Man open carrying was robbed of his gun

[JBinMontana]

Man robbed in the Centreville area

About 4:10 a.m. Sunday, July 30, officers were called to the area of Newton Patent Drive and Newton Tavern Drive. A 21-year-old Centreville-area man was robbed while walking on Newton Patent Drive. Two suspects approached the victim from behind, and placed a metal object up to the victim’s head. The suspects took the victim’s hand gun which he was openly carrying. The suspect’s then fled the area. The victim was not injured.

The suspects were described as black males wearing dark clothing.

Anyone with information about this incident or these suspects is asked to call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477) or the police non-emergency number at 703-691-2131.



I'm just posting the story. Situational awareness is always important. Checking your six should always be done.

Open carrying takes away the surprise and criminals choose to use more force usually. He's lucky they didn't go further with him as they weren't caught anyways.

I'm not making this an anti-open carry post. Just posting an article.

Link Removed

 

[Glockster20]

No surprise... criminals are always looking for ways to get their hands on firearms. The latest trend is stealing weapons right out of police cars. Criminals are becoming more brazen with the tanking economy. Also, firearms are becoming harder to come by because of the panic buying that has taken place since the election. Crooks are looking to get their hands on them anyway they can!

Guns stolen from sheriff's patrol car

Rifle, ammo stolen from Calif. cop cars

Weapons stolen from N.M. cop cars

Ariz. police chief's car, badge, gun stolen

 

[sambo42xa]

AWARENESS!! He is lucky He didn't get shot/killed. If this citizen always walked the dog in the morning, I'm wondering if the BG's watched his steps all the time so they knew what time he walked the dog; carried Open; not alert (?) which made him a good target. And why didn't the dog pick up on this??!!

 

[tattedupboy]

Well, for those of you who say that gun grabs from open carriers are a non issue, this story shows that you're dead wrong. Sure, the victim's lack of situational awareness is more responsible for this than anything else, but this would never have happened to anyone who was carrying concealed.

 

[squisher]

And if he had been CC'ing at that same situational awareness level, they would have tried to rob him for his wallet I would wager (and gotten the gun anyway).

Still sucks. Main link didn't say anything about a dog, which could explain that. Wake up and pay attention (to the victim, not sambo)!

I am glad he was not injured, but now there's another firearm in the hands of the wrong people.

ETA:

One isolated case does not make OC'ers "Dead Wrong"

Now, if this were happening a lot more often, I would be more worried about it. At 4:00 am, it should be peaceful enough to notice somebody trying to sneak up on you. An ambush would be more difficult to deal with, but still...

You might argue that he was being targeted specifically because he was OC'ing, but I hardly doubt that's the case. Most muggers are opportunists, and this guy was alone and in the dark, and apparently not paying attention.

 

[tattedupboy]

And if he had been CC'ing at that same situational awareness level, they would have tried to rob him for his wallet I would wager (and gotten the gun anyway).

Still sucks. Main link didn't say anything about a dog, which could explain that. Wake up and pay attention (to the victim, not sambo)!

I am glad he was not injured, but now there's another firearm in the hands of the wrong people.

ETA:

One isolated case does not make OC'ers "Dead Wrong"

Now, if this were happening a lot more often, I would be more worried about it. At 4:00 am, it should be peaceful enough to notice somebody trying to sneak up on you. An ambush would be more difficult to deal with, but still...

You might argue that he was being targeted specifically because he was OC'ing, but I hardly doubt that's the case. Most muggers are opportunists, and this guy was alone and in the dark, and apparently not paying attention.

All I'm saying is that it's not the "non-issue" that people say it is. If it were truly a non-issue, it wouldn't have happened at all.

 

[NavyLCDR]

The incident happened in 2006 and since has been debunked as a false report, although, at the moment, I do not have proof of the falseness. But if the nearest incident we can come up with to say OC'ers are "dead wrong" is 2006, I would say we are doing pretty good, as OC'ers.

