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Most gun owners (yourself included) who drive have likely encountered or dealt with road rage while carrying a gun. 99% of these cases don’t end up being cases of concealed carry vs road rage (a.k.a. a gunfight), but the thought has probably crossed your mind.
When you encounter an enraged driver, no matter how seasoned of a driver you are, a switch always goes off in your mind. Your palms get sweaty, your heart starts racing, and if you’re a concealed carrier, you start thinking about reaching down to grab your gun off your gun magnet or from your holster in case things really get hairy. Pretty standard – after all, what if things go sideways?
In these cases of concealed carry vs road rage, how should one act? In this article, we will tackle the legal landmines strewn across this often discussed topic. We also teach you how to deal with situations when road rage and guns mix together, how to prevent yourself from getting road rage, and examine certain driving habits you might have while driving with your concealed carry that may cause road rage in others.
Table of Contents
Can you shoot someone for road rage?
Why do people road rage?
Concealed carry vs road rage: how to protect yourself from road rage
How to prevent yourself from getting road rage
How to prevent other drivers around you from getting road rage
Conclusion
Can you shoot someone for road rage?
The short answer: situations vary, but no. To begin, let’s define road rage. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, road rage is defined as “a motorist’s uncontrolled anger that is usually provoked by another motorist’s irritating act and is expressed in aggressive or violent behavior.”
This being said, many gun owners believe it is within their right to shoot someone for road rage in a case of concealed carry vs road rage by claiming self-defense. This kind of thinking generally stems from situations like the one that happened in Virginia in July 2017, where Virginia man Ernest Stickell shot a woman that he claimed “boxed him in and threatened him” during a road rage-induced yelling match.
In such scenarios, some gun owners feel that since they feel their life is “threatened” (being boxed in, being screamed at, having threats hurled at them and their family, having their car punched or kicked, etc.), they are empowered to open fire. This, however, is not always the case. Although you may feel “threatened”, your local court of law may not rule in your favor for self-defense based on how you feel/perceived a situation.
For instance, many states (like Illinois and Texas) have laws that state if the defendant was shown to have expressed ANY aggression during the road rage incident prior to any “defensive actions”, such aggression would negate any self-defense arguments you would have. That means if you engage in a screaming match with another irate driver and he begins advancing on you, if you shoot him, you would not be able to claim self defense (all situational, of course – READ your state laws).
Remember – just because the other person is saying “fighting words”, it doesn’t give you the right to draw your gun and start open fire.
Why do people road rage?
Before we lay out the roadmap to successfully defending yourself against road rage, one must first understand WHY people get road rage.
People have bad days
This is probably one of the most common reasons behind drivers getting road rage. Someone has a bad day at work or gets into an argument with their spouse and then get on the road. Then, you accidentally cut them off. Like the proverbial straw breaking the camel’s back, they explode and start chasing you down the freeway.
People feel slighted by your actions, and don’t want to miss their opportunity to retaliate
Have you ever been insulted by anyone, didn’t respond, and spent an inordinate amount of time afterwards berating yourself for not lashing back? That was your ego edging you on, and how most road ragers feel after you “insult” them via cutting them off or driving too close to them. They feel slighted, and want “get back”.
They have anger issues
This one is a pretty obvious reason: yes, maybe you didn’t turn on your turn signal, but reacting by flipping you off is probably a sign of a bigger issue.
They feel anonymous and protected in their car
A strong percentage of drivers who admit to having gotten into road rage incidents also admit that being in their car gives them a sense of protection and anonymity.
They have a gun
Unfortunately, gun ownership has quite often been correlated with more rash drivers that are more prone to road rage. This correlation has to deal with drivers feeling “armed and dangerous” while carrying concealed and driving. Although a rational thinker would assume that given the current political climate, these more hot-headed gun owners would think twice about their actions before giving guns a bad name. However, foresight is not always a given.
Concealed carry vs road rage: how to protect yourself from road rage
So if you can’t pull your gun to defend yourself against road rage, what tactics should you employ against overly aggressive drivers? We’ve put together a list of best practices and rules to abide by when dealing with an enraged driver while concealed carrying.
