a busy Gas station with 7 & 11 with lots of car , suddenly I pulled in A Gas station and said loudly that I need gas, I got out start pumping gas into my car, they thought it’s gonna take me a while to fill up the tank, they decide to hi inside 7&11 , I didn’t hesitated, got back in the car, locked the door and took off, by the time they realized, I was on the road, got lucky, gas a deep breath and thanked Go. Otherwise I can imagine my destiny could go side way, I jest my lesson to be alert in situations.

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  4. Why do you have to keep on writing about it “that much” after it is explained what happened, the guy left with the cops to the funny farm or happy home.

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  5. This is very true. You must be alert, and really keep track of what is going on all around you. Her instincts were great, and their follow-up was very good too.

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  6. I was trained a long long timer ago to “pay attention” to what goes on around me. I has saved me from various things – including warning me that 2 men were about to mug me. I had time to prepare and cut one of them with one of the several knifes I always carry – they changed their mind and found out that this old man was more than ready for them. They left

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  7. I am one to always be scanning, looking for unusual out of the ordinary things around me and my loved ones . I explain these things to my family members on a regular bases to keep them aware of there surroundings. You cannot be to careful especially now a days terrorisms , etc. I go by U.S.O. Unusual, suspicious , out of the ordinary. It is also important to Conceal Carry to keep you and your loved ones protected as I do. PLEASE AMERICA BE MORE DILIGENT!

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  8. No Shyte…Spacial/Room/situational awareness or ‘reading’ is Vital to survival/security for all involved.

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  9. Most observant of Sarah.
    A lesson for all of us to be aware and to react positively to warnings.
    Thank you.

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  11. Gospel truth and I share the same sentiments. Living in an above average danger zone one gets ‘used to’ or just apathetic to real Life or Death situations… Thanks for the lesson (for those who didn’t know) and for the reminder for the lucky few who are Aware! As always humble and respectful thanks from sunny South Africa

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  12. Good idea to share this story. In this upside down culture, what was once considered weird &/or bad behavior is now tolerated in the name of ‘tolerance’. But good is still good, and bad is still bad regardless of how the media and ‘various elites’ try to spin it. Yes, be alert. Listen to your ‘gut’. Better to act and find out that nothing is wrong, than to cower to the ‘political correct’ social pressure and have people hurt or worse.

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  13. For those of us who live in a “safe place” we must still remain vigilant. I hope i never need to draw my concealed weapon but fully intend to be prepared to do so if the need arises. Head on a swivel and alert condition yellow unless i am asleep.

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  14. Great blog. I’ve been in a shtf situation & you’re exactly right about the total shock of it when the person threatening & hurting you is someone you know & love. You get that uneasy gut feeling but dismiss it because of knowing that person. Hindsight is a painful reminder.

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  15. Study’s show most people do have a bad feeling when something bad is going to happen. Unfortunately most of the untrained ignore their warnings and just walk into trouble. There was a good book on this called “The Gift of Fear” by Gavin De Becker from 1997. Probably not still in print, but a good book of info if you can find it. Good article!

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  16. Great advice, it’s critically important to be very aware of your surroundings and to pay attention to your inner voice. If you feel somethings wrong it usually is, and it is time to act. Take whatever action is appropriate for the problem. Don’t wait till you have to react with no other options

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  17. Good story and good advice.
    I am a Retired Rescue and Recovery Diver.
    I cut my carreer short after my observations were ignored and a Man died due to gross negligence of the Promoters of a Drag Boat Racing event I was working.

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  19. A very good lesson to always keep in mind at all times. I had those times that my gut feeling is telling me to do or not do. Sometimes I ignored it and felt sorry for myself. Thanks for sharing. It’s a very important.

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  21. In todays world we as adults either married or married with children. Hell even alone face stress that this New World hurls at us. You have to be cautious in all situations and pro active 100%. This alone can save lives like Joe and Sarah did. Paranoia is a finer sense of reality to me. Love your site Bob and learn everyday.

