Open Carrier Has Gun Taken By Armed Assailant

[SeanN]

http://www.kptv.com/story/26729956/man-openly-carrying-new-gun-in-gresham-robbed-by-armed-man

GRESHAM, OR (KPTV) -

A man openly carrying his new handgun was robbed on a Gresham street by a man with a gun of his own.

Police were called out to the area of 172nd and Glisan Street at 2:10 a.m. Saturday.

Investigators said the 21-year-old victim bought a handgun earlier in the day and was openly carrying it while talking to his cousin.

They said a man approached them and asked for a cigarette. Talk eventually turned to the victim's new purchase, before the robber pulled his own gun from his waistband and said, "I like your gun, give it to me," according to police.

The victim handed over his gun and the suspect ran away.

The suspect is described as a light-skinned black man, 19 to 23 years old, 6'1" with a skinny build. He had black, wavy hair and was clean cut, except for a small patch of facial hair on his chin. The man was wearing gray sweatpants, a white T-shirt and flip-flops.

The weapon he used in the robbery was described as a black gun, possibly semi-automatic. The stolen gun is a black Walther brand, model P22. It is semi-automatic and .22LR-caliber.

Anybody who may have information on this case is asked to call the Gresham Police tip line at 503-618-2719.

Oops.

[bkoenig]

Situational awareness fail.

[gsd]

And there it is...the Idiot of the Day Award has just been won.

[GreyGeek]

Lack of situational awareness?

Even if the victim had suspicions about the motives of the man who walked up and asked for a cigarette what would you expect him to do, pull his weapon and point it at the man?  Threatening a man with a gun, especially one who appears to be unarmed, is assault.

This is the exact dilemma faced by all those who carry openly. It is unnecessary.

IMO, it was stupid to openly display the weapon in the first place.  The kid was just showing off and paid the price for his stupidity.

[H2O_King89]

Did I read that right. The kid started talking about his new firearm?

[Mali]

I am not an open carry person for that reason, but I can certainly understand "the conversation turned to his new gun".  How many times have we all talked about our latest acquisition, although generally not with strangers?

[JTH]

I am not an open carry person for that reason, but I can certainly understand "the conversation turned to his new gun".  How many times have we all talked about our latest acquisition, although generally not with strangers?

He IS open-carrying it.  As such, it might (unsurprisingly) become a potential topic of conversation.

Quite frankly, the discussion (even with a stranger) doesn't surprise me.  After all, we give kudos to MissMichelle when she engages a stranger in intelligent firearms conversation, right?  Putting a normal human face on gun owners?

To my mind, the problem we have here has to do with the victim failing to stay away from the three Ss.  (Don't do stupid things with stupid people in stupid places. Technically there is a fourth S which is "...at stupid times.")

2:10am, folks.

Tell me, do---how many of you hang out on the streets talking with anyone who walks by at 2am?

Situational awareness fail, yes--mostly because anyone walking around at that time of night who just walks up to you to talk is someone who should be viewed with a significant amount of reserve.

2pm at the Old Cheney Farmer's Market, in the midst of a crowd?  Sure.  2am on the street with no one else around, and no reason for that person to strike up a conversation?  Yeah, that should have been a potential threat indicator.

[Mali]

Good point.
A: If I am up that late and someone walks up to me and my friend then they are automatically assumed to be up to no good until such time as I feel otherwise, which is most likely never.
B: I am getting too old to stay up until 2AM any more.

[RedDot]

http://www.kptv.com/story/26729956/man-openly-carrying-new-gun-in-gresham-robbed-by-armed-man

Oops.

Sounds like a drug deal gone bad to me. 

My personal prejudice against grown men wearing flip-flops probably would have caused me to draw as he approached.  Never trust a man in flip-flops. 

[GreyGeek]

Sounds like a drug deal gone bad to me. 
...

Sounds plausible to me as well, especially at 2 in the morning.  The dope was probably stashed  before the police were called.

[Waltherfan]

If you're going to open carry, why open carry a .22?

[JTH]

If you're going to open carry, why open carry a .22?

People carry for all sorts of reasons.  I've seen a couple of people open carry ornate two-shot derringers, single-action revolvers, and even (gasp) an 1911.  (Though obviously that last person really needed to switch to a reliable handgun.    )

Do *I* think it should be a fashion statement?  No, but it isn't up to me.  Do *I* think that it should be a useful tool for self-defense?  Yes, but again, it isn't up to me.   (Doesn't stop me from having strong opinions, but it does mean that no one has to listen to them or obey them.)

Besides, a .22 is better than a sharp stick, or harsh language.  (Though I will say that given the information we have, I doubt the person was actually carrying for the express purpose of self-defense.  Even if he thought he was, I'm thinking he didn't know enough about it to do so effectively.)

Now, it was a Walther, so obviously THAT shouldn't ever be carried....



(because I'm replying to Waltherfan )

[bkoenig]

Besides the fact that there is most likely more to the story, I think there's a lesson here.  A lot of predators use an "interview" like this to size up their potential victims.  They're testing you to see how compliant you are.  Call me paranoid, but I don't let random panhandlers engage me in conversation.  If someone asks me for money or a smoke I give them a firm "No" and move on.  This goes double for if it happens after dark, in a shady neighborhood, etc. 

[OnTheFly]

I had a situation a couple years ago not long after I got my CHP.  It was late evening when two guys drove a car into a gas station where I was pumping my gas.  They parked the car on the other side of the station parking lot.  After they conversed a little, one of them approached me while the other moved to my right towards the gas station door (though the station was closed).  The one approaching me engaged me with a request for quarters in exchange for a dollar bill he had in hand. While he drew my attention to the left, the other moved out of my peripheral to the right.  The interesting thing is that the one approaching me did so very cautiously.  He didn't immediately come into my proximity.  He slowly walked closer, held up the bill, asked if I had quarters, but stopped quite a ways from me.  I really believe that he understood the dangers of approaching a stranger and how it could be perceived at night in a less than busy area. 

I proceeded to do a couple of things wrong, but overall I was happy with my situational awareness.  As I drove out of the parking lot they were using the air pump to fill the tire.

Fly

[66bigblock]

I have had several of lincolns downtown population (homeless) approach me and want to shake hands while they start their begging speech to me and my family. 

Call me an arse, but I refuse to shake hands with some random person that walks up to me on the street.  In fact, I have had to push one back away from me, just to maintain my personal space.  Im not suggesting that I am about to be robbed by a begger, but having my dominant hand in the grip of an unknown person does not seem like a smart thing for me to do.  Plus, who know where those hands have been?

Being situationally aware means you have to be a "jerk" sometimes...

66bigblock