Woo-sah: stay calm
Don’t let the heat of the moment or your adrenaline drive you to rash decisions. As one of my favorite writers, Jocko Willink, said:
Stay calm, look around, and make a decision.
Drive as defensively and safely as humanly possible when being harassed
Don’t start speeding and rapidly switching lanes. You are trying to lose the nutjob who’s chasing you, but not at the expense of others. Accidentally ramming your car into a bystander’s vehicle doesn’t do you nor anyone else any good.
Call the police
If you have someone in your car, have them dialing 911 and telling the police exactly what is going on, down to every detail you know about your location and the situation. If you are alone, do so on your own phone while on speaker so you can keep both hands on the steering wheel.
Record details about the other vehicle and driver in your mind
Make mental notes (or a voice note on your phone) of the car’s color, make, model, license plate number, etc. If you can safely record the car with your phone/camera, even better.
Do not try to drive home
This one is a bit obvious, but under no circumstances should you attempt to drive home in such a scenario. You might feel that driving home will be a safe bet as you might have your AR-15 at home/three big sons with baseball bats to come out of the house, but you don’t know how long the person harassing you holds a grudge for. Letting this person find out where you live endangers you and your family.
If driving on the highway, switch to local. If driving local, switch to the highway
Think about it: if you are driving, you’re likely going somewhere. If you’re driving on the highway, getting off onto a service/local road will likely shake him, and vice-versa.
If forced to stop, try to get to a public rest stop with witnesses (a police station would be the best option)
If you’ve been chased for several miles already and have no choice but to stop, pull over. However, attempt to find a public rest stop with witnesses or a police station to stop at so you can seek help.
Peel off if possible
If you’ve stopped and the driver has pulled up behind you and exited his vehicle, try to drive off as he’s walking to you. DO NOT exit and engage.
Don’t get out of your car
If you’ve been forced to stop at the side of the road and the driver has now approached your car and is screaming/threatening you and you do not have a way to drive off, continue to remain calm and DO NOT exit your vehicle. Doing so will likely only escalate the situation. Do not let your ego or the fact that you have a concealed carry cause you to become irrational and retaliate. It will only make the situation worse.
Create as much attention about the situation as possible to bystanders
You by now should still be on the phone with 911, and should also be honking and gesturing to bystanders to show that you are being harassed and in distress. This will cause people to investigate and potentially drive off your aggressor.
Don’t speak to your aggressor
This is a debatable tactic (if you ignore someone, they might get even angrier). However, engaging in a heated exchange with someone who is already extremely angry might drive up your anger, which will only escalate the situation – especially if you are dealing with a concealed carry vs road rage scenario. Keep your windows tightly shut and let it be known you are on the phone with the police.
Do not display or draw your gun unless you are in true danger.
We won’t get into scenarios where you SHOULD draw your gun, because there almost never is a concrete way to flesh out when it is acceptable to draw your gun due to varying state laws and the varied circumstances of road rage incidents.
In a concealed carry vs road rage scenario, drawing your firearm is the ultimate escalation that may either cause the aggressor to stand down, or cause him to escalate the situation and/or get out his own gun. Guns drawn often lead to shootouts, and shootouts on highways generally lead to prison or worse. Don’t draw your gun unless you’re ready to use it. To learn how to hide your gun in your car for those extreme cases, click here.
How to prevent yourself from getting road rage
Are you prone to getting irrationally upset on the road while driving? Here are some best practices to keep yourself cool, calm, and collected even under the most stressful, road rage inducing situations while concealed carrying.
Don’t be late
A lot of times, bad time management leads to people not getting out to their destinations in time. This causes stress and pressure in a normally easy commute. That stress and pressure can become road rage at the drop of a dime. Get out of your house on time, and don’t dilly dally so you can be stress free on the road.
Think about how bad prison is
You’re a law-abiding, concealed carrying citizen. Does being cooped up with rapists and murderers sound fun to you? If not, then think about those things when you feel slighted by an obnoxious driver on the road. Because that’s what you have waiting for you if you give in to road rage and let things get out of hand.
