Open Carrier Robbed at Gunpoint

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alohachris

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http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/95999354.html

Man Legally Carrying Gun Robbed at Gunpoint

By Melanie Stout

MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee man found out the hard way that carrying a gun for protection doesn't always keep you safe. In fact, it may have made him a target.

The 34-year-old man legally owned a handgun and carried it out in the open in his holster for protection.

Neighbors say they knew he was always armed.

"It was kind of scary to just see him walking around all the time with that gun kind of just out in the open," said Shambria Mayham Autman. She lives near Teutonia and Good Hope and said they called him "The guy with the gun."

But it wasn't scary for at least one person who robbed "The guy with the gun" at gunpoint.

"I think he was trying to scare people off like, 'Yeah, don't mess with me,' kind of attitude, but it didn't work," Mayham Autman explained.

The president of Wisconsin Carry, Nik Clark, says 100's of thousands of people open carry and he's never heard of anything like this.

"So it really is a very unusual situation, very unique," Clark said.

The victim didn't want to go on camera but said he carried the gun because he had been jumped and held up at knife point in the past. He believes, in his case, open carry made him a target and he will no longer do it.

He said his case proves gun owners should have the right to carry concealed weapons.

Clark agrees. "By and large it is a significant deterrent, open carry is, but I think it really does make the point that Wisconsin should have concealed carry along with open carry so that people who live in a very high crime neighborhood where criminals aren't deterred by firearms would have the ability to conceal carry to protect themselves. The two really work hand in hand," Clark said.
 
Interesting story...I'm not a fan of the old lady neighbor though..its obvious she's against firearms period..Or maybe thats my perception from the comments she made...
 
Interesting story...I'm not a fan of the old lady neighbor though..its obvious she's against firearms period..Or maybe thats my perception from the comments she made...
It was this that did it for me
'Yeah, don't mess with me,' kind of attitude
 
Did I miss it, but did the crook get the gun? The picture shows a gun in a holster, so, if it's the victim, then the crook didn't take his gun?

This is weird.
 
Nothing is a magic wand, but it is a strong deterrent.


People still rob places with armed guards all the time. Even though they have guns.
Criminals victimize other criminals like gang members or drug dealers all the time, even when they know their victim is carrying a firearm.


A gun just gives extra options, it is not a talisman that will protect from danger.
 
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This is basically why I'll never OC. It's also the same reason I don't walk around with $500 clipped to my belt.

A poor argument. You'd have to show how many times he was wasn't robbed because he was carrying and demonstrate that the temptation to steal the gun outweighed the deterrent effect. You can't prove a negative...
 
Lets hope the Media continues to rely on "Shambria Mayham Autman" anytime they need cogent insight, sociological/anthropological/cultural over-views, and or just a true cross-section of the Public.
 
How about all the concealed carriers that have been attacked because the BG didn't know they were carrying? It doesn't matter if one gets shot/robbed because he/she was open or concealed carrying. It's one of those "If it's your time, it's your time" times. He could've already been chosen as a victim before the BG even knew he was carrying a weapon.
 
The victim didn't want to go on camera but said he carried the gun because he had been jumped and held up at knife point in the past. He believes, in his case, open carry made him a target and he will no longer do it.

Maybe it is the obvious displays of wealth or such that make his so attractive to being attacked?
 
1 - Needs more details
2 - OK, that's one account, perhaps with other factors, hardly a nail in the coffin of OC's usefulness
3 - Was the gun stolen?
4 - Was it a planned ambush or a crime of opportunity?
5 - Was the guy even vaguely aware of his surroundings when it happened?
6 - The neighbor is laughably paranoid, it would be quaint if only she didn't vote.
 
Rangemaster publishes accounts of their students' experience in armed encounters. There have been two that I know of where a crook did not check his intended victim for a concealed weapon... and got shot for his carelessness and error in victim selection. While I think open carry is a reasonable interpretation of a right, I don't think it the best tactic.
 
If you are going to open carry regularly you had better know handgun retention and disarming techniques. Cops become targets all the time (though not usually robbery targets). Why would anyone wearing a gun in the open not think that they take the same risk cops take?
 
I do like the title of this article as it lends to the fact that some of our reporters out there are actually competent.

"Man Legally Carrying Gun Robbed at Gunpoint"
 
It was going to happen eventually; open carry has been getting pretty popular as of late.


Also, it merits mention that this man was in Wisconsin, which does not allow private citizens to carry concealed. So open carry was his only available method of carrying legally.
 
Sounds like our protagonist bought a firearm as a talisman to ward off evil, rather than a tool to augment increased situational awareness.

Bad mistake.
 
He broke rule number 1, don't live in a crappy area.

True it's a very bad neighborhood, but not everyone can live in Whitefish Bay or Shorewood (The really nice Milwaukee Burbs).

Not sure why anyone in that part of town would want to advertise the fact that they're carrying. Just begging for an ambush.
 
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