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Black Friday self defenses in the news(FL and CA)

lil_freak_66

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http://news.yahoo.com/battle-black-friday-deals-includes-pepper-spray-shootings-

f
ound these written in the article..

In San Leandro, California, a man was in critical but stable condition after being shot by robbers in a parking lot outside aWalmart at 1:50 a.m. local time, Sergeant Mike Sobek said.
The man was in a group of men headed for their car after shopping when robbers confronted them and a fight ensued, Sobek said. The man's shopping companions held down one of the robbers until police arrived and took him into custody.
"It doesn't look like they got away with anything. They weren't expecting these guys to fight back," Sobek said.

and the second one...

In another incident, a woman was shot in the foot by a robber who accosted her in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, early Friday demanding her purse as she and companions put their purchases into a car trunk near a Walmart, police said.
When Tonia Robbins, 55, screamed, one of her companions reached into the car, pulled out a revolver stashed in the console and pointed it at the robber, who ran off with Robbins' purse, valued at $40, police said. She then fired two or three warning shots into the air.
Robbins was hospitalized and her condition was not known.

my breakdown on the first one is that, sucks californians cant normally be legally armed, could have saved an innocent man from potentially dieing.

and on the second one, glad the gun scared off the robber, but firing warning shots into the air is not safe and probably not legal, especially with the robber already running away.
 
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skidmark

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Looks like situational awareness was low in both incidents.

Carrying is not the only, or the best, defense against robbery. It can be very helpful or even necessary if you get caught.

Keep your mind on what's going on out there. Or have someone designated to do that while you shop. Not a bodyguard, just a set of eyes and ears while yours are busy elsewere.

stay safe.
 

Operator_223

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Jul 10, 2010
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Keep it near, Keep it Dear

Remember the old american express commercials ? --> "Don't leave home without it !!"
 

MilProGuy

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Mississippi
"When Tonia Robbins, 55, screamed, one of her companions reached into the car, pulled out a revolver stashed in the console and pointed it at the robber, who ran off with Robbins' purse, valued at $40, police said. She then fired two or three warning shots into the air..."


Now THIS is downright scary!
 

RPGamingGirl

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SW MO
I'm assuming no one was injured by the 'warning shots,' since it wasn't mentioned; thank goodness, that could have been bad.
 

MadHatter66

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I think people watch too many cowboy movies... Shooting warning shots into the air, when the guy is running off as it is. The only positive here is that 1. No one was hurt by the rounds returning to earth. 2. She didn't shoot the guy in the back.

This is the reason that I OC and CC (BUG) on Black Friday. Thieves know that you are going to have a large amount of cash, or expensive items on you. They also know that the more people there area, the less people will actually see them do anything as the more witness to a crime the more different stories there tends to be, and the more people to blend into. It's really a bad situation all around.
 
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Aknazer

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As a kid I remember hearing that three shots close together was a sign of distress. Now granted that was for in the woods and I agree that it was unwise of her to do so.

As for the worries about the bullets being fired into the air. Assuming the bullet is fired as close to straight up possible, the bullet will lack the kinetic energy required to kill someone. Basically the bullet will go up into the air and use up all of the kenetic energy from being fired. At this point the bullet will stop moving and will start to fall. Due to the weight of a bullet compared to its wind resistance it will be unable to build up enough kinetic energy to kill or even seriously hurt someone as the bullet is in effect a falling pebble. Bullets fired at enough of an angle to not expend most/all of their energy on the travel up are a different matter.

Note that I don't support the firing of a gun into the air, I'm simply saying why it is less dangerous than most people think.
 

Ruby

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Renton, Washington, USA
It seems to me that some people have taken leave of their senses when it comes to shopping on Black Friday. First of all, no one HAS to shop on that day. This is all hype from the retailers to get you to line their pockets. The criminals know that people are not going to be paying attention to them, but to the sales and "deals."
There is nothing to buy that is worth being mugged, assaulted, injured, or killed over. The idea that there are only X number of ___________ available is a deliberate fallacy perpetrated by the retailers to cause a "feeding frenzy;" the item will still be available next week. Do you seriously think that they will have a shortage of their best selling items?!? The price may be a bit higher but you will be safer shopping in a calmer environment.

I was working, cleaning a lady's house on Black Friday. I don't think that shopping on that day would be pleasant or fun at all, so I don't do it. And I carry my gun(CC, remember I am in someone else's house) shopping or not.

I remember reading somewhere several years ago that Walmart had more robberies and assaults in their parking lots than any other retailer. It's a good place to stay away from, IMO.
 

