Armed business owners during Los Angeles riots.
Back in the late 1970’s, I lived in Santa Barbara when a wild fire raced through the foot hills. It was caused by a twenty-something guy who was flying a kite late one afternoon when the hot Santa Ana winds were blowing.
The guy’s kite got caught in power lines, the power lines arched, sparks came down on dry brush, and the fire began. When all was said and done, 200 expensive homes were destroyed.
A friend of my family lived in the foothills during that fire. He evacuated his elderly parents to a motel in the city, but he stayed behind to guard his home with a pistol strapped to his side. A carload of potential looters pulled into his driveway. My friend walked up to them and said, “Can I help you boys?” When the bad guys saw that my friend was armed, they took off and never came back.
The fire shifted direction and my friend’s home was saved, by the way.
Armed business owners during Los Angeles riots.