FL: Victim Exercises Restraint, does not Shoot Armed Robber

People with carry permits are among the most law abiding and responsible groups in the United States.   Not only are they more responsible and law abiding than the general population, but they are several times more law abiding than police officers.  A recent case in Florida shows the restraint of a legal gun owner after being robbed at gunpoint.   From myfoxorlando.com:

Vittoria explained, "I had my gun. I rolled the window down, pointed it and said, 'Put my briefcase down!' I could have shot him right then, but then what? Then I'm in big trouble. My thought process was just get a lot of attention and get police to come. He took off that way in an SUV. I was screamin' right behind him."

Vincent had been robbed at gunpoint just moments before, as he arrived at his restaurant with cash for his business.  From dailycommercial.com:

According to a police report, the two men fought over the briefcase for a few seconds before Vittoria eventually let go.

“I realized I was fighting someone with a gun,” Vittoria told the Daily Commercial .

The man ran off behind the building and Vittoria grabbed his Smith & Wesson pistol. Vittoria then saw the robber circling back toward the restaurant and the owner said he suspected that he was looking for his get-away ride.

But the robber made a U-turn when he spotted Vittoria with the gun.

That is when Vincent confronted the robber and made the decision not to shoot him.  Vincent would likely have been legally justified in shooting the robber.  The robber had a gun, just moments before.  It would have been reasonable to believe that he still had it.

Vincent had motivation to recover his stolen property, but Vincent, like the vast majority of legal gun owners, showed restraint.  He did not wish to risk the legal difficulties that might occur.   That is part of being a responsible member of society.


©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
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