This is what I trained for
Just prior to leaving Alaska, I purchased a small sized. 45 caliber handgun through the mail as I wanted to protect myself living in New
Star PD. 45 pistol
York City because of the noted crime rate at the time. The gun arrived within days and I simply packed it in my suitcase as I flew to the East Coast.
Statue, UN, New York City, Photo by Barry Epstein
Photo courtesy of Google
It was a Spanish made Star PD pistol with a five shot clip. My bullet choice were hollow points which had maximum expansion effect, notably small entry and very large exit. It also has amazingly potent stopping power even for the largest person. I always had this high powered pistol in my glove box and many times I carried it concealed. I was an expert shot and used it many times at several ranges in New Jersey and in Upstate New York. In New York City at the time was a 1 year mandatory jail sentence if you were caught carrying a concealed and unlicensed weapon.
But the expression goes, I’ d rather be tried by 12 colleagues than carried by 6 friends.
New York back then was much rougher than it is today as it had a very high crime rate and I was prepared to use this pistol to defend Mimi and me. I always carried this gun when we went out in Manhattan. On one of my visits to a New York hospital to attend a seminar, there was a shootout on the train just after mine.
On a subsequent visit to the Bronx VA Hospital, I almost had to use my gun. I was in the last train carriage and alone. Seconds before the doors closed a very tall black man jumped onto the train and he was wearing a long black coat. He clearly looked threatening and he immediately walked over to me. I had my gun in my coat pocket and I was holding it. I cocked the hammer back and took the safety off and I was ready to rock and roll. He was now right in my space and he took out a tin can with a charity logo on it and asked me if I wanted to donate. Muggers usually ask for the time, a light or money. With my other hand I gave him a couple of dollars and thankfully, he walked away. I uncocked my weapon and put the safety on but I was feeling a bit nervous with my high levels of adrenaline pumping through me, but I was clearly under control. After all, this is what I trained for!
A few years later there was a similar situation in the subway in Manhattan in 1984 that involved a shooting. Bernhard Goetz fired his unlicensed revolver five times and seriously wounded four men who were trying to mug him. He was a folk hero as he symbolized the frustrations of the elevated crime levels in NYC.
A jury found him not guilty of all charges except an illegal firearms possession for which he served two thirds of a 1 year sentence. Several years later in a Civil Suit he was taken to the cleaners financially. In retrospect, I was glad that I did not have to use my gun!
BARRY STEVEN EPSTEIN- PhotoAutobiography DRAFT 47 of 156