I've had very good luck with the maglite. It's easy to brandish and in every instance it has been successful at getting people to back away. I've also never had a cop give me grief for holding one. When a cop approaches me I usually do something simple like turn it on and look under my wheel well to give the impression that I'm using it as a light.
That being said, if someone closes the distance on me while I'm holding it I'll quickly drop it and pull out the .380 if needed. If possible I'd probably try to use mace first. Unfortunately, once the gun comes out, chances are some overzealous prosecutor is going to try to lock me up.
If im not actually in fear for my life, but somebody needs to get the fuck out of my face, id mace them. I keep a can of bear spray in my drivers door pocket.
I carry one of the small mace things in my pocket all the time. I've used it twice and it worked beautifully both times. I'm still not comfortable carrying the .380 anywhere I end up running around with kids (soccer practice, parks, etc).
I'd also be worried about the temperature extremes in the summer with leaving bear mace in the car. At one point I tried to buy a fire extinguisher for my car. Only the full size industrial ones were rated for the temps my car sees 30 days of the year.
Unfortunately, once the gun comes out, chances are some overzealous prosecutor is going to try to lock me up.
How would they know?
If the situation successfully deescalated, I could see the criminal making up some story later. Even when it's on camera proving the need, plenty of people have been charged by malicious prosecutors.
If the situation requires deadly force, keeping that quiet is pretty difficult as well.
I was under the impression that if a situation that involved a gun deescalated, it was because at least one party involved in it would no longer be able to tell any story?
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