Just Give Them What They Want

I was reading one of my favorite gun forums today, and someone posted a link to this article while saying that giving crooks what they want isn't always the best idea.

A fellow poster named David responded that you are far less likely to be injured in a robbery by simply complying and giving the robber whatever they want. After all, they'll just go away.

I thought about this for a short while, and my thoughts were immediately dragged back to a recent robbery here in Dallas. The local news interviewed both of the robbers, the link to that video interview is below. My response to David is below, and I hope that you'll take a moment to read through it, watch the linked video, and think for a moment about the people in your area that may be just like this.

David, a few years ago I saw statistics from the FBI I think it was, on the likelihood of being injured during a crime, and fighting back was *not* on the top of the list for most likely to be injured. For the life of me, I can't find the study now.

Here is the problem. Fine, maybe compliance will get you a pass on being harmed, but how do you know at the time? Are you willing to roll the dice and hope that you don't run into these guys? This piece of crap and his friend wasted a Christian musician out in front of a recording studio recently. You can see how remorseful he is about it. If you haven't seen this footage, please, please watch it. It may just open your eyes.

The funny thing is that we like to project our own rationality and emotional state on others. We like to think that your average predator just wants some cash for drugs, or whatever, but really he's just a rational guy that is down on his luck. The truth is that there is an entire class of people out there that DO NOT think like you and me. Remorse, compassion, reason - none of these things exist in their tortured souls. They are literally predatory animals, lions and tigers in the truest sense of the word. If you cross them (and I don't mean cross them as in confront them, I mean just simply happen to walk down the street in their general vicinity), they *will* kill you. They won't shoot you once and run away. They will put a few rounds in you, or stab you, and they'll do it again, and again, and again, and again, simply because they can. They'll do it to *watch* you die. And they don't care. They don't care that you are a nice guy, or that you have a family, or that you are just trying to make your way through the world the best you can. They. Don't. Care.

So therein lies the rub. Do you trust that you've been chosen by the "respectful and friendly" predator? The predator that will just take your wallet and jog on down the street? Or did you just run into the kind of predator that would just as soon see you bleeding out on the sidewalk as look at you. The predator who has absolutely no respect for life. The predator that will make sure you do not go home at night.

It's up to you. I'm not saying shoot anything that moves, but I am saying think through very carefully the situations you may be put into, and DO NOT make the mistake of projecting your emotional state and sentimentality onto your enemies. Over-estimating your enemy's humanity may just mean that it's your blood staining the sidewalk in front of a place you once considered safe and secure.

My personal goal, day in and day out, is to go home safe at night. I will do whatever it takes to maximize my chances to do so.