JAMAICA, NEW YORK — An armed robber tried to stick up an off-duty police officer outside a Dunkin Donuts in Jamaica, New York. Thankfully, that police officer has the privilege of carrying concealed and he had his trusty wheel gun holstered inside the waistband. He was able to draw and shoot the robber, resulting in the robber’s death.
According to the Times Ledger, the off-duty officer was not in uniform and likely just walking down the block to get a cup of coffee when he was confronted outside the store. The robber was armed with an illegally-obtained handgun. While the police officer was able to shoot the robber, he had to be taken to the hospital after he began to experience heart palpitations. This is probably the unfortunate result of that electrifying jolt the autonomic nervous system gives a person in an absolute “fight or flight” situation.
The robber died at the scene before he could be taken to the hospital and the police have not charged the police officer with any wrongdoing.
While it’s great to see at least one concealed carrier wandering around New York City, it’s unfortunate that if it had been literally anyone else, that armed robber would have been able to mug that person with almost complete immunity.
That’s what happens when you make guns effectively impossible to own or carry in a place. For the robber who just happened to be unlucky enough to pick an off-duty cop, that just goes to show you how many people an armed robber can rob before he hits the reverse lottery.
Police officers are covered in all 50 states by a federal law called the Law Enforcement Officer Safety Act. It basically allows any active-duty law enforcement officer to travel with his handgun concealed. For the average citizen, though, there’s a complex patchwork of laws covering where it is and is not legal to possess a firearm. In New York City, that process is so convoluted that it might as well be impossible for anyone who doesn’t have a lot of money and lawyers to throw at the problem.
Good job, good guy. Hope he makes a speedy recovery.