Stop, take a walk, and think
Don’t let your ego and concealed carry drive you to make rash decisions. Pull over, think over what happened, get over it, and get after the rest of your day.
Adjust your car’s climate control
Is it hot out? Turn your AC higher. Is it cold out? Turn your heat up. You don’t want the outside temperature to drive you into do something irrational/rash you wouldn’t do otherwise.
Assume everyone else on the road is a raging psychopath with a bigger gun
If you’re concealed carrying, you might not be as afraid to flip off some other driver. But what if he’s armed, has a bigger gun, and even less afraid to pull it out than you are? Assume everyone else on the road is even more well armed than you are. Also assume they are more willing to use their gun than you are.
Know that cursing someone out doesn’t make them a better driver
You might get great satisfaction for chewing someone out for reckless driving, but it doesn’t magically make them a better driver. They will either go back to driving school or continue driving the way they do – it’s not your prerogative to change that, and blowing up on them certainly won’t change their driving inabilities anyway.
How to prevent other drivers around you from getting road rage
There’s an issue I’ve noticed that often comes up with gun owners involved in concealed carry vs road rage incidents quite often. That is – the person telling the story often depicts the story as one-sided events where one lunatic was the cause of all the strife in the incident. In most if not all cases, however, both parties could have done things differently to de-escalate the situation. We’ve put together a short list of things that you can do better/be more mindful of on the road to avoid more of your own concealed carry vs road rage incidents.
Drive defensively
Don’t be the aggressive driver trying to cut across lanes. Leave the house earlier, and drive cautiously to avoid accidents and setting off any potential road rage incidents that may draw you into a situation where you need to draw your gun.
Avoid making eye contact with other drivers while driving
I lived in New York for a couple of years, and while their gun laws were absolutely abhorrent, I learned a very important lesson living there that I never learned growing up down south: eye contact can sometimes be viewed as a sign of aggression. While this sounds ridiculous, I’m sure you can think back to times driving and wondering to yourself why another driver was staring at you from an adjacent lane. It’s minute, but can be misconstrued.
Don’t cut people off
This is probably one of the biggest causes of accidents on the road and of road rage. It’s rude and very dangerous – don’t do it.
Give way to more aggressive drivers
Someone’s driving like a mad man next to you? Give way. Live to fight another day.
Don’t honk back
Feeling slighted about someone honking at you? It is an obnoxious sound that makes a lot of people tick. However, it’s simply not worth it. Going back and forth with honking might feel satisfying at first, but things escalate. As a concealed carrier and gun owner, you can’t afford to let that happen.
Don’t drive over the speed limit
Driving over the speed limit usually also goes hand-in-hand with cutting people off and excessive honking (which all leads into road rage). Avoid at all costs.
Don’t tailgate
Nobody likes someone driving two inches from their rear. Leave a full car’s distance between you and the car in front of you (if possible) to avoid any potential conflicts.
Don’t yell at people on the road
Angry at someone else driving poorly? Screaming at them and chasing after them won’t help. Pull over, take a breather, and keep getting after your day.
Don’t drive with your high beams blazing with other cars in front of you
Ever have someone drive behind you with their high beams on full blast? It’s just as annoying when you do it to other people. Be cognizant of your headlight settings while driving.
Signal before changing lanes
Pretty basic driving school practices, but signal before you change any lanes. Not doing so is dangerous and can set people off which can put you in sticky concealed carry vs road rage situations where you have to debate drawing your firearm. Not a good scenario to be in.
Conclusion
Letting go after feeling slighted isn’t always the easiest thing to do. And sometimes, lashing out, screaming, and cursing feels is VERY satisfying. However, doing so isn’t always the most productive or safe thing to do. As a gun owner, you have a higher standard to uphold in such concealed carry vs road rage scenarios. Road rage and guns don’t mix well, and it’s your job to make sure those two ingredients stay separate. Keeping a cool head and sticking to the tips in this article is good start in protecting against road rage. Let’s work together to help lower the road rage gun statistics.
