LAS VEGAS, NEVADA — After an attempted violent armed robbery at a 7-eleven in North Las Vegas, shop keepers admitted to KTNV ABC 13 Action News that they’re increasingly deciding to arm up.
The decision was best explained by one local store clerk who described the problem as his life or theirs.
via KTNV Las Vegas Action News 13
“If I’m under a knife or gunpoint I have to decide if it’s my life or his life. I think it easy for me to decide it’s my life,” one store owner said.
Clerks and store owners are unwittingly placed into harm’s way every single day they open or close their shops. Armed criminals often prey upon them and other customers in gas stations, convenience stores, and restaurants.
For that one store owner, customers see him with a gun on his hip and know it’s there to protect him and them in the event of an armed robbery.
“They do call me the guy with the gun.. ehh…I don’t know if it’s a good thing or bad thing,” said the owner.
Retired Las Vegas police Lt. Randy Sutton argued the same old safety line about if you give up everything the bad guy wants, you more than likely won’t be hurt. Even he admitted, though, that doesn’t work all the time.
“We really would like them to cooperate and give the money up and hopefully the individual will walk out and not hurt you, but you could cooperate 100 percent and still get killed,” Sutton said.
Sutton is repeating the same line given by law enforcement all over the country. However, there’s no guarantees when a gun or knife is pointed at you. The criminal could just as easily negligently kill you as purposefully do so. And when it’s your life, your children, your family that have to suffer as a result, the decision becomes increasingly simple. Fight and you may live. Don’t, and hope the bad guy is merciful. Praying for mercy in a life or death struggle is far from safe.
For people shopping in the North Las Vegas area, they may see more store owners and clerks wearing guns. Their lives are worth it. If anything, it’s a sign they take your life seriously as well.