 

[tattedupboy]

The incident happened in 2006 and since has been debunked as a false report, although, at the moment, I do not have proof of the falseness. But if the nearest incident we can come up with to say OC'ers are "dead wrong" is 2006, I would say we are doing pretty good, as OC'ers.

Let's assume for the sake of argument that this story is true. Finding stories of open carriers having their gun snatched is about as easy as finding stories of cops getting their snatched; try finding either on the Internet. Just because we hardly hear about it does not mean that it's something people don't need to make an effort to prevent.

That being said, that doesn't mean that the overwhelming of open carriers aren't responsible people, because they are, simply by virtue of the fact that they are taking responsibility for their safety into their own hands.

 

[JBinMontana]

The incident happened in 2006 and since has been debunked as a false report, although, at the moment, I do not have proof of the falseness. But if the nearest incident we can come up with to say OC'ers are "dead wrong" is 2006, I would say we are doing pretty good, as OC'ers.

I think the story was based on the filed police report:

Fairfax County Police Department

Public Information Office
4100 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, Va. 22030

703-246-2253. TTY 703-204-2264. Fax 703-246-4253

[email protected]

Homepage - Fairfax County, Virginia
*****************************************************************

Now I realize that it happened in 2006, and regardless that if it was a false police report or a true one, the addressing is situational awareness for all of us.

Again sorry if this is a re-post.

 

[DocBoCook]

Not just your six you should be aware of. But 3 and 9 o'clock too

 

[squisher]

All I'm saying is that it's not the "non-issue" that people say it is. If it were truly a non-issue, it wouldn't have happened at all.

Given the age and the questionable validity of the report, I would still argue that it is a non-issue.

If it is that easy to find recent and verifiable reports of this type of thing happening, by all means show us

The cops have it happen to them (IIRC) not so much that they are caught unawares as they deal with the dregs of society as part of their job description. So their exposure to the types of people who would even try this sort of thing is much much greater than the average LAC.

I mean, even as a person who carries on a regular basis, I still try to avoid high-risk areas, where police officers don't have much of a choice when a call comes in for them. So comparing LEO gun grabs to normal non-LEO gun grabs is an apples/oranges kind of thing if you ask me.

When it comes to OC vs CC, I say Different strokes for different folks -- it's all about you, the armed LAC being comfortable and confident with your choices. And pay attention!

 

[S&WM&P40]

Now would you call OWB Carry 'Open Carry" Even if it's covered up by a shirt or jacket? Or do you call open carry Any OWB carry that's not covered up? I know i call open carry "OWB carry not covered up" But some people call Open carry OWB all together and concealed carry to them is IWB carry. I have to ask what was the dog doing? Most dogs pick up on people or turn to look behind them if they hear something. As for a ambush they are good at that as well as they can hear and smell them before we can. So i would say this fog was little to no help to the guy. Now back to him he should know whats going on around him at all times. If you cant even do that DO NOT CARRY.

 

[HK4U]

Say what you will. I still like the element of surprise. I know if I walked into a public place with the idea of shooting as many people as I could and I saw someone with a gun on he would become my first target. I would shoot the person that I see as the most likely threat to come between me and my plans. If you want to open carry that is fine. Me personally I do not want to walk around wearing a sign that says shoot me first I am armed.

 

[toreskha]

Although CC has the element of surprise, the number of lives saved by the improved draw speed from OC probably more than makes up for the number of people who are endangered by being robbed of their firearms while OCing. That's likely the case because OC robberies are probably far more rare than self-defense shootings involving CCers.

 

[ronwill]

The incident happened in 2006 and since has been debunked as a false report, although, at the moment, I do not have proof of the falseness. But if the nearest incident we can come up with to say OC'ers are "dead wrong" is 2006, I would say we are doing pretty good, as OC'ers.

