Man stops bank robbery with CCW handgun

[gorfle]

http://www.wxyz.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=deb8d417-008a-4e73-8386-1237c14d1376

An attempted bank robbery in Canton played out like a scene from a movie Monday when a man who claimed to have a bomb was stopped by a customer armed with a pistol.

...

The startled Washtenaw County man countered with, "but, I have a bomb" -- but Fawzi wasn't impressed. "I don't care. You are not robbing this bank!" was the reply from the other side of the gun. He then forced the would-be robber into chair and held him at gunpoint until police arrived.

I guess you shouldn't bring a note to a gun fight. :)

[sandnsea]

1. And if he had really had a bomb

Everybody would be dead. Vigilantes are never a good idea.

[slackmaster]

2. Wow, I guess you CAN argue with success

:crazy:

[sandnsea]

4. No, I argue with one really lucky situation

There's a reason people stopped doing this 100 years ago. It's because innocent people get hurt. It worked until the gun manufacturers saw gun sales plummeting and pumped money into the NRA to create this fictional 2nd Amendment problem. That's also when people started going bonkers over guns and crime started going UP.

[slackmaster]

13. Please cite a similar incident that resulted in a bomb blast or other catastrophic outcome

Betcha can't.

[Wcross]

26. Gun ownership is at an all time high-violent crime is at an all time low.

There goes your theory sparky.

[MicaelS]

29. Innocent people getting hurt?

Look what happens when people DO NOT get involved. Inaction in boy's killing called justified

The town of Turlock and much of the rest of the nation was shocked when a 27-year-old man beat and stomped his 2-year-old son to death on a rural road. But what was nearly as stunning for many people was that none of the motorists and their passengers who stopped and saw the attack tried to tackle the man.

Police officers and psychologists familiar with violent emergencies, however, said they weren't surprised at all.

A volunteer firefighter and at least five others saw Sergio Casian Aguiar assaulting his son Saturday night on the road west of Turlock (Stanislaus County), but it wasn't until a police officer arrived in a helicopter that the attack finally ended. Aguiar refused to halt the attack and raised his middle finger at the officer, who shot him to death, authorities said.

Bystanders are justifiably scared and confused in such situations, the experts said Wednesday, and they lack the experience needed to respond with force. They can also be mesmerized by shock.

So a child gets beaten to death because people, with the mentality of sheep, do not act. What do you expect? People have been brainwashed by decades of cops, and others, saying "let the police handle it." The cops, and especially the boss cops, who, after all are political animals and are politicians first instead of being a cop first. say: “We’re the professionals, let us handle it, call 911.”

So vigilantes are NEVER a good idea? Never, ever? So if a man attempts to sexually assault a woman, bystanders should never intervene? Is that what you're saying? Oh I know you'll reply they should call 911. What if there's no pay phone around? They're getting fewer and fewer. And not everyone owns a cell phone. Attitudes like that that explain why crime happens and no one does anything because "people stopped doing this 100 years ago."

I find your attitude disgusting. We have become a nation of cowards.

[friendly_iconoclast]

30. Some people find the "self-help" idea truly upsetting

We've had posters here at the Gungeon decrying those who suggest that the authorities may be
less than competent as right-wing conspirators or dupes. This implies more than a little
cognitive dissonance, as some of these same people discuss protesting US government policy
in other threads.

Some folks need to understand that lese majeste is not only not a crime, it is
a virtue.

[MicaelS]

31. Cognitive Dissonance

Also extends to those people who decry citizens owning guns, stating that only law enforcement and the military should have guns. These same people then often take the opportunity to declaim their distrust, or outright hatred, for law enforcement and the military.

[seriousstan]

3. And if my Aunt had balls she'd be my Uncle.

I guess reality is too tough to deal with so let's imagine a scenario that works with our biases.

[sandnsea]

6. Yeah, like basing policy on luck

That's brilliant. Kind of like George Bush did in Iraq. Worked so well there.

[Wcross]

27. Policy? What "policy" are you refering to? n/t

[calmblueocean]

8. I'm with you here.

If you want to crucify legal gun owners for gun-related deaths, then you have to give them credit for their successes as well.

[sandnsea]

9. This is the mentality that leads to gun crime

that guns are the only answer. It just fuels itself. It's stupid. It'll get worse and worse until some white lady in a small town is caught in the crossfire - and then there will be an outcry and people will put their stupid-ass guns back in the LOCKED gun cabinet where they belong.

[Hangingon]

10. I have to call bullshit on that one.

[slackmaster]

14. If we could only get violent criminals to keep their guns and bombs locked up too

http://www.non-violent.com/

[Indenturedebtor]

15. I'm in complete agreement with you. How did this person know the bomb was fake?

Not a good idea IMO.

[Irreverend IX]

5. Doesn't make much sense...

If you think cops are some of the "lowest lifeforms on the planet..."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3459796#3459811

...why do you think they should be the only ones with guns?

[sandnsea]

7. "some of"

There are some lower. And not all of them are criminals.