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Concealed Carry vs Road Rage: How to Deal with Road Rage and Guns
The GMW Concealed Carry Gun Pack. Now available now on Amazon.com.
BUY NOW
BUY NOW
Most gun owners (yourself included) who drive have likely encountered or dealt with road rage while carrying a gun. 99% of these cases don’t end up being cases of concealed carry vs road rage (a.k.a. a gunfight), but the thought has probably crossed your mind.
When you encounter an enraged driver, no matter how seasoned of a driver you are, a switch always goes off in your mind. Your palms get sweaty, your heart starts racing, and if you’re a concealed carrier, you start thinking about reaching down to grab your gun off your gun magnet or from your holster in case things really get hairy. Pretty standard – after all, what if things go sideways?
In these cases of concealed carry vs road rage, how should one act? In this article, we will tackle the legal landmines strewn across this often discussed topic. We also teach you how to deal with situations when road rage and guns mix together, how to prevent yourself from getting road rage, and examine certain driving habits you might have while driving with your concealed carry that may cause road rage in others.
Table of Contents
Can you shoot someone for road rage?
Why do people road rage?
Concealed carry vs road rage: how to protect yourself from road rage
How to prevent yourself from getting road rage
How to prevent other drivers around you from getting road rage
Conclusion
Can you shoot someone for road rage?
The short answer: situations vary, but no. To begin, let’s define road rage. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, road rage is defined as “a motorist’s uncontrolled anger that is usually provoked by another motorist’s irritating act and is expressed in aggressive or violent behavior.”
This being said, many gun owners believe it is within their right to shoot someone for road rage in a case of concealed carry vs road rage by claiming self-defense. This kind of thinking generally stems from situations like the one that happened in Virginia in July 2017, where Virginia man Ernest Stickell shot a woman that he claimed “boxed him in and threatened him” during a road rage-induced yelling match.
In such scenarios, some gun owners feel that since they feel their life is “threatened” (being boxed in, being screamed at, having threats hurled at them and their family, having their car punched or kicked, etc.), they are empowered to open fire. This, however, is not always the case. Although you may feel “threatened”, your local court of law may not rule in your favor for self-defense based on how you feel/perceived a situation.
For instance, many states (like Illinois and Texas) have laws that state if the defendant was shown to have expressed ANY aggression during the road rage incident prior to any “defensive actions”, such aggression would negate any self-defense arguments you would have. That means if you engage in a screaming match with another irate driver and he begins advancing on you, if you shoot him, you would not be able to claim self defense (all situational, of course – READ your state laws).
Remember – just because the other person is saying “fighting words”, it doesn’t give you the right to draw your gun and start open fire.
Why do people road rage?
Before we lay out the roadmap to successfully defending yourself against road rage, one must first understand WHY people get road rage.
People have bad days
This is probably one of the most common reasons behind drivers getting road rage. Someone has a bad day at work or gets into an argument with their spouse and then get on the road. Then, you accidentally cut them off. Like the proverbial straw breaking the camel’s back, they explode and start chasing you down the freeway.
People feel slighted by your actions, and don’t want to miss their opportunity to retaliate
Have you ever been insulted by anyone, didn’t respond, and spent an inordinate amount of time afterwards berating yourself for not lashing back? That was your ego edging you on, and how most road ragers feel after you “insult” them via cutting them off or driving too close to them. They feel slighted, and want “get back”.
They have anger issues
This one is a pretty obvious reason: yes, maybe you didn’t turn on your turn signal, but reacting by flipping you off is probably a sign of a bigger issue.
They feel anonymous and protected in their car
A strong percentage of drivers who admit to having gotten into road rage incidents also admit that being in their car gives them a sense of protection and anonymity.
They have a gun
Unfortunately, gun ownership has quite often been correlated with more rash drivers that are more prone to road rage. This correlation has to deal with drivers feeling “armed and dangerous” while carrying concealed and driving. Although a rational thinker would assume that given the current political climate, these more hot-headed gun owners would think twice about their actions before giving guns a bad name. However, foresight is not always a given.
