Street robberies

Long piece at Arf.com.  One of the important bits(language warning):
When to draw

Despite warnings I often see on the Net I have yet to encounter an instance in which a hold up man called the police to report his intended victim threatened to shoot him. Thugs do not want to come into contact with the police. They may already be wanted or realize chances are good they have been identified in a recent robbery. Or what ever. They are not going to call the police if you draw on them.



Supposed two guys are approaching you in a parking lot and do the classic fan out maneuver. You indicate you have a weapon by clearing your gun hand and fanning your jacket at them. They are not discouraged. DRAW!

I am not saying you should pull your gun out, assume a Weaver stance, and scream "That's close enough motherfuckers!" What I am saying is draw your gun and hold it beside your leg as you start to move to cover. I am very fond of telephone poles. Anything will do though. They will see this. They will remember they have to be somewhere else. They will not call the police.

Then you can just put your gun back in the holster and go back to whatever you were doing like nothing happened. Why? Because nothing did happen. A happening is when shots are fired.

Do not hesitate to draw. If you are somewhere you are supposed to be and someone appears who is not supposed to be there like a closed business show him the end of your gun. Could it be Mother Teresa looking for her lost cat behind your closed business? No it is some motherfucker up to no good. He won't call the police to report he was prowling a location when a guy ran him off.


There's been a thing running 'round the last couple of years about "Always call the cops, because they might call first and say you threatened them."  He says the opposite.  What think you?


One other thing: another part of his advice is When you lock eyes with G the very first thing you need to do it indicate you have a weapon. It doesn't matter if you do or not. If you are a woman put your gun hand in your purse and keep it there. If you are a man fan your shirt or coat tail with your gun hand. Make it clear to dude you are mentally prepared to draw and making sure your gun is clear. This will many times result in an about face by dude. It is the single best robbery avoidance tactic IMHO.
One of the things we hear a lot about is 'brandishing'; generally boils down to 'keep it hidden until you have to draw it'.  Here again his advice is the opposite: make SURE the bad guy knows you're armed.  Some places that would get you in trouble but only if the bad guys call the cops on you.  Again, thoughts?


Last, along with other very valuable things, Xavier wrote of a robbery attempt on he and his daughter on a Sunday morning in a parking lot.  Here's his follow-up, which includes this:
I do not consider my actions that day to be brandishing.

My actions that day were the preparation for defending my life and my child's life.

Perhaps BW chose a word that was tangently applicable, but I understand his thoughts.

From the American Heritage Dictionary: bran·dish
1. To wave or flourish (a weapon, for example) menacingly.

2. To display ostentatiously.

There was no wave, no flourish, and no ostentatiousness in my actions. I was not attempting to impress anybody. I was preparing to preserve my life and limb, and that of my child. Brandishing is an empty threat. The unholstering of my gun that day was a commitment to life and limb. I'm glad the other two men were also committed to their own life and limb, and made the choices they did quickly.


Seems like a good place to throw in this link: Pre-attack indicators and situational awareness