Hi, I'm Kevin Michalowski, editor of Concealed Carry Magazine. In this edition of "Into the Fray," we'll talk about winning a fight even though it could've gone totally bad.
Pretty much all of you have seen this video — it's making the way around the internet right now — of the mother and daughter in the liquor store who fought back against an armed robber with a shotgun. And everybody is very happy about this because “Oh, the mother and daughter were so brave, and they fought back.” But there are some really serious problems going on with their self-defense involved in this video. And yes, I'm happy they're alive, and yes, I'm happy everything worked out in their favor. But if you watch this video closely, things could've gone horribly wrong just because of some of the stuff that they did.
First and foremost, take a look at this here. The guy is demanding money from the cash register, and you can see 'em kind of fidgeting around. You know why that is? Their guns are not on their body. Their guns are next to the cash register. If you're not going to carry your gun on your body for self-defense, certainly don't put it next to the cash register. That's where the criminals are going to go to get the money.
So, if [the robber is] there at the cash register or they're watching the cash register, they're going to see you reaching for your gun. And you can see this mother and daughter trying to figure out when they want to try to get their guns from near the cash register. I would suggest carrying your gun on your body at all times because then you have it right when you need it. But certainly, don't put your gun next to the cash register.
Now, they did a great job taking cover, hiding behind the counter. And the bad guy comes back around with a shotgun. She shoots him, and he flees. That's great. But now he comes back in. Remember what we tell people: Stop the threat. Keep shooting this guy until the threat stops. He came back in and he didn't have his weapon with him. Maybe he's not an immediate threat right then, so you can't really shoot him.
But look at this; look how close he gets to her. We always say if somebody gets within arm's reach, anything can happen. Bang! There it happens. He's grabbing for her gun. And now — even though he's shot once — she is in a fight for her life as he's trying to get her gun. And now her daughter is trying to shoot into a moving pair of people who are spinning around and fighting for a gun.
It worked out well in the end. The bad guy lost enough blood that he tipped over — fell down behind the counter. But when something like this happens, stop and consider all of your options. Think about this before you get into that situation.
You shot the guy. Keep shooting him until the threat stops. If he comes back in and he's going to present another threat, do not let him get close to you. We've said this time and time again when people ask should I render first aid. You shot the guy and he kind of fell down. Maybe he's waiting to grab your leg and try to get your gun away from you. Then you're in a ground fight for the gun. This woman could not keep control of her own gun because, even though he was shot, he was stronger than her. So yes, this is a good win for the good guys. The bad guy got shot. He had to go to the hospital in critical condition. But it could've gone so much worse because they made a couple very simple mistakes. Keep your gun on you, don't let the bad guy get close to you.
I'm Kevin Michalowski, editor of Concealed Carry Magazine. If you like these videos, please share them with all your friends and remember to subscribe to this page. We'll give you more great information every week.