Concealed carry vs road rage: how to protect yourself from road rage
So if you can’t pull your gun to defend yourself against road rage, what tactics should you employ against overly aggressive drivers? We’ve put together a list of best practices and rules to abide by when dealing with an enraged driver while concealed carrying.
Woo-sah: stay calm
Don’t let the heat of the moment or your adrenaline drive you to rash decisions. As one of my favorite writers, Jocko Willink, said:
Drive as defensively and safely as humanly possible when being harassed
Don’t start speeding and rapidly switching lanes. You are trying to lose the nutjob who’s chasing you, but not at the expense of others. Accidentally ramming your car into a bystander’s vehicle doesn’t do you nor anyone else any good.
Call the police
If you have someone in your car, have them dialing 911 and telling the police exactly what is going on, down to every detail you know about your location and the situation. If you are alone, do so on your own phone while on speaker so you can keep both hands on the steering wheel.
Record details about the other vehicle and driver in your mind
Make mental notes (or a voice note on your phone) of the car’s color, make, model, license plate number, etc. If you can safely record the car with your phone/camera, even better.
Do not try to drive home
This one is a bit obvious, but under no circumstances should you attempt to drive home in such a scenario. You might feel that driving home will be a safe bet as you might have your AR-15 at home/three big sons with baseball bats to come out of the house, but you don’t know how long the person harassing you holds a grudge for. Letting this person find out where you live endangers you and your family.
If driving on the highway, switch to local. If driving local, switch to the highway
Think about it: if you are driving, you’re likely going somewhere. If you’re driving on the highway, getting off onto a service/local road will likely shake him, and vice-versa.
If forced to stop, try to get to a public rest stop with witnesses (a police station would be the best option)
If you’ve been chased for several miles already and have no choice but to stop, pull over. However, attempt to find a public rest stop with witnesses or a police station to stop at so you can seek help.
Peel off if possible
If you’ve stopped and the driver has pulled up behind you and exited his vehicle, try to drive off as he’s walking to you. DO NOT exit and engage.
Don’t get out of your car
If you’ve been forced to stop at the side of the road and the driver has now approached your car and is screaming/threatening you and you do not have a way to drive off, continue to remain calm and DO NOT exit your vehicle. Doing so will likely only escalate the situation. Do not let your ego or the fact that you have a concealed carry cause you to become irrational and retaliate. It will only make the situation worse.
Create as much attention about the situation as possible to bystanders
You by now should still be on the phone with 911, and should also be honking and gesturing to bystanders to show that you are being harassed and in distress. This will cause people to investigate and potentially drive off your aggressor.
Don’t speak to your aggressor
This is a debatable tactic (if you ignore someone, they might get even angrier). However, engaging in a heated exchange with someone who is already extremely angry might drive up your anger, which will only escalate the situation – especially if you are dealing with a concealed carry vs road rage scenario. Keep your windows tightly shut and let it be known you are on the phone with the police.
Do not display or draw your gun unless you are in true danger.
We won’t get into scenarios where you SHOULD draw your gun, because there almost never is a concrete way to flesh out when it is acceptable to draw your gun due to varying state laws and the varied circumstances of road rage incidents.
In a concealed carry vs road rage scenario, drawing your firearm is the ultimate escalation that may either cause the aggressor to stand down, or cause him to escalate the situation and/or get out his own gun. Guns drawn often lead to shootouts, and shootouts on highways generally lead to prison or worse. Don’t draw your gun unless you’re ready to use it. To learn how to hide your gun in your car for those extreme cases, click here.
How to prevent yourself from getting road rage
Are you prone to getting irrationally upset on the road while driving? Here are some best practices to keep yourself cool, calm, and collected even under the most stressful, road rage inducing situations while concealed carrying.
Don’t be late
A lot of times, bad time management leads to people not getting out to their destinations in time. This causes stress and pressure in a normally easy commute. That stress and pressure can become road rage at the drop of a dime. Get out of your house on time, and don’t dilly dally so you can be stress free on the road.
Think about how bad prison is
You’re a law-abiding, concealed carrying citizen. Does being cooped up with rapists and murderers sound fun to you? If not, then think about those things when you feel slighted by an obnoxious driver on the road. Because that’s what you have waiting for you if you give in to road rage and let things get out of hand.
