12/06/2006

Robber with knife meets his match with a person with a permitted concealed handgun

WINDHAM, Maine (Dec 4, 2006): A would-be robber was foiled last weekend at the Quiznos sandwich shop in North Windham after pulling a knife and finding himself staring down the barrel of a Smith & Wesson.

Assistant Manager Michael Kry said he noticed a six-foot-tall black male with a thin build carefully checking the store's hours on the glass door after he closed up shop on Sunday, Dec. 3 and was filling out paperwork.

Kry said police told him the suspect was probably watching him to see what he was doing.

At about 9:20 p.m. Kry was exiting the store when the suspect attacked him, trying to pin him to the ground in order to steal the night's deposit out of his hand. According to police reports, a brief scuffle ensued and Kry elbowed his apparently unarmed assailant in the face.

The suspect stepped back and both men drew hidden weapons.

Kry, who was not harmed and did not fire his pistol, said the suspect fled on foot in the direction of Raymond. . . .

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6 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

And so it escalates. Next time, the robber will arm himself with a gun.

12/12/2006 12:48 PM  
Blogger John Lott said...

Dear Anonymous:

Well, I have posted plenty of stories when that happens also and you have the National Crime Victimization data that shows the same thing more systematically, but just so you know the vast majority of violent crimes (around 90 percent) are committed without a gun.

12/12/2006 2:04 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks for the reply. I'm from England and was directed to your site by an online friend. He's very pro gun, I'm very anti. I haven't read much of your stuff, but I'm sceptical about the idea of more guns meaning less crime. It doesn't seem to tally with our experience in the UK.

12/12/2006 4:06 PM  
Blogger John Lott said...

Dear Anonymous:

Thanks for the response. There is an excellent book on the murder rate in England over the last thousand years by Joyce Lee Malcolm entitled Guns and Violence. England has long had a low murder and violent crime rate, but that rate either stopped going down or went up after the gun control laws were passed. During 1900, before England had any gun control laws, London had something like three gun murders. Robberies with guns were similarly rare. By the way, for multiple reasons, while the murder rate in England is still significantly lower than the US rate, the violent crime rate in England is now much higher than the US.

12/12/2006 4:40 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The murder rate isn't significantly lower in the UK, it's massively lower. The number of rapes is also lower by a long way, as well as the chances of being shot, (last figures I saw, you were 60 times more likely to be shot in the US than the UK). Lower level violent crime may be higher, but half of recorded violent crime reported in the UK, results in no injury to the victim. Which stats are you using for your research?

12/12/2006 5:07 PM  
Blogger John Lott said...

Well, according to the 2000 International Crime Victimization Survey the rape rate in England and Wales is 2.7 in the US it is 1.5. The Robbery rate is 1.2 in England and Wales and .6 in the US. Assaults are 6.1 versus 3.4. That survey at least is comparing apples to apples in different countries. You can download a copy of it from the front page of my website (bottom of the right hand column).

12/12/2006 5:33 PM  

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