In case you were curious, Peet's Coffee & Tea has gun sense.

[spin]

90. On the other hand I might have simply mistaken an innocent situation as far worse. ...

But fortunately all turned out well.

It did cause me to consider exactly what I should have done if the guy at the counter had whipped out a gun and pointed it at the clerk.

Since the guy at the counter appeared rational and not drunk or high, I feel my best approach would have been to merely observe. Of course I have taken some criticism from those who knew I carried on a regular basis but the bottom line is all is well that ends well. The highest probability is the clerk would have complied and the robbers would have left.

If the robber would have shot the clerk, I would have had good reason to fear for my life as I was a witness and I could have been next. Hopefully I would have been able to shoot my handgun accurately enough to stop his attack.

But if the clerk would have been shot, I would have to live with the fact that I might have been able to intervene before he did so. Still even if I shot the robber afterward, I would have to live with that fact too. Often when a cop shoots another person and it is entirely justified, he has to seek professional counseling. Shooting another person is a traumatic,life changing event. I hope and pray that I never find myself in such a situation. I currently sleep well at night with good dreams and not nightmares.

One factor that might have made a difference if the guy at the counter was actually planning to rob the clerk was that I was wearing a photographer's vest. I always wore one to work and it was loaded with tools and supplies to help my crew do their job and make it through the long nights on the 3rd shift. Not only did the vest have flashlights and tools but it was also a medicine cabinet.

But a photographer's vest without a camera is also a dead giveaway that you are packing heat in the hot months in Florida. The guy at the counter might have noticed this and also the fact that I my hand was in my pocket and moved back toward cover if I needed it.