The Heist

 

 

Yesterday was one of those busy, busy days. How busy? For a couple of retired folks, we were tied up with stuff to do all day. The day started out with our cable provider coming up to do a refresh on our DVR system. This took longer than expected, so as soon as he left we headed up to see Mom at the care center. We left there and headed back to a jewelry store to check on a ring appraisal. The busy part of our day was over, so this was going to be a relaxing way to finish it off.

Once in the jewelry store, we were told the man doing the appraisal on our ring was running a bit behind schedule and would we mind waiting for a short while. No big deal. My wife and I looked at some fancy items, wondering who would buy them in this tight economy, and then just sat and relaxed.

A young man came in and asked to look at some upscale rings. I did not pay much attention as I was checking Facebook on my phone and looking out the window. Suddenly the woman behind the counter shouted "Wait, Wait, Stop!" as the young man went crashing out the door. He ran right by the window I was looking out. For a couple of seconds it was the "fog of war". I did not realize the store had just been robbed. When it dawned on me what just happened, I hurried out the door to see which direction he was heading.

The store had just been robbed (after hours) last summer, and this was their first daytime robbery. It was a "smash and grab" without the smash. The trusting clerk had taken product out for the young man to look at. That was all he needed. He grabbed an expensive ring and took flight.

I have heard in the past that when a bank or jewelry store is robbed, it brings out law enforcement in droves. In a few minutes the store was loaded with local police. My wife and I were interviewed and statements taken. Then it hit me. This event was the last thing we expected when we went to the store. It could have been different, much worse. What if this desperate young man had a gun? There were only a handful of people in the store. It seems like we read about things like this on a weekly basis. A gun pulled out, shots fired, people down. I had my carry permit in my wallet, but no gun on my person. If things had "gone south", I had no way to protect myself, my wife, or any of the innocents in the store. Lessons learned for the future.

So as the President was having his stage performance with a bunch of kids, we had a touch of "real ville" yesterday. Mr. President, there are bad people in this world. Some are armed. Some shoot innocent people. Your desire to punish the law abiding citizens by making harder to legally carry a weapon confuses me. When I took my carry class, I mostly learned how not to use my gun. However, I also learned if there is no other choice, how to use it properly. There are times, mostly unexpected, that training might be needed. Fortunately, yesterday was not one of them.