Newspaper Editorial Opinion on FtWorth CHL Shooter

[bigolbigun]

Where the bullets go
Star-Telegram
The recent robbery/shooting incident at a south Fort Worth grocery store points out the great divide between the gun rights/gun control camps.

Some folks will never be convinced that the shooter -- the husband of a woman who said she was among store patrons being threatened and robbed by two armed men -- did anything inappropriate. He believed his wife was in danger; he was in legal possession of a concealed handgun and in a position to intervene in the crime. He wounded one man as he ran from the store. A suspect was later arrested on suspicion of aggravated robbery after seeking medical treatment at an area hospital.

Other folks will never be convinced that firing a gun at a fleeing person is ever appropriate.

One of the prime rules for firearm safety is to know without a doubt what lies beyond an intended target before pulling the trigger. With that in mind, the store's surveillance tape is chilling to watch.

As the fleeing men run out the door and into the night, the husband runs into the camera frame, firing his gun at them. He could not have known for sure what or who else might have been in the path of his bullets as he shot into a dark parking lot from inside a lighted building.

Texas lawmakers decided in 1995 that legal residents age 21 and older who pass criminal background checks and successfully complete at least 10 hours of instruction and testing in handgun proficiency qualify to carry a concealed handgun.

Unfortunately, what the classes can't test for is how someone will react in an actual threat situation.

Well what do you all think?

[seamusTX]

I think the citizen was extremely lucky not to get shot himself when he entered the store, and doubly lucky not to have injured an innocent party.

But, as they say, no harm, no foul. The robbery was stopped and one criminal is off the street. No one else was injured.

- Jim

[austin]

I think the letter is ridiculous and I am outraged at its author for ignoring the facts.

This was hardly a busy mall or a store at the hight of shopping hours.

The store was virtually empty.

In addition, the citizen had just walked in from an empty parking lot and had good visibility all around when he came in and when he pursued the robbers.

He had prior knowledge of what was around the store including wher ethe robbers were going and could clearly see that there were no other people around.

The citizen was clearly aiming his shots and was able to hit a moving target.

Finally, the citizen was pretty good at observation as he had called 911 when he had seen the robbers go in.

So the letter sucks.


HOW DARE those men rob a neighborhood supermarket.

HOW DARE they stick guns in peoples' faces and ask for their money.

HOW DARE they do all this where children could have been present.

When they scared a man's wife and he entered the store to protect her, as any man with even the tiniest balls would do, they then pointed a gun at him.

You are for sure going to see him to pull a gun and start fighting back when its his family on the line.

Those robbers were clearly out on a lark with no care for others or themselves. They were more shocked than the citizen when he pulled HIS gun and scared the living daylights out of them.

Its a sick world we live in when people make things up and to attack the good guys.

[Venus Pax]

Its a sick world we live in when people make things up and to attack the good guys.

My thoughts exactly. Why aren't we blaming the BGs for their actions?

[Right-Wing-Nut]

This is pretty typical- a liberal girlyman that is afraid of guns bagging on an honest citizen that owns one. The only thing missing was a long bio of how the criminals were great people and it was societies fault that they had to rob the store. When liberals start thinking a violent criminal is maybe more evil than a handgun hell will officially freeze over. I doubt the loons that hold up candles and cry outside Huntsville's execution unit vote Republican. There is a special place in a liberal's heart for criminals and regular citizens becoming heartless pains in the neck to hardworking criminals is just completely unacceptable.

[stevie_d_64]

The author is a putz...

[Dougmyers5]

If the BG,s had been sticking guns in his face and demanding his money the story he wrote might have changed.
But it was not so we and the rest of world get his second rate article with opinion of what he thinks took place.

[anygunanywhere]

Baaaaaaa...Baaaaaaaa...

Sheeple.

Anygun

[stevie_d_64]

The author is "still" a putz!

[pbandjelly]

and yet, I agree with him.

I ain't against what the Husband did. BUT, he's running, one handed blasting at a moving target.

maybe he goes to IDPA/IPSC matches, but still, there was no way (no matter how soon he was just in the parking lot) what lay beyond those windows when he missed.

seems like two hits, and I couldn't count how many shots were fired.
If he shot twice, and hit twice, more power to him, and I concede that he knew what he was doing.

and again, I don't disagree with his actions. I know darn well if my ol' lady was in there I would have gone in to get her, too.
but someone, who is obviously a shooter (anyone notice he used shooters' language?), is pointing out that WE, as shooters, have to be careful. that even though this guy is being heralded as a hero (and he is), that if we do the same thing, we may end up being sued or incarcerated for capping Susie LolliPop waltzing through the Albertsons.