[AtheistCrusader]

12. Catch 22.

Let's say he DID have a bomb, and the person with the CPL didn't do anything.

What guarantee do you have that the thief will then leave quietly with the money, and not harm anyone, or maybe leave the bomb behind, in the bank?

This requires some level of trust, and here we have an individual willing to risk physical harm, whether with a bomb, or just panic from the threat of a bomb, to completely innocent bystanders.

I am incapable of trusting that person, and would also work to thwart him/her. I'll share a story later of a bank robber my dad jumped. Worked out pretty good in the end there too, though he was pretty sore for a couple days.

[gorfle]

16. Hard to argue with success though.

This fellow was a veteran of the Palestinian army. It's possible he knows a thing or two about people claiming to be carrying bombs and knew this guy was bullshitting.

Who knows?

Bottom line? The good guys prevailed.

[virginia mountainman]

18. If he really had a bomb..

What guarantees do you have that he would NOT, have used it anyway?


Why are so willing to place total control of your life, with a deranged, "bomb toting" bank robber, who is desperate..

I would rather, trust myself, or my fellow citizens instead.

[krispos42]

24. Okay, let's say he really did have a bomb

I'll say this even though I think you have me on ignore. What he hell, right?



Okay, what could happen next?

Option 1: Suicide blast when confronted. Pretty unlikely, I would think. After all the general idea is to, you know, escape to either enjoy the fruits of your robbery or, failing that, try again.

Option 2: Robber takes money, exits bank, then throws bomb into bank. The resulting explosion allows him to escape in the confusion, as he looks just like another terrified citizen fleeing.

Option 3: Police arrive in time to give chase and attempt to apprehend him. In the chaos that follows such an event, many innocent people would be at risk as the chase went down busy streets and perhaps into businesses.

Option 4: He gets away clean. This means he'll likely try the same technique again, putting yet more people at future risk.



Actually, the guy with the pistol permit should have just shot the robber in the head. That would instantly incapacitate the robber, preventing him from setting off the alleged bomb.

[AtheistCrusader]

32. One problem.

Actually, the guy with the pistol permit should have just shot the robber in the head. That would instantly incapacitate the robber, preventing him from setting off the alleged bomb.

A dead-man switch on the bomb. Where his hand, relaxing in death would remove pressure from a switch, cutting or opening a circuit.

But that is one more layer of paranoia deeper than just whether or not the bomb is real. Normally, the bomb is not real, or the robber will display it. The only bombing I can think of was the one built into that metal neck-collar thing, where a third party used the guy carrying the bomb to commit the robbery.

Not sure if they ever figured out if the guy with the bomb was actually complicit in the robbery plan or not.

[krispos42]

33. I actually thought of that

But probably the guy would have been holding it in his hand and it would have been visible, like that scene in "Speed" when Dennis Hopper's character had one.

[benedikt15]

11. Arab of the Week

Mr. Fawzi had survived years in one of the most dangerous places in the world -- Beirut.

T Years ago I interviewed bank officers on security. I was told the bank guards were instructed not to try to interfere with a robbery. One of the new things then was "dye packets." Tellers were issued packets of money that concealed explosive devices that released clouds of red powder, marking the robber and ruining his clothing (unless, like Tiger, they liked red). The banks was afraid that the badly paid, ill-trained, elderly guards shooting a customer by mistake. Everyone enjoyed the alternative, even the robbers. I

[spin]

17. Look at the positive side...

Everything ended with no one hurt.

Talking over the situation with two police officers in Florida they both agreed the CCW holder could have shot in prep in the head as when he said "But I have a bomb" he would have been in fear for his life.

Not an easy shot and it could have resulted in someone else being injured.

All is well that ends well.

[Tejas]

19. Funny, I didn't see this article mentioned on Gunguys n/t

[michreject]

21. You won't

What you will see is a buncha gang bangers shootin gang bangers being called sweet innocent angels.

[Thelvyn]

20. Why did he have a gun in the bank?

While I completely disagree with "criminal safe zones", if you carry in them, and are caught, you can get some pretty hefty penalties. I was under the impression that banks are "criminal safe zones"; you aren't allowed to take your CCW into them. I personally think people should be able to carry everywhere.....as Ted Nugent says: "The 2nd Amendment is my Conceal & Carry License". But wasn't this guy breaking the law by having a gun in the bank in the first place?

[michreject]

22. In Michigan

there are no restrictions about a CCW holder carrying a gun into a bank. Perfectly legal.

[gorfle]

23. Where you can carry

While it varies by location, very generally you are not allowed to carry firearms on school property or on government property. Private property (like a bank) is fair game unless the owner has posted that no firearms are allowed.

[pipoman]

25. Quoting that insane fuck of a human

on DU is like quoting Rosie O'Donnel in freeper land

[Wcross]

28. The guy should have waited outside the bank for the criminal.

He should have waited outside and shot him in the head so that he couldn't detonate the bomb. Problem solved!:sarcasm:

He screwed up by calling the criminals bluff?