More Reason To Carry - Walmart Robbery

[redlin67]

I don't believe anyone really knows what they would or would not do in this or a similar situation. They guy walked up to her in a very short time, got her purse and exited quickly. A rush of adrenaline, a feeling of extreme fear, these are unique to any extreme situation. We can all say what we would do, but until it happens (which I fimly believe that we all hope it won't), you can only train yourself as to what you would want to happen. Yes, since I now carry, I am constantly checking my surroundings, and my hand stays near my weapon if my "spidey-sense" is tingling, so I hope that I will respond the correct way to protect my family and/or myself.

Okay, I have to say it, I would have shot the dude as soon as he took his attention away from me, or at least this is what I would hope I would have done. But in that exact scenario, I don't think he would have rounded the corner of my vehicle without me being on the ready.

[bdickens]

Ok - I give up. Good luck in court, guys!

This is Texas, not some northeastern liberal hole. You shoot that robber, you will be no-billed. Shoot enough robbers and you'll just about get a ticker tape parade and a street named after you.

You really ought to read up on Joe Horn. He shot two guys robbing his neighbor's house in broad daylight, told the 911 dispatcher he was going to do it, and still got no-billed. And in Harris County, no less.

[cubbyjg]

Even if she was armed and her gun wasnt in her purse, would she be able to draw and fire when the guy already has a gun pointed at her? I truly believe i wouldnt have the time to do that. Its more like 80/20 in favor of the bg shooting me. IMO, in the heat of the moment, you probably wont think about the rules that allow you to defend yourself. You would probably think, is it worth risking getting shot trying to reach to shot the BG. I would rather have my wife, girl friend, or daughter in my arms than 6ft under. I do think i would seriously consider drawing and shooting while he turned to go back to the van but thats a different can of worms.

[shootthesheet]

If a criminal has a weapon they should be stopped. That is proof they would take a persons life over money. If they didn't take my life they may take the next persons life they rob.

If a weapon is involved we must assume they are willing to kill. So, stopping them has nothing to do with money but a fear for life itself. When giving a statement would we say he had a weapon so I stopped him or he took my wallet/purse so I stopped him. It will not be the value of our property but the threat to life that made us comply or stop the criminal. Even a "Strong-Arm" robbery may be justification for using a gun if a person could not fight back or escape or even if we have reason to believe the person has a hidden weapon. We do risk more legally but it is all a matter of what value life has versus the chance of being slammed by L.E. for something we know was necessary. That is my opinion.

[seniorshooteress]

It is becoming more likely than not, that sooner or later we may all be faced with this problem. I, for 1, don't know what my reaction would be under these same circumstances. Nothing ever goes the way we have planned it out in our heads. At least the woman was not physically harmed just a stressful, traumatic situation for her. The biggest pain will be changing all the locks, if he got her keys. Cancelling all credit/debit cards and having to deal with the hassle of getting all new ID. I am thinking that maybe I will stop carrying a purse all together. Maybe the BG's will think that no purse = no money, so why bother. I think her attention was more towards getting her child into the carseat when this happened. That could be what they were looking for. Someone's who's attention was else where while getting into their vehicle. If the get away car wasn't stolen or had stolen plates on it police maybe able to track these bg's down. I would hope that after this story folks will be more aware of their surroundings while shopping; DAY or night.

[Excaliber]

It is becoming more likely than not, that sooner or later we may all be faced with this problem. I, for 1, don't know what my reaction would be under these same circumstances. Nothing ever goes the way we have planned it out in our heads. At least the woman was not physically harmed just a stressful, traumatic situation for her. The biggest pain will be changing all the locks, if he got her keys. Cancelling all credit/debit cards and having to deal with the hassle of getting all new ID. I am thinking that maybe I will stop carrying a purse all together. Maybe the BG's will think that no purse = no money, so why bother. I think her attention was more towards getting her child into the carseat when this happened. That could be what they were looking for. Someone's who's attention was else where while getting into their vehicle. If the get away car wasn't stolen or had stolen plates on it police maybe able to track these bg's down. I would hope that after this story folks will be more aware of their surroundings while shopping; DAY or night.

Here are a couple of thoughts for the ladies to expand seniorshooteress' thought on not carrying a purse:

1. Not carrying a purse takes you completely off the radar of each and every purse snatcher. If you don't have one, no one will attempt to take it. Yes, this is obvious. It's also most often overlooked.

2. Purses are essential life support gear for women, and very few can survive without them. Don't ask how I know this, but most would rather take their chances with the bad guys rather than leave the purse contained life support systems at home.