Stop, take a walk, and think
Don’t let your ego and concealed carry drive you to make rash decisions. Pull over, think over what happened, get over it, and get after the rest of your day.
Adjust your car’s climate control
Is it hot out? Turn your AC higher. Is it cold out? Turn your heat up. You don’t want the outside temperature to drive you into do something irrational/rash you wouldn’t do otherwise.
Assume everyone else on the road is a raging psychopath with a bigger gun
If you’re concealed carrying, you might not be as afraid to flip off some other driver. But what if he’s armed, has a bigger gun, and even less afraid to pull it out than you are? Assume everyone else on the road is even more well armed than you are. Also assume they are more willing to use their gun than you are.
Know that cursing someone out doesn’t make them a better driver
You might get great satisfaction for chewing someone out for reckless driving, but it doesn’t magically make them a better driver. They will either go back to driving school or continue driving the way they do – it’s not your prerogative to change that, and blowing up on them certainly won’t change their driving inabilities anyway.
How to prevent other drivers around you from getting road rage
There’s an issue I’ve noticed that often comes up with gun owners involved in concealed carry vs road rage incidents quite often. That is – the person telling the story often depicts the story as one-sided events where one lunatic was the cause of all the strife in the incident. In most if not all cases, however, both parties could have done things differently to de-escalate the situation. We’ve put together a short list of things that you can do better/be more mindful of on the road to avoid more of your own concealed carry vs road rage incidents.
Drive defensively
Don’t be the aggressive driver trying to cut across lanes. Leave the house earlier, and drive cautiously to avoid accidents and setting off any potential road rage incidents that may draw you into a situation where you need to draw your gun.
Avoid making eye contact with other drivers while driving
I lived in New York for a couple of years, and while their gun laws were absolutely abhorrent, I learned a very important lesson living there that I never learned growing up down south: eye contact can sometimes be viewed as a sign of aggression. While this sounds ridiculous, I’m sure you can think back to times driving and wondering to yourself why another driver was staring at you from an adjacent lane. It’s minute, but can be misconstrued.
Don’t cut people off
This is probably one of the biggest causes of accidents on the road and of road rage. It’s rude and very dangerous – don’t do it.
Give way to more aggressive drivers
Someone’s driving like a mad man next to you? Give way. Live to fight another day.
Don’t honk back
Feeling slighted about someone honking at you? It is an obnoxious sound that makes a lot of people tick. However, it’s simply not worth it. Going back and forth with honking might feel satisfying at first, but things escalate. As a concealed carrier and gun owner, you can’t afford to let that happen.
Don’t drive over the speed limit
Driving over the speed limit usually also goes hand-in-hand with cutting people off and excessive honking (which all leads into road rage). Avoid at all costs.
Don’t tailgate
Nobody likes someone driving two inches from their rear. Leave a full car’s distance between you and the car in front of you (if possible) to avoid any potential conflicts.
Don’t yell at people on the road
Angry at someone else driving poorly? Screaming at them and chasing after them won’t help. Pull over, take a breather, and keep getting after your day.
Don’t drive with your high beams blazing with other cars in front of you
Ever have someone drive behind you with their high beams on full blast? It’s just as annoying when you do it to other people. Be cognizant of your headlight settings while driving.
Signal before changing lanes
Pretty basic driving school practices, but signal before you change any lanes. Not doing so is dangerous and can set people off which can put you in sticky concealed carry vs road rage situations where you have to debate drawing your firearm. Not a good scenario to be in.
Conclusion
Letting go after feeling slighted isn’t always the easiest thing to do. And sometimes, lashing out, screaming, and cursing feels is VERY satisfying. However, doing so isn’t always the most productive or safe thing to do. As a gun owner, you have a higher standard to uphold in such concealed carry vs road rage scenarios. Road rage and guns don’t mix well, and it’s your job to make sure those two ingredients stay separate. Keeping a cool head and sticking to the tips in this article is good start in protecting against road rage. Let’s work together to help lower the road rage gun statistics.