Macon, Georgia, December 26, 2015:
A Warner Robins man told police that he shot and killed a man who tried to rob him.
According to police, it happened around 8:10 p.m. on Christmas night on the 100 block of Oakridge Drive.
. . . Antonio Bagley, 29, told [police] Jerrell Walker tried to rob him so he fired his pistol at him. Walker later died from a gunshot wound to the torso.
Bagley has not been charged, and the case is still under investigation. . . .
Miramar, Florida, December 23, 2015:
The incident happened at Captain Max Seafood on State Road 7 around 5:30 p.m., Miramar Police spokeswoman Tania Rues said.
According to Rues, the suspect entered the eatery wearing a ski mask and gloves. The employee fired several shots, killing the suspect, Rues said.
At least one customer and other employees were in the restaurant at the time but no other injuries were reported. . . .
Gary, Indiana, December 22, 2015:
Brandon Johnson, 22, was shot several times about a block from his home in Gary, Indiana, after he pulled a gun on the would-be buyers and tried to rob them, officials said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The would-be car buyers — a 55-year-old man from Olympia Fields and a 65-year-old from Chicago Heights — called police around 7 p.m. Sunday to report a shooting on Gary’s west side. They told officers that they made arrangements to make a purchase from Craigslist, when the man and woman they planned to meet with tried to rob them . . . .
Detroit, Michigan, December 24, 2015:
“The big dog came charging at my dog, I thought he had her by the throat, but it turned out he had her shoulder,” the 65-year-old Port Huron man said.
Kessler was walking with Daisy on North Boulevard about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday when the attack occurred.
Kessler said he was on the sidewalk when the large dog charged.
“Before he got to me I got my pepper spray out and sprayed him but that didn’t stop him,” he said. “After the pepper spray the dog started attacking mine, I tried kicking it, but it was so aggressive I took out my gun and shot it.” . . .
So are we assuming that armed robbers should receive the death penalty?
It’s fine to cite these anecdotes as examples of when guns saved someone, but there’s a lot missing:
Were the robbers actually planning on shooting anyone or were their guns just for show? Were they all even armed? It’s not always clear from the articles.
If the shooters hadn’t been armed would there be three fewer dead people and one less injured? Perhaps the real issue here is, do you care?
How will the shooters feel, knowing that they have taken a life? I mean really, psychologically?
Is it really safer to pull a gun on someone trying to rob you, or just to go along with it? And I do mean safer for the robber as well. We don’t know their story, are you really sure they deserve to die? I’m sure John Lott has some statistics for this.
Thanks
I am a person that tries to avoid escalation of any conflict, and allow the other person to set the limits of the situation. You don;t sit down at a poker game with your life savings, expecting to buy the pot every hand because you think nobody will challenge you. If you lose your life savings….no sympathy from me.
If you pull out a gun and indicate the person give you what they have or their life, why is there any sympathy when somebody call that bet and you end up horizontal on the ground?
Doesn’t matter your arrogance and how bad you think you are with that bun or knife in your had, there will occasionally be somebody around that will call that bet, and usually he/she will just act, without saying a word.
Magnus,
Any SOB that pulls a gun on someone deserves the consequences. If that means they get their ass shot and die, so be it! The person they were robbing didn’t start the problem! Wake the hell up you idiot!
Good for them! If I could meet these brave folks I’d buy em a beer.
Can I ask why my comment of December 28 is still awaiting moderation while other comments since have already been accepted? Here it is again just in case:
So are we assuming that armed robbers should receive the death penalty?
It’s fine to cite these anecdotes as examples of when guns saved someone, but there’s a lot missing:
Were the robbers actually planning on shooting anyone or were their guns just for show? Were they all even armed? It’s not always clear from the articles.
If the shooters hadn’t been armed would there be three fewer dead people and one less injured? Perhaps the real issue here is, do you care?
How will the shooters feel, knowing that they have taken a life? I mean really, psychologically?
Is it really safer to pull a gun on someone trying to rob you, or just to go along with it? And I do mean safer for the robber as well. We don’t know their story, are you really sure they deserve to die? I’m sure John Lott has some statistics for this.
Thanks
We get tons of SPAM comments. Sorry, we don’t remember seeing your questions. Here are some answers:
— No, there is no reason that armed robbers should receive the death penalty, at least the death penalty as provided by the government. But if they threaten people’s lives or safety, these robbers are now risking their own safety.
— It is actually most often very clear from the articles, but that is besides the point. If a criminal threatens a police officer or a civilian with what looks like a real working gun, it is a risk that they are taking.
— This answer responds to a couple of your last questions. To answer if this on net saves lives, that is an empirical question, not one that can be answered by anecdotal stories. Here is a large literature on that very point:
http://crimeresearch.org/2014/11/do-right-to-carry-laws-reduce-violent-crime/
http://johnrlott.tripod.com/other/NCVS.html — this provides information on the relative safety to the victim from defending themselves in different ways.
— As to how people feel, there undoubtedly isn’t a single response. But I would guess that at least a lot of them are glad that they were able to protect themselves and their loved ones.
No problem, thanks for replying.
I see what you mean about the criminal taking the risk if they choose to use a weapon to intimidate. I’m just uncomfortable with the idea of what counts as self defense-for example, the suspect entering the eatery with a ski mask and gloves and immediately being shot by an employee. Is that really the way gun owners are expected to act?
Thanks for the link, I now realise I was looking for something on defensive gun uses, for example if you own a gun are you more likely to use it to defend yourself (legally-not just waving it at someone you’re having an argument with or shooting a drunk trying to get in the wrong house) or is it more likely to kill or injure you or someone close to you, or cause you to be injured or killed by someone else.
Anyway, I can look that up myself and see if I can make sense of it.
Thanks