HOUSTON, TEXAS — Around closing time, Auto Zone employees were held at gunpoint by three armed robbers demanding money. Only a few minutes into the attempted robbery, a concealed carrier pulled up into the parking lot of Auto Zone and saw the blatant crime taking place. He entered the store with his gun drawn and told all three to get on the ground and wait for police. Surprisingly, they all did.
While Houston Police told Click2Houston that the concealed carrier did stop the crime from taking place, they heavily discourage the practice. Armed criminals and high-intensity situations like an armed robbery make for extremely unpredictable reactions. Houston Police surmised it may have been possible that one or all three armed robbers may have attempted to fight back against the concealed carrier and the resulting gunfight could have injured or killed both the concealed carrier himself and those he sought to protect.
Granted, we will give that stepping into a known bad situation is a poor choice for a concealed carrier, we have to concede he took control of the situation. This is a fundamentally important piece in the equation. The faster control is established and a criminal is faced with the choice of getting shot or surrendering, there appears to be a decent chance he’ll opt to live.
That’s by no means a guarantee.
Any concealed carrier that steps into an armed confrontation has to be willing to fight. When armed criminals outnumber good guys, there’s a lot of room for something bad to happen.
We have to give it to this concealed carrier for willingly stepping in and stopping a violent felony from taking place. It’s part of what makes having armed citizens amongst us such a great thing. When criminals are afraid to conduct a crime for fear of judicious return fire, we all win.
Carry every single day and definitely scan for multiple targets.