One of the books recommended to me was "Strong on Defense" by Sanford Strong. It essentially says the same thing as Jim. In fact, the book goes one step further saying that you should be prepared for hurt and pain in order to survive. Examples are given of unarmed victims physically attacking knife wielding assailants.seamusTX wrote:Being male I go to a barber shop. They don't even accept plastic. With multiple barbers, they might take in $100 per hour in cash.SewTexas wrote:I'm not sure why they think beauty shops 'take in cash' everyone pays with a CC these days...and this one was hit 2 hours after opening...they were specifically after purses.
I can't speak for the thinking process of robbers.
I've said many times that robbery is a loser's game. The average career of a robber is about a year before they are arrested or killed.
I think there is an aspect of power-tripping to robbery, which makes it a close sibling of rape and kidnapping. I won't tell anyone else what to think or do, but I am not certain that "just give them what they want" works with robbers. There are too many examples of compliant robbery victims being humiliated, raped, or killed.
I also have never heard of a crime victim saying, "I wish I had just gone along instead of fighting back."
- Jim
On balance, I've read the story about the unidentified LEO who sent his family out of a fast food store while he attempted to confront a robber with a gun. The LEO shot and killed the robber but not before the robber's shots had killed a 9 year old girl. It turned out afterward that the LEO's family had not made it out of the store before the violence began. It is tough to try to predict what might have happened if the LEO had not been in the store that day. The is the problem with armed robbery, the outcomes are unpredictable.
I agree that the desire for control of the situation by the BG might be a key for me to act. In a smash and grab situation where the BGs are in a hurry, I might be less inclined respond. There are, however, enough documented cases where after getting what they wanted, the BGs shot back into the building as they retreated. If that happens, the window of opportunity to respond has passed.