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  22. I have had this “gut instinct” happen several times in my life, It is a true feeling and it does direct me to an insinctual next move.

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  23. It was smart of Sarah to follow her gut intuition.I have been in situations like that many times and followed mine intuition saving many lives.

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  27. We should always be alert of all of our surroundings. We don’t know what other people are thinking oh, what they have just been through, what their intentions are…

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  28. I shared this to FB, bc it’s spot on! Listening to your gut, being street-smart has always been more important to me than being book-smart. Thanks for the reminder! 🙂

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  29. I was an indoor shooting range employee and manager for 20 years. During that time we had we had six suicides, none on my watch. I like to think that I prevented at least two or three. One in particular that I remember: I was in the habit of telling inexperienced patrons that they must come with someone who had experience or attend the basic firearms class. The owner of the range found out I was turning people away and instructed me to give whatever assistance necessary at the counter and then send them out to shoot. A young woman (20 ish) came in one day and said she wanted to shoot. I tried to talk her into taking the class or bringing someone with experience. She wasn’t having any of that sh*t, she wanted to shoot now. I knew if I turned her away, my ass would be in deep kimchi with the owner. Reluctantly I sent her out to shoot, but kept an eye on her. I caught her looking down the barrel of her weapon and Immediately yelled at her on the intercom. She left. A few days later I got a call at home telling me that a woman had just commited suicide at the range. When I got to the range and looked at her waiver, I saw that it was the woman from a few days before. As you can guess, the owner did some serious back stepping saying that he didn’t mean that I couldn’t use my judgement to decide on a case by case basis whether or not to allow inexperienced shooters to rent a gun and go shoot by themselves. No, of course not.

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  30. Hey Bob. About the items you give away, I am unable to actually get any of them at this time unfortunately. Like the lock pick set (I’ve always wanted one) and your other gear too. I was wondering if you could set aside all of the freebies you’ve given so far (if you have any left) for me to pick up at a later date, thx

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  31. Always trust your instincts! And always tell someone what your instincts are telling you to be on the safe side. So that they can become a watcher too! If you enter a parking lot and feel you are being followed stop the first person you see and start talking to them , tell. Them what you are feeling and to escort you back inside store or to your ca if needed get another person too and have car alarm going off. Be ready to fight back. Have people stay with you until you leave then be on phone with friend , mom to give license plate , description of vehicle to etc. please stay safe!

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  32. Makes you think about it rather than blow it off as being paranoid or just plain untrusting of other people around you. In today’s world can not afford to ignore anything. It’s not like it was when I grew up. Thanks for making me thinking about this. Thanks to the people who saw and said something about this situation.

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  33. I strongly believe in gut instincts & it’s served me well in my 64 yrs. As Tom Selleck of Magnum PI fame always referred to his “little voice”, believe in it. The times I’ve ignored it (which hasn’t been many) usually turned out unpleasant.
    Thanks to you & the messages you share.

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  34. Hey mate……dont send this attempted range suicide story to Australia or New Zealand…..it will be another excuse for the politicians n anti gun lobbyists to take away our firearms…….

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  36. Joe and Sarah’s experience should be another cautionary tale for everybody who goes out in the public every day. In this day and age you never know who is friend or foe or who might be looking to take out a crowd of people with a firearm, a bladed weapon, a vehicle, etc. This is a sad but true fact of living in our society today. With a seemingly on the rise mental health crisis in this country and the growing threat of homegrown, radicalized ideologues it is not getting any better. So we might as well accept this and act accordingly.
    Personally when I go anywhere I’m constantly assessing my surroundings and the people in those surroundings, whether I’m in a large crowd or among a few people in a convenience store. I also carry multiple weapons of varying types, as well as a handcuff key and a lock picking set, as you never know if you might be taken captive by one of the aforementioned threats. Our first instincts in these situations are usually right so listen to them. We all need to take active measures to secure ours and our loved ones’ personal safety.

