How was I to know they were armed? ; )

B

Bob Womack

New member
This story from Suffolk, VA, is taken from the WAVY TV-10 news site in Portsmouth, VA:
http://www.wavy.com/news.htm

*****
Attempted robbery of gun shop foiled by clerk

The shooting happened inside a gun shop on Cherry Street just before Noon. That's in the heart of downtown Suffolk. The suspect walked into the store, wearing a ski mask, and jumped over the counter. By the time the suspect got on the other side of the counter, the clerk shot him. The robbery suspect was not armed. He was taken to Obici Memorial Hospital for his gunshot wound. One area businessman says the suspect's dress and actions made him appear suspicious. Police say most gun dealers wear side arms inside the store for their own protection.

********
endquote

Suspect was shot in the arm. Other reports said he sprinted into the store and vaulted the counter. Fast thinking!
 
This reminds me of a story I read about a couple of years ago where two rocket scientists tried to hold up a gun store armed with knives.
They were unceremoniously removed from the gene pool.
 
This guy got lucky that the clerk didn't kill him. How stupid do you have to be to jump the counter at a gun shop wearing a ski mask?
 
Karansas,

You took the words right out of my mouth :) :)


Best Regards,
Don

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The most foolish mistake we could make would be to allow the subjected people to carry arms; history shows that all conquerers who have allowed their subjected people to carry arms have prepared their own fall.
Adolf Hitler
 
Wasn't there an attempted gun store robbery a year or 2 ago where the robber came in drew a gun and was shot by the clerk and 2 plainclothes cops who were hanging? Another clerk and another cop had their guns drawn as well.

Call me sick...these stories crack me up :D

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"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes" RKBA!
 
DC, this is probably the one you're thinking of (it's a personal favorite of mine as well):
http://www.darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin1988-03.html

(3 February 1990, Washington) A man tried to commit a robbery in Renton, WA. This was probably his first attempt, as suggested by the fact that he had no previous record of violent crime, and by his terminally stupid choices as listed below:

1. The target was H&J Leather & Firearms, a gun shop.
2. The shop was full of customers, in a state where a substantial portion of the adult population is licensed to carry concealed handguns in public places.
3. To enter the shop, he had to step around a marked Police patrol car parked at the front door.
4. An officer in uniform was standing next to the counter, having coffee before reporting to duty.

Upon seeing the officer, the would-be robber announced a holdup and fired a few wild shots. The officer and a clerk promptly returned fire, removing him from the gene pool. Several other customers also drew their guns, but didn't fire. No one else was hurt.
********************************************

Do a search at darwinawards.com on 'guns' and wander around awhile. It is truly amazing. I don't think I've ever seen an award with a more appropriate name.

Regards from AZ
 
Jeff..
Yep, thats it!

Giggling like hell :)

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"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes" RKBA!
 
Is this what Mas Ayoob called "a sudden and severe failure of the victim selection process"? Just proves my theory that criminals may be crafty or clever, but basically they're as dumb as a brick.

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Dave
Deep in the Florida Swamps
 
Crooks is dumb. Kids, stay in school.

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"...and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one."
Luke 22:36
"An armed society is a polite society."
Robert Heinlein
 
Dumb crook, or "Ouch!":

A family in Arizona came home and found their front door open. They called the police, who began checking the house, and found a man, stark naked, hiding in the front closet. The intruder shoved the officer aside and sprinted out the front door. In the front yard, he turned left and vaulted over a board fence into the neighbor's yard.

Had he "cased" the neighborhood, he might have learned that the neighbor was the proud possessor of one of the most extensive cactus collections in the Southwest.

Jim
 
This happened about 30 minutes from my house. I had been meaning to visit the place, but know I will definatelyhave to stop by.

The cactus....


TR
 
Anyone who threatens another person with bodily harm, or places him in fear for his life, deserves exactly what's coming to him.
Any time, any place...

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...defend the 2nd., it protects us all.
No fate but what we make...
 
A gunstore robbery occured down in the MN Twin cities. Maybe we can get Plusp to tell the story. I recall he was in the first shop they "cased" but they moved on to another and killed both clerks there.
 
