WorldNetDaily reported yesterday on an incident on the south side of Indianapolis.
According to a report in the Indianapolis Star, Charlie Merrell, 51, was in a checkout line at a grocery store called Bucks IGA on the city's south side when a "masked man jumped a nearby counter and held a gun on a store employee."
"While the suspect was demanding cash from the workers," according to the police report, "Merrell pulled his own handgun, pointed it at the robber and ordered him to put down his weapon."
The newspaper noted that Officer Jason Bockting, in his documentation of the incident, said when the suspect seemed to hesitate, "Merrell racked the slide on his gun to load a round in the chamber."
At that point, the report said, "the suspect placed his gun and a bag of cash on the counter, dropping some of the money … the suspect removed his mask and lay on the floor."
Merrill, meanwhile, held the suspect at gunpoint until officers arrived and took him away in handcuffs.
Bad guys with guns count on being the only one armed in their criminal activities. This gives them the advantage, and they use it. But when one of the good guys also has a gun, that changes things completely.
Three cheers for Mr. Merrell, who had a vaild permit to carry his handgun. No bloodshed, and a criminal behind bars. It was a fine day in Indianapolis.
13 comments:
I'm sorry, but there's something seriously wrong with a person who carries a gun around with them at all times.
To the shops? My god.
Insane.
Jacob
You are a victim waiting to happen. The insanity is expecting the police to protect you. Check out the crime rate of Kennesaw, Ga. prior and after a city ordinance requiring every residence to have a firearm and ammunition in it.
Jacob,
I don't allow that kind of name-calling. Here is an edited version of what you said:
Jacob said...
I'm not feeling particularly erudite tonight, so [deleted]...
Kisses from Australia, where gun crime is virtually negligible due to our former government's competence in dealing with ridiculous [people] such as yourself.
Jacob.
I don't even remember what I said, but I don't think it was that offensive. Stupid bloggers, emasculating my precious words of their full strength.
Jacob,
Yes, a person would carry a gun to the shops, because the shop is exactly where the bad guy brought his gun and threatened people with it.
Bad guys with guns could be anywhere, therefore good guys need their guns everywhere.
I can't speak for Australia. Never been there. If crime is low for you, that's excellent. Here in America, we see crime escalate in "gun-free" zones, and we see it drop where guns are allowed. That's our reality, so we like concealed carry laws.
Jacob,
I don't even remember what I said, but I don't think it was that offensive.
You insulted a personal (not virtual) friend with seriously disrespectful (but not foul)language. I couldn't let that stand.
Some bloggers would have left all your precious words deleted, so that would make me only half-stupid. Not a bad day's work...
Easy victimization only encourages more criminal activity.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but for the country as a whole, handgun ownership has doubled from what it was in the 70's, while the murder rate has gone down. Rural areas in the U.S., especially, have higher rates of gun ownership and lower rates of murder.
Each society is different.
You could just as easily compare Switzerland and Germany: the Swiss have lower murder rates than the Germans, even though gun ownership is three times higher in Switzerland. Other countries with high rates of gun ownership and low murder rates include Israel, New Zealand and Finland.
Kisses from Australia, where gun crime is virtually negligible due to our former government's competence in dealing with ridiculous [people] such as yourself.
You said "gun crime" is low. But what about crime? Unless I'm behind in current stats (and I probably am), England, Wales, and Australia have some of the most restrictive gun laws, and yet have the highest rates of crime and violence among the top 17 industrialized nations. The U.S. didn't even make it into the top 10. I do not see a causal link between stricter gun control= less crime. I think there are other factors at work, when you consider countries such as Israel and Switzerland which are armed to the teeth, and don't have the kind of violence and crime that other countries may experience.
Switzerland's crime rate is about the same as Japan's. The former has free access to guns, and the latter is restrictive. England, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand all have higher crime rate. Switzerland has a ridiculously low rate of homicide, half of which is committed by criminal tourists.
WordSmith,
Useful information like this is why we like to keep you around... ;o)
Original post deleted because I found a mistype. >.>
——
If this blog is still active, I'd honestly like to apologise on behalf of Jacob. He doesn't speak for all Australians.
As for crime... Are you kidding, mate? I live in an area in suburban Melbourne where gun crimes happen a few times a year on/near my block (a block which is also home to many kids, I might add). You hear firearms go off down my block constantly. Oh, yeah, restriction is doing such a wonderful job of keeping crime rates down.
The only thing that restricting gun ownership does is render potential victims absolutely powerless. Do you think anyone would dare to pull a gun on someone they know is armed? Heck, do you think any criminal is stupid enough to pull a gun on anyone who could even possibly be armed?
Linnie,
No need to apologize for Jacob. He was (not in the last year or so, though - I kinda miss him) a frequent visitor who liked to provoke a response. But he was usually good-natured about it, which was why I (and my blogger buddies) like him.
There was one time that I got him to admit that maybe a gun wouldn't be such a bad idea after all: in my post about cane toads. Seems Jacob wouldn't mind using some of the vile creatures for target practice...
Anyway, glad you stopped by. You're always welcome here.
Cheers.
Those little buggers are spreading further every month, it looks like. I'd sure like to lay into them with a nice round of buckshot myself.
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