Man says gun made him robbery target

upi ^ | June 10

[JoeProBono]

MILWAUKEE, - A Milwaukee man known by locals for openly displaying his handgun on a hip holster says he is giving up open carry after he was robbed at gunpoint.

The 34-year-old man, who asked not to be named, said he believes openly displaying his handgun as allowed by law made him a target for the robbery and he sees it as evidence of the need for a concealed carry law, WTMJ-AM, Milwaukee, reported Thursday.

Neighbors said the man was always carrying the weapon when they spotted him and he was known locally as "the guy with the gun."

"It was kind of scary to just see him walking around all the time with that gun kind of just out in the open," neighbor Shambria Mayham Autman said. "I think he was trying to scare people off like, 'Yeah, don't mess with me,' kind of attitude, but it didn't work."

Nik Clark, the president of Wisconsin Carry, said he has never heard of a similar incident happening to any of the hundreds of thousands of people in the state who open carry.

"So it really is a very unusual situation, very unique," Clark said.

[JoeProBono]

[chuck_the_tv_out]

No, Poster, people who carry a gun are not taxi driver.

That is the WRONG image.

[JoeProBono]

[bmwcyle]

Always break up a pattern of travel, what you carry, and how you carry(open or concealed). You also need to always stay alert. People walk around not paying attention to their surroundings.

[lefty-lie-spy]

Is this one of those “open carry is OK as long as it’s not loaded” things?
He deserves to be robbed if so; if it was loaded he should have had the balls to shoot back.

[askrenr]

Clueless with a gun; not necessarily a good mixture.

[The Cajun]

Sounds like a guy who never practiced at the range, never took self defense classes, has no idea what situational awareness is and thought all he needed to do was carry a pistol to be safe and/or intimidating........Dumbass!

[dasboot]

Robber took gun??

[dasboot]

ping

[Conservative Vermont Vet]

What a maroon!

Anyone who is carrying and allows himself to be robbed (unless the perp took his piece in the process) deserves what he got.

Of course this could also have been one of those cases where he was carrying, unloaded, which is also, dumb, dumb, dumb!!!

[Quickgun]

While I am not opposed to open carry at all, this is one of the cases that has been discussed for the advantages of concealed carry before. You can be targeted for your weapon. If you find yourself staring in the muzzle of a gun and your weapon is in the open hanging at your side, you have lost a lot of advantage you may have had, had the perp not known you were armed.
Most perps will bypass anyone openly carrying, so it is a deterrent, however, those that choose to confront you anyway are going to be the most dangerous kind.
If you happen to be in a store that a couple of perps are about to rob, and they see you are armed, they may gun you down, or attempt to, before they rob the place. On the other hand, they may choose a different store. The debate still goes on, of whether open or concealed carry is better, but I am of the opinion that concealed carry has the most advantages.

[PowderMonkey]

"Nik Clark, the president of Wisconsin Carry, said he has never heard of a similar incident happening to any of the hundreds of thousands of people in the state who open carry."

Hmmm. That's precisely why I believe the man's story doesn't pass the smell test. I'd be willing to bet the perp never noticed his victim's gun. He just simply took the guy unawares. It's never like in the movies where the perp announces, "Dis is a stick-up!" from twenty feet away, then pulls his gun.

[org.whodat]

When two nuts meet!!! And not all nuts are to be found on trees.

[bmwcyle]

You are correct. My point is you will only be taken overtaken if you are taken by surprise. 3 million crimes are stopped by people carrying guns. Most are stopped by showing or making the other person aware you have a gun. That only works if the other person knows you can fire first and you have the advantage. The key is always put yourself in the position of advantage no matter where your gun is. This takes more education than just firing a gun. It is movement through an area or room and access to the gun. You must not stop learning when you own a gun.

[Red in Blue PA]

Agree.

I OC but never in really bad areas or urban areas.

There are times to OC and times to CC.

That being said, I would wager that people who CC and are attacked are a thousand times greater than people who OC and are attacked. This guy was definitely the exception. One never reads these types of stories, as perps look for easy pickings, not armed citizens who are going to fight back.

[Pollster1]

If you are transporting your target pistol to the range for some recreational shooting (like throwing darts but louder), I can understand being robbed. If you’re carrying, OC or CC, you should already have decided how to respond to this situation. Without going into detail, I have already thought that through completely, and I am quite thankful that I made that decision in advance. If you’re not willing to use it, to stop the threat and not just as a decorative display, you shouldn’t carry.

[marktwain]

There was at least one case years ago where someone who claimed to have been robbed of his open carry gun was found to have lied for unknown reasons. On investigation, the police found the gun in question at the person’s residence.

I am very interested in how this turns out.

[T-Bird45]

Thanks for the Ping. I agree with some of the other posters questioning about “the rest of the story” in this matter. The comment by the Wisconsin Carry official is on the mark about not hearing of such a thing before.

[Yorlik803]

Part of carrying a gun is to observe whats going on around you. Was this guy just walking down the street totally blind to what was going on around him?
Situational awareness is needed when packing a gun. I avoid any situations or places that might be dangerious. Just because I carry a pistol dont mean I ever want to use it.