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Posted on 11/07/2007 8:20:29 AM PST by subterfuge
Two holders of concealed-weapons permits surprised armed thugs in west Orlando this week.
Both men opened fire rather than surrender...
Amezaga said Tuesday. "If more people stood up for themselves, a lot of crime could be prevented. And the concealed-weapons permit, that's great."
The men say they exercised their constitutional right to own guns, carried them legally and defended themselves within the state's deadly force law.
Amezaga, 25, and Stephen Soto, 23, were...outside Soto's apartment when two strangers walked by them two or three times...when both strangers walked up to Amezaga's parked car, where the men were standing.
"What time is it?" one of the strangers asked.
Soto looked down at his watch and said, "It is 6:10."...Soto heard the stranger say, "Hey, run them," as the man drew a black snub-nose revolver from the pouch in his sweat shirt.
As Soto pulled a 9 mm Keltec pistol from his right front pants pocket, he heard the robber's gunfire and felt a bullet graze his left shin, breaking the skin. Still standing, Soto fired two or three times before both robbers turned and ran, the report states.
"They tried to rob me and my homeboy," Soto said..."If I didn't have a concealed-weapons permit, it would have been a lot worse."
Amezaga and Soto bought their pistols after becoming concerned about Orlando's increase in violent crime.
Nearly 20,000 people in Orange County legally carry concealed firearms...
Soto...arrived four years ago from New York and obtained his concealed-weapons permit last year. Amezaga, a warehouse worker who moved here eight years ago from Puerto Rico, also obtained a permit last year. Both practice at public gun ranges in Orlando and Apopka.
"It could have been real bad last night if it wasn't for the quick thinking and our concealed-weapons permits," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at orlandosentinel.com ...
Kevin Beary where are you?
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
This article is heavily *snipped* so I could fit this excerpt in with most of the relevant info.
It’s odd that my tagline doesn’t appear upon posting the article, fwiw.
“What time is it” is a classic opening line to a robbery.
Time to buy a watch, that’s what time it is thugee.
Kleck’s study showed that he vast majority of the time, merely brandishing a weapon is enough to stop a criminal in their tracks, actual shoot outs are very rare.
Oh that’s not true, the local police chief says that bad guys will take the gun from you and may use it on you... cough bullSh!T cough cough....
No happy ending?
Sounds like the good guys need some more practice at the range! Center of mass...squeeze.
The Casselberry gun range in Orlando has had CCW courses booked solid for the last year.
Areas of Orlando are freaking war zones though, it’s a crazy situation. Population has grown over 20% in 7 years, and civil society has a real hard time spreading roots in such a transient population.
All the permit did for you is reduce the hassle afterward. What made the difference was the 9 mm Keltec.
BTW, nice writing. Gave the info I wanted to know.
He doesn't carry a weapon for that reason I take it?
One night, my wife and I went to LoDo, Denver to meet some friends for a birthday celebration. We parallel parked on a street near the restaurant and as I walked from the driver's side toward the curb a Latino and his friend approached me and asked for the time. Without hesitating, I yelled, "Get the ef away from me!" The troubling thing was my wife was so shocked by my confrontational manner she stood there in shock instead of making a beeline toward safety.
That makes it a coin toss as to how lucky the perp is feeling and perps don't like those odds at all.
Oh no, he carries a sidearm... doesn’t believe his own BS I guess...
So many thugs, so little ammo...
TC
“A Glock in the hand is better than a cop on the phone.” – Somebody
“When seconds count, the cops are only minutes away,”
“I carry a gun because a cop is too heavy.”
Glock when a 5 minute response time is a death sentence.
Where canI get a 357 Magnum Sig? Or a 357 Sig Magnum. Or something.
Still, I'm being picky. Good article, and the only thing that could have made the story better would be a traial of blood leading to a barely alive perp.
Sounds to me like Soto could use a bit more practice ...
Perhaps for the armed citizen ping list
That makes at least three of us. Aren't you glad that you were able to find common ground with him?
Maybe, but when I practice at the range or at IDPA events, no one first fired at me and grazed my shin. ;-)
All in all, a very sucessful encounter with the BGs, IMO.
lol... I live in a smaller town where all the LEO’s and pretty much all the inhabitants are ARMED... surprisingly, we have very little crime..
Excellent result, although even more practice at the range is obviously required.
> That’s the ticket. A gun will really stop a criminal far better than the police.
That’s because police CANNOT prevent a crime; they can only document the crime after the fact and then track down the criminals for prosecution.
