Exercising the Right
Smash-and-grab Robbery Attempt Thwarted
KTVU.com reported on January 26 about a robbery at a jewelry store based in a mall in San Bruno, California, that was stopped cold by an armed store owner. The incident began when a man armed with a crowbar rushed into the store and began smashing a display case in an apparent attempt to steal jewelry. The store’s owner, Usman Bhatti, grabbed the crowbar-wielding man and tried pulling him away. The suspect raised the crowbar in a threatening manner as if preparing to strike Bhatti. Fortunately, Bhatti was armed; he quickly pulled out a gun he was lawfully carrying, pointed it at the suspect, and yelled for the robber to halt. As soon as the burglar with the crowbar saw Bhatti was packing heat, he ran from the store in a hurry. Bhatti later spoke to the news about what happened and said that his actions were purely reactive in nature. “I’m not trying to be a hero or a macho man.... It just happened very quick and I had no choice,” he told KTVU. Police are still trying to identify the suspect, but they’re hopeful that the security camera from the jewelry store will aid them in bringing the perpetrator to justice.
Man’s Best Friend
In another story proving that store owners in high-crime areas often need to be armed to survive, Fox29 reported on a shootout between armed robbers and a clerk in a Philadelphia store. Surveillance video showed two armed suspects rush into the store and point guns at the owner, who was standing behind the counter, and demand money. The store owner’s dog quickly jumped up and started barking in the face of the first gunman, which provided enough of a distraction for a female store clerk seated nearby to pull out a handgun and start shooting at the suspects, hitting one of them. The suspects returned fire, injuring the woman before fleeing from the store. The female clerk was treated at a nearby medical facility for gunshot wounds to her hip and upper waist and was later released. Police did apprehend the wounded robbery suspect after he was dropped off near Temple University with gunshot wounds, but are still searching for the second suspect. The store owner told Fox29 that he credits his fast-acting clerk, her gun, and his dog for saving their lives.
Bolstering Self-defense
The Seattle Times reported on February 2 about a proposed bill in Missouri that shifts the burden of proof from a person who uses deadly force to prosecutors to present clear and convincing evidence that the shooter was acting for a reason other than self-defense before any charges can be brought. According to the Times, supporters of the potential legal change say this is a long-overdue protection for people “who exercise their Second Amendment rights and are protected by existing state self-defense laws, from unfair prosecution.”
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