This happened not too far from my home town.

[Longtooth]

Ok, this is my first new thread to start so bear with me on conforming to the rules.

Link: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5725484.html

Excerpt of story only:

April 23, 2008, 7:23PM
Houston pawn shop owner shoots man during hold-up

Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

A robbery suspect is in critical condition at a hospital after he was shot by a pawn shop manager during an attempted hold-up, Houston police said.


And comments: Why would thieves hold up an independent pawn shop where the odds of meeting an armed store clerk are MUCH greater than say a 7-11 where there are rules against employees with guns? And another question; why do people have such a low value of their own life to risk it for nothing but a little money?

[glowing]

1. Because an independant pawn shop is more apt to have a safe with

cash in it that the owner is able to get into.. The 7-ll's have camera's and only $50.00 in the drawer..

As to why people thief.. they have no other means of getting the money they need. You will see much more incidents of robbery/ theft as this R(d)epression continues to loom.. and with the food shortage crisis being popped up on every news source.. it could get ugly.

[madinmaryland]

2. Some people are just not very smart.

:shrug:

Else they were on drugs.

[Mist]

3. Yes, stupid on the part of the thief. I worked in a pawn shop years ago, and

it was general knowledge that we had guns under the counter, and were told to shoot through the plywood counter front if need be. The manager and coin dealer in the shop both wore guns on their hips while in the store. The Eckerd's next to us was robbed, and the bank in the shopping center (about 300 feet from our pawn shop) was robbed. We never had any trouble.

[damntexdem]

4. And so much for 'concealed carry will keep felons from attacking us.'

Nutcases with guns will not be reasonable and wonder whether their target is armed. Concealed carry only means that there are more nutcases with guns.

[bossy22]

5. i don't see how you draw your conclusion

just because someone got killed in a car accident when they were wearing a seatbelt doesnt mean seatbelts don't save lives

[iverglas]

8. let me assist

If someone is nuts enough to try to rob a pawn shop, when the world and its dog knows that pawn shop keepers keep firearms within arms' reach at all times, why would said someone stop to wonder whether the person strolling down the street looking like an easy robbery mark might have a pistol in his/her pantaloons?

Criminals seem to get awfully smart just at the moment when it serves some agendas to say they are.

[TPaine7]

11. There is a continuum.

Not all criminals are equally intelligent. Some call police to report that their illegal drugs have been stolen. I am sure that someone, somewhere has raped a mob princess.

Some criminals think through the likelihood of a crime ending in their death, others don't. Some can be deterred by danger, others not so much. (Almost) nothing will deter all criminals; concealed carry will deter some.

[jmg257]

7. I don't believe concealed carry would keep nutcases or felons

from attacking me. I do believe it gives me the best convenient option for dealing with said nutcase or felon, who - as you rightly stated - isn't too "reasonable" to begin with. So as long as there are nutcases &/or felons who attack us - with or without guns - I prefer to enjoy the choice of carrying (or not) - & concealed carry is fine.

[SteveM]

9. CCW is about self-defense, not social policy (though Lott would disagree). nt

[Firethorn]

12. Nice...

It's nice to know that you think that I'm a nutcase.

Thanks alot.

[spin]

14. You can expect the anti-gunners will call you a lot of names...

on this forum. Some worse than "nutcase".

When logic or sound reasoning fails, they resort to the tactic of name calling.

Good thing they don't own guns.

[mvccd1000]

16. I don't know anyone who thinks concealed carry will prevent an attack.

That's why I open carry. :)

Seriously, though; carrying a handgun - openly or concealed - may not prevent an attempted attack, but it will most likely prevent a successful one.

[Longtooth]

17. I don't recall seeing that posted anywhere. Could you please

source where you have seen someone say such a thing?

[Turbo Teg]

18. Fine by me. At least I have a gun to have a fighting chance with.

[gorfle]

6. Desperation.

Crime has always been a socio-economic problem. It's not the guns that cause the crime, it's hopelessness or greed.

As for the selection of targets, I remember reading a study a while back that showed that most crimes are "crimes of opportunity". That is, when people get desperate they don't plan out their crime very well - they just hit what is convenient. This would account for why there is so much minority-on-minority crime. They don't drive across town to hit the department store, they hit the local corner liquor store in their own neighborhoods.

[spin]

15. Very true...

That's exactly why we need to elect politicians who work to improve our educational system and provide rewarding profitable jobs.

Draconian gun laws do little to solve the root problems.

[SteveM]

10. Sometimes, "it's about juice" (expression from "Law & Order" series)...

Many years ago, when talking with prisoners and LEOs, I asked a "similar" question. "Why would an armed robber go into a 7-11 and shoot someone for $25.00?" Paraphrasing, I got this from at least two inmates and some cops: "It's not the money they're after, but recognition for having gunned someone down." As an addendum, one officer said: "That's why we catch as many as we do: the asshole starts blabbing about how tough he is to others until they can't stand it anymore and phone us."

[spin]

13. In Tampa I used to hang out around gun stroes...

The owners are usually armed, with guns hanging on their sides.

So, out of curiosity, I asked one if anyone had tried to rob his store. When he replied "yes", I asked other gun store owners. Surprisingly most had faced a robbery attempt. Only one robbery had succeeded. The bad gun bought something and when the owner opened up the cash register drawer, he smacked the owner on his head with a blunt object, grabbed the cash and ran. The owner chased him down the street with a .45 auto but fortunately chose not to shoot.

Makes little sense to rob a store where the owner is armed and probably knows how to use his weapon. But it happens.