If you want to not be a victim then you have to protect yourself. Own and use guns.
I carried even before they recognized the PA "CCP" but now it's legal.
"hey buddie, you gotta light?"
I was on a driving range with two friends a couple of years ago in the greater Orlando area, and as we're warming up we heard 5 shots ring out. We looked to our left and across the street a guy gets in his truck after shooting a guy sitting on his stoop in front of five others. The shooter got in his old truck, calmly and slowly drove to the stop sign, looked both ways and put his turn signal on, and drove off at a normal rate of speed. Don't know if they ever caught him.
The victim was sitting with four or five other guys and none of them were carrying. Too bad.
Thanks. Lousy excerpting annoys me no end.
I know somebody with the second guy’s last name, the ones who fired on the bad guys. Good thing is though, he lives in Brooklyn, but there may be a family connection.
That's a great point. I've coached my duaghter for years against this for years. In certain situations, it's simply best to truly suspend disbelief. Not like watching the movie) If is seems bombs are going off or people are shooting--BELIEVE IT!! Clarify the situation and ask questions later.
Yes. That's one of the reasons I had to post this one. Got to get the word out!! Plus, Orange County needs a new sheriff. I'm working on Bill Armstrong's campaign.
BILL ARMSTRONG FOR ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF!!
A timeline which just happens to coincide with Mr Soto's bad homeboys moving down here with him from New York.
They practice? They obviously don’t practice enough if both guys got away.
You do. Now stop browsing threads here on FR and follow along with me:
Obtain an Application for Concealed Weapon or Firearm License by filling out an online request form for applications or by contacting any of the Florida Division of Licensing offices. The application packet includes the form to be filled out, a copy of Chapter 790, Florida Statutes, a fingerprint card, and a return envelope for the completed application.
Where to Apply:
Apply by mail to:
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Division of Licensing, P.O. Box 6687
Tallahassee, FL 32314
Outstanding article!
maybe i should start carrying, i love to walk my little five year old son, and sometimes we walk in areas that are not the most populated, and sometimes we are out into the evening too...
Try to carry everywhere.
I even carry when I walk my little fuzzy golden/chow mix puppy.
don’t F with the puppy!
>>That’s the ticket. A gun will really stop a criminal far better than the police.
Someone here has a tagline along the lines of “I carry a gun because I can’t carry a cop.”
Damn near everyone has a cell phone these days, and they all have a clock.
Obviously, they didn't practice enough.....since both perps ran away...
CENTER OF MASS, or if the bastard is running CENTER OF ASS, to show a little compassion for the fact they are no longer an immediate threat....
Point well taken.
It's a shame that the story didn't have a happy ending ... but all in all it worked out well.
Since the P.C. (Prissy Cowards) at the Orlando Sentinel declined to give any description of the perps, other than there were two of them — are we expected to assume they were Africans..
Yeah, the ending could have been better. At least in some free States the BGs need to be a little more worried about who they target.
Sounds like a very nice town, and very similar to where I live. The downside is that the cops are very bored, and give out speeding tickets for 5mph over a ridiculously low limit. But, its a good tradeoff, I guess....
Nah our local 5-0 gets the speeders as the drive through town whne the kids are heading to school in the morning and when they head home from school... They’re good guys
Our cops are pretty cool too, but a bit overzealous when you are caught going 35 in a 30, which probably should be a 40. But, from the few I have met, and speaking generally, the NH cops are pro 2A, as they should be. That’s the important thing, IMO.
They know legally licensed CCW people are not a threat to them, and make the entire citizenry less attractive to the punks.
I’m taking a course for mine right now. Don’t know if I’ll even carry when I get it, but if I need to, I shall be prepared.
And practiced.
Good for ya.
A word of unasked for advice, from someone who threw alot of $$ away while I was learning: Spend at least as much on training, with a reputable person or company, as on hardware.
I’m taking the course at my local sportsman’s club. I want to shoot IPSC or IDPA after that.
911:911, what is your emergency.
Homeowner: I just caught two guys in my house that broke in. Send help please.
911: Ok. I can have a unit out in about 30 minutes. That's as fast as they can get there.
Homeowner: Ok.(hangs up)
Homeowner thinks for a minute and the redials 911.
911:911, what is your emergency.
Homeowner: I just called about the two burglars.
911: Yes, I remember.
Homeowner: Well I just shot them dead and they are in the backyard.
The police show up not 2 minutes later to find homeowner and burglars very much alive.
Officer: I thought you said they were dead?
Homeowner: I thought you said you couldn't get here for 30 minutes?
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