BEAUMONT, TEXAS — Beaumont police confirm that a robber was shot in the lower abdomen by a liquor store clerk after he demanded the clerk hand over all his money. As the clerk told reporters, “I did what I had to do. He’s not leaving the store with any money.”
Now, for long time readers, a clerk shooting a robber is nothing new. We’ve been seeing this happen more and more often. It’s not because clerks are doing anything wrong. Popular criminal culture promotes this idea that robbing a liquor store or convenience store or restaurant is just “thug life”.
How many times have we heard, “don’t hate the game, hate the player?”
Well, what if people are sick of playing that game? What happens when law-abiding citizens are sick of wondering if today is the day they have to stare down the barrel of a stolen pistol held by some snot-nosed criminal and told to give over their possessions or have their life taken?
They fight back.
The game wasn’t invented by citizens. It was created by thugs. And day-by-day, people are waking up that if they don’t like the game, they don’t have to play. Clerks, pizza delivery drivers, security guards, and just normal everyday citizens are making the decision to carry a gun.
Not a single one of them ever wants to use it.
If they do, guaranteed it’s because some idiot with a messed up notion of “thug life” thought it was just something he was owed.
If you ever watched the Netflix series Narcos, you’ll hear a popular phrase bandied about by the criminal underworld.
“Plomo o plata.”
In Spanish, it means lead or silver. But both carry an incredibly different price. I love that this phrase keeps getting used. Because it implies that by paying a price that’s not generally comfortable for the average person, plata, he or she can avoid the threat of lead. Here’s the problem with compromising with the devil. Today, it’s just your pockets. Tomorrow, it’s a little bit more. And gradually, after you give that mouse enough cookies, glasses of milk, and, heck, your own recliner, that mouse is going to keep coming back.
Why? Because he thinks he deserves it. He thinks obviously the fruit of your labor, your life, are worth less than his.
Empty out the cash register, man. Give over the cash. How long do you think it will be until that same face comes back to hit it again? Only now, maybe he wants something more. Maybe he thinks he can intimidate you enough to hand over things you don’t want to hand over. Better do it now or else, right?
Well, more and more people are throwing that philosophy to the curb. If plomo is all thugs understand, then I guess it’s time to start carrying a gun every single day, everywhere you go.