3. After long and deep thought, I came up with an alternative recommendation for those of the fairer sex who must carry a purse at all costs:

Go ahead and carry the purse (that's gonna happen anyway, so I might as well go with the flow).

Just don't put your goodies (cash, ID, credit cards, keys) or cell phone in it. Carry those relatively small items in a pocket or in some other non obvious manner on your person.

If someone threatens your life up close and personal, hand him the purse. The makeup, tissues, assorted coins, and 6 months worth of credit card receipts can easily be replaced at minimal cost that's not worth risking your life to avoid.

Try not to smile as you do this so the erstwhile bad guy won't figure out that he didn't get the real loot until he's far enough away to feel safe enough to look inside.

Use the cell phone to call police.

If the BG used a vehicle, memorize the tag number instead of trying to remember things about the hood ornaments and wheels. Write the tag number down right away on something (scratch it in the dirt with your finger or onto the concrete with a pebble if you have to) to make sure it gets recorded immediately. There's a real good chance giving that info to the police over the phone will result in a rapid apprehension.

When you have time after the excitement is over, take a moment to reflect on what the BG's face would have looked like and his likely verbal response when he opened the purse and found what he went through all that trouble for wasn't in it. This should help you get over the trauma, and maybe even bring you a smile or two to help make up for a bad day.

[Excaliber]

Even if she was armed and her gun wasnt in her purse, would she be able to draw and fire when the guy already has a gun pointed at her? I truly believe i wouldnt have the time to do that. Its more like 80/20 in favor of the bg shooting me. IMO, in the heat of the moment, you probably wont think about the rules that allow you to defend yourself. You would probably think, is it worth risking getting shot trying to reach to shot the BG. I would rather have my wife, girl friend, or daughter in my arms than 6ft under. I do think i would seriously consider drawing and shooting while he turned to go back to the van but thats a different can of worms.

You're on the right track with your 80/20 odds.

Even if the good guy or gal manages to get a shot off and hit him, bullets aren't magic - they just poke little holes in bad guys, and often don't have the immediate disabling effect you want and need at that point. The bad guy may not even realize he's been shot, but he'll sure realize you tried to shoot him and will most likely respond with shots of his own at extremely close range. This won't be good for the defender.

Remember that a tie in a toe to toe gunfight hurts just as much as a total loss.

When things are happening that close with no cover between you and him, your viable options will usually boil down to compliance until the BG is departing, or really risky hand to hand gun deflection / takeaway techniques, even if you have a holstered gun of your own.

[C-dub]

I'm not saying it's a good reason, but I'm just going to throw this out there and see if it sticks.

What about fear of identity theft as another factor in the decision to drop the guy even as he were fleeing and the immediate threat was over? This could ruin someone's life in many different ways.

[rm9792]

I'm not saying it's a good reason, but I'm just going to throw this out there and see if it sticks.

What about fear of identity theft as another factor in the decision to drop the guy even as he were fleeing and the immediate threat was over? This could ruin someone's life in many different ways.

I mentioned that before. The theft of the purse could be just the beginning of your problems.

[TLynnHughes]

In regards to this particular situation, the purse is his. By the time that woman even realized he was a threat, he was by her side and as I recall she had a youngster in the car.

But the video is a great reminder that we (ladies in particular in this case) can learn how to handle guns, train, become comfortable, become proficient, but if we don't change the way we do business before we have to draw the gun, we're going to be a victim. There's more to using a gun for self-defense than just being able to pull a trigger.

T.

[Purplehood]

This thread made me think of carrying a purse with an Ink-bomb in it, similar to what Banks like to hand to robbers. But I decided that a purse wouldn't look good on me.

[TLynnHughes]

This thread made me think of carrying a purse with an Ink-bomb in it, similar to what Banks like to hand to robbers. But I decided that a purse wouldn't look good on me.

With my luck, I'd mistake the ink bomb for my cell phone and look like a smurf for several days.

T.

[USA1]

But I decided that a purse wouldn't look good on me.

Don't call it a purse. Call it a "European shoulder bag"...makes it easier that way.

[Purplehood]

But I decided that a purse wouldn't look good on me.

Don't call it a purse. Call it a "European shoulder bag"...makes it easier that way.

I would probably feel compelled to Surrender all the time.

[USA1]

But I decided that a purse wouldn't look good on me.

Don't call it a purse. Call it a "European shoulder bag"...makes it easier that way.

I would probably feel compelled to Surrender all the time.