This one hits close to home, since I live in this area. Always a good idea to carry where you are legally able to. This is one of the reasons why. Robberies are a tough situation. In most cases, the best course of action is to let it go down, and make sure to get a good description for the police, if the robbers are content to take the cash from the till and go. But robberies can go south quickly, so it’s wise to be prepared. So far the places that have been robbed:
- State Liquor Store
- Subway sandwich shop
- Pizza shop
- Rite Aid pharmacy
- Hair Salon
- Dollar Store
- Auto Zone
This guy seems prone to tying people up. Never a good idea to let the robber control the situation. If he’s not content to get the cash and get out, draw and fire, because that guy is dangerous, and will kill you as soon as look at you. Most of the places on this list are easy targets, but mom and pop pizza joints in this area are generally packing heat. Someone willing to rob family businesses is someone willing to risk taking a bullet, and not someone to give the benefit of doubt.
I wonder if the old “Protected by Smith and Wesson” signs would really make any difference.
I think I saw my first not-on-a-cop gun when I was probably 17-18 and was in a mom and pop jewelry store. Dude had the gun right there on his hip. I knew right then and there that he was serious.
You can’t ever know what an armed criminal is planning or capable of. Just recently I heard of a robbery that took place at a hair styling salon in Scottsdale. Looked like a normal enough simple armed robbery but the owner shot the robber when the robber was aiming his gun at the owners wife. Afterwards the Police found evidence that the robber planned to stay a while such as the fact that he had placed an anti-theft device on his steering wheel. Normally a robber would want a quick get away so he would not be placing something like that on his steering wheel.
I have also heard of situations where the armed robber gets the requested money & then shoots the victims afterwards just to avoid leaving witnesses. If an armed criminal ever points his or her gun at myself or my loved ones, I will shoot first & ask questions later. Just my opinion though.