MadHatter66

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I did not add the links in my post above. Anyone know how to get rid of Skimwords?

Unfortunately you cannot get rid of them, its a revenue generating feature of the forums...:banghead::banghead::banghead:

You can, however, come up with different words that it doesn't like... or use cleaver punctuation...

Blac.k Fri.day

Blac kFriday

"After thanksgiving, large corporate shopping day"

Wallmart

Wall mart

wall.mart

"Very Large box retailer, begins with wal..."

The possibilities are endless!

EDIT TO ADD... See, it even picked up Blac kFriday :banghead:
 
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lil_freak_66

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As a kid I remember hearing that three shots close together was a sign of distress. Now granted that was for in the woods and I agree that it was unwise of her to do so.

they still teach that, and coming from a Search & Rescue Technician, i prefer it over hearing an emergency whistle, it can be heard farther away, is more distinctive if you have songbirds around, easier to figure out which general area its coming from and puts my mind at ease knowing that if for some reason we cant get to them any time soon(say weather issue halts search) that they have a means of protection and food gathering.

but i agree, shooting up into the air 3 times while in the aforementioned situation, is irresponsible and criminal
 

Malcolm

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Jul 27, 2011
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Cleveland Ohio
Black Friggin Friday!

I refuse to go out on Black Friday (Idiot Day!) My wife works retail and the things she tells me. It's absurd to say the least. That is my preventive measure. That day is nothing more than an excuse for people to lose their bearing. The commercials say it all. A bunch of drooling consumers gawking at some stuff. I'm glad some people were smart enough to pack though.
 

Billy D

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Oct 23, 2011
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detroit
The CCW course I took hammered the idea home of situational awareness. Part of surviving on the streets is NOT putting yourself in these situations to begin with. When gun owners go off saying how they avoid being robbed by paching a pistol, well thats just a SMALL part of your personal security. Step one, dont go shopping on days like that, step two, pay attention to your surroundings, step 3 , if theres a problem GTFO, Step 4 if running isnt an option the use of deadly force is your LAST option. Just cause you carry a gun doesnt mean you go looking to use it.
 

KYGlockster

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Dec 9, 2010
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Ashland, KY
.....As for the worries about the bullets being fired into the air. Assuming the bullet is fired as close to straight up possible, the bullet will lack the kinetic energy required to kill someone. Basically the bullet will go up into the air and use up all of the kenetic energy from being fired. At this point the bullet will stop moving and will start to fall. Due to the weight of a bullet compared to its wind resistance it will be unable to build up enough kinetic energy to kill or even seriously hurt someone as the bullet is in effect a falling pebble. Bullets fired at enough of an angle to not expend most/all of their energy on the travel up are a different matter..

Absolutely correct. A bullet that has went straight up, and has began it's fall back to earth is no different than a large piece of hail, it might sting to get hit with such an object, but would not be fatal. Still a very bad idea to fire warning shots no matter the situation. As for shopping on black Friday, the amount of money you can save is actually a large amount, over what you would spend any other time. I'm able to buy my children a great deal more with the money that is saved on this one day. Of course it is a pain, but worth it to see my babies happy on Christmas morning!
 

Jack House

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Keep your mind on what's going on out there. Or have someone designated to do that while you shop. Not a bodyguard, just a set of eyes and ears while yours are busy elsewere.
I've done this many times. Not just shopping either. It's not like body guarding, it's just spending time with a friend while keeping an eye out for trouble. The need for protection isn't always a physical one, as in, the threat isn't always a mugger or someone with a grudge. It can be a financial need for protection, as in a friend that is easily persuaded by a salesman may need someone there that wont be caught up in their charms. It's not me being a body guard, just looking out for a friend.

I fully recommend this course of action. It's always a good idea to have a friend around to back you up when doing something dangerous, whether that danger is to your health or your wallet. Just make sure you take the right friend. ;)
 

Jack House

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Joined
Jun 12, 2010
Messages
2,611
Location
I80, USA
Unfortunately you cannot get rid of them, its a revenue generating feature of the forums...:banghead::banghead::banghead:

You can, however, come up with different words that it doesn't like... or use cleaver punctuation...

Blac.k Fri.day

Blac kFriday

"After thanksgiving, large corporate shopping day"

Wallmart

Wall mart

wall.mart

"Very Large box retailer, begins with wal..."

The possibilities are endless!

EDIT TO ADD... See, it even picked up Blac kFriday :banghead:
I never even knew that such ads were on the forum. :rolleyes:
 
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