I'm not so sure about it being a false report. Here's an excerpt from the Fairfax County Police Department:

ROBBERY

Newton Patent Drive/Newton Tavern Drive
*About 4:10 a.m. Sunday, July 30, officers were called to the area of Newton Patent Drive and Newton Tavern Drive. A 21-year-old Centreville-area man was robbed while walking on Newton Patent Drive. Two suspects approached the victim from behind, and placed a metal object up to the victim’s head. The suspects took the victim’s hand gun which he was openly carrying. The suspect’s then fled the area. The victim was not injured. The suspects were described as black males wearing dark clothing.

The entire report for that time period can be found here:

Link Removed

 

[Madpegtod]

Say what you will. I still like the element of surprise. I know if I walked into a public place with the idea of shooting as many people as I could and I saw someone with a gun on he would become my first target. I would shoot the person that I see as the most likely threat to come between me and my plans. If you want to open carry that is fine. Me personally I do not want to walk around wearing a sign that says shoot me first I am armed.

I have a project for you. Next time you walk into McDonald's, scan the whole restaurant and look at every person's waist (both sides and their back) as if you are looking to identify someone who is open carrying. Tell me how long it takes to clearly identify every possible carrier's location. Keep in mind that there will be people sitting, standing walking, in the restroom, etc. My head is always on a swivel. There is a high probability that I will have seen you first if you are doing this. As a side note, I OC and always sit with my gun side facing away from people just as a precaution.

 

[squisher]

Now would you call OWB Carry 'Open Carry" Even if it's covered up by a shirt or jacket? Or do you call open carry Any OWB carry that's not covered up? I know i call open carry "OWB carry not covered up" But some people call Open carry OWB all together and concealed carry to them is IWB carry. I have to ask what was the dog doing? Most dogs pick up on people or turn to look behind them if they hear something. As for a ambush they are good at that as well as they can hear and smell them before we can. So i would say this fog was little to no help to the guy. Now back to him he should know whats going on around him at all times. If you cant even do that DO NOT CARRY.

Open carry is just that, an openly carried weapon, visible to those on your weapon side. OWB with a long shirt or coat over it is still concealed. IWB with the butt of the gun visible kind of a gray area in the eyes of the law (depends on state) but I would for all intents and purposes consider that open carry as well.

In Indiana it really doesn't make a difference if you OC or CC, if you are in a state that it does make a difference make sure you get the *law's* opinion as to what constitutes OC or CC.

 

[Big Gay Al]

To my way of thinking, the idea of an OCer being attacked by a bad guy has never been a "non-issue." It has simply been a "rare-issue." And even if this story is true, I'd say that based on the apparent frequency of such, it is STILL rare.

If nothing else, it shows the importance of situational awareness. And SA is just as important to those of us who CC, as it is to those of us who OC. When you carry a gun, either concealed or openly, you can NEVER just walk around in public, with you head in the clouds, or up your butt. If you do, you will have this happen to you. It's just a matter of time.

And I would add, even if you don't pack, it pays to be aware of your surroundings. If the bad guys know that YOU Know where they are, there's a good possibility they will choose a less aware target.

 

[S&WM&P40]

Open carry is just that, an openly carried weapon, visible to those on your weapon side. OWB with a long shirt or coat over it is still concealed. IWB with the butt of the gun visible kind of a gray area in the eyes of the law (depends on state) but I would for all intents and purposes consider that open carry as well.

In Indiana it really doesn't make a difference if you OC or CC, if you are in a state that it does make a difference make sure you get the *law's* opinion as to what constitutes OC or CC.

Yeah i know that's how i look at it as well. But some people look at All OWB carry as open carry lol not really sure why. But that's why i was asking.

 

[DarrellM5]

If you're going to open carry, make sure you stay in condition yellow and get some handgun retention training. You MUST maintain situational awareness at all times, especially whenever someone is within your comfort zone.

As a matter of fact, the above goes for CC as well.