Deli owner's condition
My heart goes out to the deli owner, but the fallacy of the advice that law enforcement gives is to blame, really. I often had to give the same advice, even though I disagreed with it with every fiber of my being. That was the official line, and you had to hold to it. The conventional wisdom is give the BG anything he wants and he will go away. That may work with a professional criminal, but how many pros are pulling stick-ups of delis? No, there you are dealing with stupid amateurs who believe you can identify them, so they lose nothing by killing you. While I often see people in this site and others talk about the futility of drawing your own weapon when the BG has a gun on you, I was taught all about 'lag time.' I was taught you CAN successfully draw and fire your weapon before the BG can pull the trigger. The deli owner could have a weapon near the cash drawer, and the BG, after demanding money, would expect the deli owner or clerk to open the register. The owner could pull out his weapon and fire it in less than a quarter of a second with practice, while the BG takes at least 3/4 of a second to recognize the danger and react, giving the owner a full half second advantage. Of course fear and any other detriment to the BG's brain, like drugs or alcohol will increase his lag time, adding to the owner's advantage. You see, when you make your move, you know what you are going to do and when, the BG doesn't. I am sure many will argue with me, but experiments with red-handled weapons proved to me it can be done.