I do disagree on the small line about shooting at fleeing criminals. If they weren't committing a crime, he wouldn't have to flee.

[seamusTX]

but someone, who is obviously a shooter (anyone notice he used shooters' language?), is pointing out that WE, as shooters, have to be careful.

Good catch.

Now that you pointed it out, I suspect he's a cop or prosecutor.

I do disagree on the small line about shooting at fleeing criminals.

What was written was

Other folks will never be convinced that firing a gun at a fleeing person is ever appropriate.

That is a true statement. Some people think that. The writer didn't say he agreed, though he seems to.

- Jim

[casingpoint]

The Ft. Worth "hero" is the nightmare of concealed handgun carry. shooting away, oblivious to public safety. Does anyone honestly think a good cop would have shot in the direction of a dark parking lot where innocent people might be? Nobody is good enough to know for sure they can hit a moving target to the exception of all else. This gungho bozo put himself in a position of possibly getting shot by another concealed carrier downrange arriving at the store unaware of the current situation. Just imagine shooter #2 calling 911 and saying," I just took out a guy shooting at me and other two people fleeing for their lives. He appeared to have also had a female hostage who now claims to be the wife of the, uh, the deceased. Do you think you can send some real cops down here and straighten this mess out?"

While I think it is still legal to shoot a fleeing felon after dark in Texas, that law probably had it's origin back in the open range days. In an urban environment, blasting away into the night is not a wise choice.

[ElGato]

casingpoint please check your PM's

[wjmphoto]

The Ft. Worth "hero" is the nightmare of concealed handgun carry. shooting away, oblivious to public safety. Does anyone honestly think a good cop would have shot in the direction of a dark parking lot where innocent people might be? Nobody is good enough to know for sure they can hit a moving target to the exception of all else. This gungho bozo put himself in a position of possibly getting shot by another concealed carrier downrange arriving at the store unaware of the current situation. Just imagine shooter #2 calling 911 and saying," I just took out a guy shooting at me and other two people fleeing for their lives. He appeared to have also had a female hostage who now claims to be the wife of the, uh, the deceased. Do you think you can send some real cops down here and straighten this mess out?"

While I think it is still legal to shoot a fleeing felon after dark in Texas, that law probably had it's origin back in the open range days. In an urban environment, blasting away into the night is not a wise choice.

I personally don't see this as a "gungho bozo" shooting wildly. I see a irritated man shooting at the bozo who just terrorized his wife at gunpoint. There is a difference between someone acting as a vigilante and doing what he believes to be defending his wife or family. It is easy for us to say that the BG was running away, but the reality is that the guy came in after an undoubtedly frantic call from his wife, adrenalin pumping, and fired at those who were threatening her. At the time, he did not think whether they were running away or not, just that he was protecting his wife. I find it hard to believe that many of us in the same situation would have had time to rationalize much more than the fact that we had to protect our family from the threat at hand. I don't blame the guy for shooting and understand 100% why he did what he did.

[carlson1]

Yesterday I was going through the "war stories" that my wife had clipped from the papers years ago and saved from career. I was reading a letter that a citizen had written to a Police Chief in my district. She did not know I worked for the State and not the City. . .
Story:
I was off duty pulling up at a cleaners at closing time. There were 3 suspects who had attacked the clerk (a young teenager working part time). They had not completed their attack. Tunnel vision automatically came. All I seen was 3 bad guys standing over a half clothed young lady. I excited my vehicle (really not thinking - my family was in the van) and screamed "State Police Freeze" all that they heard was "RUN THE POLICE." They took off through a small patch of woods that were next to the cleaners. I immediately gave chase. I was armed and thought I was ready. One of the suspects turned and shot twice - thank our Good Lord both shots missed. I did not return fire because I could not see what was beyond him, it was dark, and I did not have a clear shot. The chase continued and ended into a parking lot of a ghetto apartment complex. I did have a hand held radio and the whole time I was calling for back up. The suspects were never found. All in all I thought was a good deal. The young lady was not injured nor did she have to carry something awful for the rest of her life. God allowed me to be just in time and kept me safe and kept me from hurting an innocent bystander. It is real hard to say "I will do" unless you have been there. The old saying of "know your target and what is beyond the target" is something we should all be aware of.