[the_scalp]

When my older sister was an infant, my aunt got a divorce from her scumbag husband ("John") who had been hitting her. When John continued to harass my aunt, my father told him in no uncertain terms to cut it out.

John was a heavy drinker, and was heard drunkenly threatening the life of my older sister in the town bar that night. ("the_scalp's dad won't be feeling so high-and-mighty when something happens to that new girl of his in the middle of the night.")

Word of this got back to my father the next day, so at chore time, he made his way to John's farm, walked into his milk barn, and said "John, I'm gonna need to take your gun for a few months until you've cooled down so you don't do something you regret. John, being sober and probably intimidated (my father is a big, tough man) walked with my father to the house and gave him his shotgun.

When there were so many ways that the conflict could have been escalated, I am so proud my father took the path that left John some dignity, avoided fighting (or worse), and protected his family entirely.

A few months later at the start of deer season John called my father and asked "can I please have my gun back now?". He got it back . . .

/he's a Viet Nam vet who NEVER talks about what he went through there.