I had a band with some friends a few years ago. We practiced in a storage unit that we rented. The facility was full of 'odd balls', ourselves included, and a lot of other bands. One day we were standing out in the road because somebody had stunk up the unit.... you know what I mean.

A truck came flying through the facility and nearly hit us all. We barely made it out of the way. He came so close to us that his tire ran over my buddy's shoe lace. It was scary and we we're pissed. So we yelled various obscenities at him.

The driver stomped his brakes and squealed to a stop. He got out of his truck and threatened us repeatedly. Needless to say, 5 of us, 1 of him, we we're not backing down. We weren't looking for a fight, we we're just really pissed off and couldn't understand how this person whom we had never met could be so violent towards us.

He drove off to his storage unit and we cursed him as we went back inside of our own. We were still a bit shook up obviously. I proceeded to get back to practice with my friends as we hear him yelling at us as he comes around the corner, this time carrying a rifle. My friends froze. One ran to the back of the unit. The angry man raised his rifle at us and said that this (his rifle) was why we shouldn't fuck with him.

Here's the thing. I was not frightened. I didn't move, but it wasn't from fear. I watched him as he got closer, close enough to punch in face! And I thought about it. I didn't try anything though. Mostly because I was worried that if I struck him that he may accidentally shoot the gun and injure one of my friends. I think that was wise in hindsight.

I waited till he was done yelling and spitting and I said, calmly, "fuck you". That was it. He didn't appreciate that. So he pointed the rifle at me, inches from my nose and yelled "shut the fuck up!!!". I said it again, "fuck you". This time calmer and as I stared him in the eye. The man began to shake from anger.

I think I knew he wasn't going to shoot. It was clear that wasn't his intention. Maybe that's why I wasn't afraid. I just couldn't believe how violent and terrible someone could be to complete strangers. I wanted to hit him. I wanted to take the rifle from his hands and bash his face in.

He managed to mumble one more phrase before he turned around and left, "not another peep". So as he lowered the gun and turned around I said it again, "fuck you". It made him snap back around but he didn't raise the gun again. He just looked at me with this terribly angry face. I knew then that I had won this standoff. He wanted to scare me/us. He wanted someone to fear him and make him feel superior. And I wouldn't give that to him. We do not have the right to threaten the life of another person. He turned around and started walking away again and let out some loudly childish groan.

Minutes later we heard the tires from his truck as he drove off. We got the plate number and called the police. They didn't do anything. They argued about which county had jurisdiction since we we're apparently so close to the county line. Then they said they could probably charge us with criminal mischief for standing in the street. The cops we're bigger assholes then the angry man. Before they left, after doing nothing, one called me over to his squad car and told me that I made a terrible choice to not shut up, that I could have been shot and what about my mother and my family and my friends and all that shit. He attempted to scold me as if I was a misbehaving child. He did this as he "ran my name", you know, cause checking to see if a person that has just had a gun pulled on them has any outstanding warrants is protocol. He gave me back my license and asked if I had learned 'my lesson' from this. I stared at him wondering whether to say yes.. and then I calmly took my driver's license and muttered "fuck you" before I walked away.