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  37. I really liked this article. I’ve been traveling across Canada at a very young age and that ” gut feeling ” saved my ass many times. I’ve tried to pass this information on to my son. I’m just hoping that it hit home.

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  38. I allways leave one weapon loaded just in case if anyone being stupid in the range and I allways listen to my instincts they are never wrong

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  39. Great example of observant citizens, who trusted their gut and acted on it. Unfortunately most people don’t want to know what’s going on around them,hence they become victims. Great job these two life savers did that day.

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  40. Amazing. Do you know all my life I look into things that happen or about to happen very deeply. I’m usually right about the outcome. And I nothing special. But you have just explained precisely why… I have felt that way…….. Gut INSTINCT. thank you

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  42. That was so awesome and people don’t keep there souroundings in mind I’m allways telling people I know pay attention shut up and look that is the first thing that should be in your mind at all times I don’t get it and thank you for the story if more people did just that this place would be so much better

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  43. Your training vids are excellent. I am retired and rehabbing from a non fight related injury and just came across your videos. I am a cyclist and last year I there was an increase in attacks on cyclists so am interested in increasing my knowledge in defense moves. So as time permits I will follow your videos.

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  44. I always trust my gut feelings. I have been watching all the videos. I have always carried a blade but now I am training with hand guns. I live alone with my dog Rascal, legally deaf (aids), 5’2″, 120 and can get crazy angry if threatened, no fear and I don’t call the cops. Monkey flip was so cool! My son is a sniper for US ARMY, going to try the Monkey flip on him! HOOHA

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  45. Thanks for the heads up to be ready for action when my gut sounds an alarm or when the Holy Spirit gives me a nudge. Driving across Libya and 2 guys with Kalashnikov started following us in a sports car. I was leading and thought about what to do. When they stopped to pray, we went off the highway onto a small road and stopped. I was looking carefully and they actually pulled up on the same little road and looked around, but I believe that they were prevented from seeing us because they left while we were in plane view.

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  46. I wonder if the staff & those present that day realise they owe Joe & Sarah a huge debt. Hopefully the range staff were educated on being more observant for the future.

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  47. This woman was very observant and saw cues outside the norm; she sensed that those cues were outside the reality of the shooting range. I worked on locked wards for 22 years, and there’s an inner feeling that becomes quite acute, because you’re dealing with delusional and/or hallucinatory people, which obviously means you’ve got to be on your guard from time to time; this woman saw the eyes of this man, and they are very revealing; there is an emptiness and dark feeling, which is quite disconcerting! Thanks, for your good work!

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  48. This was an article that I can truly relate to. Being in the Army for 12 years, I seriously trust my gut feelings. Everytime I ignore my gut feelings, something goes wrong. Listening to my gut is what has made me successful in life. When my wife asks me about something I respond with “what does your gut tell you”? I get “browney” points. Thank you for the article.

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  49. As a CRSO I am appalled by the staff reaction. As an LEO training officer for 24 years, I am often appalled by the LEO reaction to various situations. That is why I train officers and civilians to be their own bodyguards. “When seconds count the police are only minutes away.”

    Hats off to Sarah and Joe. I hope those I train are as reliable as they are.

    SI VIS PACEM PARA BELLUM

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  50. A smart man told me a long time ago to always listen to my gut instincts. That nine times out of ten my instincts would be right. I have lived most of my adult life by this little piece of advice. I am still above ground today because I held true to my instincts. May 27th 1994, Reno Nevada, on my way home from work two bad men high on meth. Started to follow us. Long story short, I dispatched one. The other fled, mind you this is nothing I am proud of. I hate that I had to react the way I did that night. Twenty-five years later I still carry it with me. The on going education that your site provides has helped me out with certain issues. I thank you for this. The instructors are clear and concise, and the instructions always come with a word of caution. That with great power comes great responsibility, something I know to be true. I’m rambling now, you must stay vigilant to stay safe. Head on a swivel people. Stay safe. James

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