Smash-and-grab at Oshman's

KBCraig · #1

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?secti ... id=3444075

Two guys, undisguised*, walk into Oshman's in Humble, smash the pistol case with a dumbell, and waltz out with 22 handguns. In broad daylight.

The crooks apparently understood their target: in a corporate sporting goods store, no employees are going to be armed. I'll note they didn't try hitting a local gun shop in the same way!

Kevin

*Edit: "undisguised". They might well be distinguished. ;)

dws1117 · #2

I guess Oshmans will now stop selling guns again. Remember, the only way to stop gun crime is to take them away.

tex45acp · #3

It was a shame that there were no CHL holders in the store. Can you imagine the looks on their faces, if after they broke the glass and took the guns and then turned around to run, there stood someone with a 1911 pointing in their faces.........as the credit card company advertisement says "priceless".

I wonder which they would have done first, soiled their pants or passed out.

HighVelocity · #4

An armed citizen would have had little choice but to shoot in this situation. How would he/she know what guns were grabbed (empty) from the case and what guns (loaded) were already in their hands?

gigag04 · #5

The New York Times would read:

Gun crazed texan shoots unarmed (really..unloaded, but whats a little media bias) desperate youth.

That said,

I'd shoot.

BobCat · #6

I'd duck. Sorry - the referenced article says:

"Humble police say the two men did not brandish a weapon or threaten the employees."

There was no apparent threat of deadly force. I'm not in the business of saving Oshmans' merchandise. I'm not happy they took guns, but there are already lots of stolen guns out in the world - keeping them from stealing these would be nice, but not worth the possibility of being mistaken for an armed robber and shot down dead by the police.

Just my humble opinion. Different story if they appeared to be about to harm someone.

Regards,
Andrew

jimlongley · #7

But once they took the (unboxed) guns out of the case, they could have been considered to be brandishing them, and maybe they loaded them, who is to say that they didn't come prepared to load up with ammo in their pockets.

I might have been inclined to seek cover while drawing and then give them a chance to "drop the guns." (I have always wanted to say that.

)

OverEasy · #8

I was in the Oshman's Super Store on FM 1960 last month. I wandered into the gun department and slowly studied the selection and the prices (high), not an employee in sight. As I was leaving I saw an employee about 3 or 4 isles away down on his knees stocking little plastic bags of fishing stuff on the hooks of a display. I can understand how easy it was for the robbers to grab the guns. If they could have found a more quiet way to get into the display case maybe nobody would have even noticed the robbery. The employees I saw, were three young people standing near the cash registers, "shoot'n the s..". No, I'm not at all suprised to hear about the theft. I would bet they picked the Oshman's for that very reason. At least at Academy and Gander Mnt. somebody is usually standing behind the gun counter. Even if they are unarmed, just being there makes a big difference, I think.

Kalrog · #9

I would have to seek cover and discretely draw or be ready to. If they leave - I stay concealed. If they load and make ready to open fire, so do I. I bet I have more ammo ready to go than they do.

Renegade · #10

tex45acp wrote:It was a shame that there were no CHL holders in the store. Can you imagine the looks on their faces, if after they broke the glass and took the guns and then turned around to run, there stood someone with a 1911 pointing in their faces.........as the credit card company advertisement says "priceless".

I wonder which they would have done first, soiled their pants or passed out.

Well let's see. The last time a bunch of thugs did a smash and grab for guns at an Oshmans, and were confronted by an armed good guy (though not immediately behind them), they shot him to death and then ran him over with the getaway car.

Don't assume becuase someone is stealing some guns they do not alreayd have some, or some lookouts ready to take out the good guy who shows up.

edit:

Sorry didn't mean to sound like a smart-ass, but these types of crimes are for hard-core criminals, and a CHL is no match for them.