Larry, that case involved two robbers (neither had a criminal record and one was the son of a federal judge in Detroit) that came into my store around 6:30 p.m. My partner (now a San Antonio cop) had several rules. We immediately separated to each end of the store, we were both armed. I designed the gun cases to be high up so we looked down and to get us even a 6 foot man would have trouble getting over them. Most gun shops are suicide centers if they have low cases. It is asking for trouble.
They came in and walked around and left. I recognized one as Zachary Roen. He had been in before, but we still have our routine and followed it.
They went to a store north of us and walked in where Tim Fossein was on duty. Tim wore a .45 auto and had it on. Tim was as good of a shooter as you could find. None better.
One of the gunmen asked to see a rifle and Tim had to turn his back (lesson here) and when he turned around the gunman shot him in the eye with a Davis .380. Tim died instantly. This is how it works in real life. No stances, no fast draws. Tim died as a result of what he did NOT do BEFORE the shooting.
Bryon was the in house gunsmith that stopped in to visit Tim (never should have ONE employee on anyway) and was unarmed. He ran for a nearby office to get a gun and never got there. He was hit several times as he RAN for the gun.
They took dozens of guns and were arrested in Chicago trying to sell the guns. Both got life in prison.
Roen's lawyer was a friend of mine. She asked him why he didn't try to take us and he said there were several reasons. We were not together making it all but impossible to get us both. We were armed. The counters were to high for him to shoot over and we remained behind them. Thus out of our three rules of hands (we could see thiers from our vantage point) distance (we had about 20 feet) and barriers (we had the gun cases) we had them all in place. Tim and Bryon did not.
Hands, distance and barriers. The three rules that will keep you alive. In any shooting ask yourself which ones the loser didn't have.
 
Two friends of mine, Floyd and Marie Thigpen,
were shot and killed during a robbery of their Class III gun shop in the spring of 1994. They were armed at all times and tactically aware. Apparently, the two robbers entered the shop firing their weapons. Floyd was killed on the premises. Marie was conscious and talking when brought to MCG Trauma but died during surgery. Thank God, I wasn't on duty when she was brought in.

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Byron Quick
 
Contributed by Jeff Thomas:
(3 February 1990, Washington) A man tried to commit a robbery in Renton, WA. This was
probably his first attempt, as suggested by the fact that he had no previous record of violent crime,
and by his terminally stupid choices as listed below....
------------

In light of the story Pluspinc related and the fact that some gun-shop robbery do succeed, could the Washington perp had been looking for suicide? Sort of like the Suicide-by-cop we see elsewhere?

In related issue: What is the trade off between a friendly looking gun shop (or firing range with weapons for rent) and a bunker like setup? I suppose we could do what some banks do. Put up a double door that is pretty much bullet proof (blast proof even) designed to trap perps before they could get into the store. A switch (deadman switch?) could trigger the double doors to trap people inside. (I recall a cyberpunk novel that described a weapons store that had a deadman switch in it. The clerk could let go of the spring-mount lever voluntarily or if shot and unleash something to kill the perp.)

Anyways, it takes money to fortify a place. I wonder how many customers will feel comfortable shopping facing a bunker.

--Pluspinc, you are wise and you have a wise friend. Those rules of hands, distance, and barrier are smart. What rules do you have about distraction attacks and perps who shoot in the back?
 
Guys,

Let me try and lighten this a little and give you a flip side to this. We were visiting relatives of my wife in Uniontown Pa and I saw this big sign advertising a Class III automatic weapons dealership so I pulled in to take a look, for the record I wasn't CCW at the time. I entered to find this 300 pound store owner sat on a pile of SKS boxes eyeing me very warily and wearing a strong side .45 quite openly. I asked if he stocked H&K 53 carbines to which he replied simply "nope, they're s**t" then I asked what he recommended and he stared me out for a while eventually saying "handguns Para Ordnance, rifles SKS", conversation was proving difficult and in attempting to convince him that I wasn't about to pull a gun I explained that we were in town visiting a relative who himself was a shooter, "what's your relatives name" he asked, and for the life of me I couldn't remember my uncles name, feeling like a high school kid in an exam I eventually blurted something out and he replied "neeeever heard of him" I expect that by now he was at condition purple so I thanked him for his time and walked out of the store backwards. I laugh about it now, but at the time the impression I got was that this guy was looking to shoot someone and I was sizing up nicely.

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A Person Is Smart
But People Are Stupid

Mike H
 
As I recall the shop was very friendly. You had to look up to talk to the clerks but they could hand you guns and NOT turn around. The cases were verticle with shelves at about 45%. Glass on customer side and open to clerks. I am over 6' and couldn't see over the top. I needed to have a gun checked that I had bought there a month or so before. I just told the clerk and he told the other one and no problem when I drew a loaded gun. Same as dealing with anyone. The shop is under different ownership and I haven't been back for over a year. They tore out the setup and moved it around.
BTW they did use a buzz in type door for a while. With a panic bar to get back out as I recall. But the Fire Dept made them remove it. As I recall. Is that correct PlusP?? Wasn't there even a offer to put a key in a FD lockbox during business hours so they could enter if somehow both clerks were overcome with smoke and the doors were locked???? Many FD personal wouldn't care to enter a GUN!!!! Store where smoke is anyway. Neighbor had a fire and he got his guns out but when the shotgun shells started going off in the basement the FD retreated from the house. I don't see how shells below ground level could be a danger to HEAVYly protected FD personal over 20' from house putting water on flames. Heck I remember high school bon fires where shells were thrown in and people were about 30' away. I didn't like it but far as I remember nobody got hurt. Physics. Mass action/reaction. Think about it.
 
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