So the Welfare Bombers slipped into the crowd at and near the finish line of the Boston Marathon and left their deadly packages. If there’d been more armed civilians in the crowd maybe an LTC holder would have spotted the Tsarnaevs and prevented them from completing their murderous mission; what with armed citizens being more situationally aware than unarmed “condition white” civilians. Maybe not. Be that as it may, there was one man who could have used a gun to spoil the Tsarnaev’s plans before they had a shootout with Watertown cops, where 15 people were injured (most likely by police crossfire). That man’s name is “Danny” . . .
The 26-year-old Chinese entrepreneur had just pulled his new Mercedes to the curb on Brighton Avenue to answer a text when an old sedan swerved behind him, slamming on the brakes. A man in dark clothes got out and approached the passenger window. It was nearly 11 p.m. last Thursday.
The man rapped on the glass, speaking quickly. Danny, unable to hear him, lowered the window — and the man reached an arm through, unlocked the door, and climbed in, brandishing a silver handgun.
“Don’t be stupid,” he told Danny. He asked if he had followed the news about Monday’s Boston Marathon bombings. Danny had, down to the release of the grainy suspect photos less than six hours earlier.
“I did that,” said the man, who would later be identified as Tamerlan Tsarnaev. “And I just killed a policeman in Cambridge.”
Again, firearm-inspired situational awareness. Who amongst TTAG’s Armed Intelligentsia would have lowered the window to speak with anyone rapping on their glass—especially given the day’s events?
The Boston Globe has a lengthy account of what happened next:
Danny described 90 harrowing minutes, first with the younger brother following in a second car, then with both brothers in the Mercedes, where they openly discussed driving to New York, though Danny could not make out if they were planning another attack. Throughout the ordeal, he did as they asked while silently analyzing every threatened command, every overheard snatch of dialogue for clues about where and when they might kill him.
“Death is so close to me,” Danny recalled thinking. His life had until that moment seemed ascendant, from a province in central China to graduate school at Northeastern University to a Kendall Square start-up.
“I don’t want to die,” he thought. “I have a lot of dreams that haven’t come true yet.”
“Danny” had 90 minutes to shoot his kidnappers. You know, if he’d had a gun. It seems that the idea that their victim might be armed never occurred to the brothers Tsarnaev. There’s no indication that they frisked “Danny” at any point during his ordeal.
When the younger brother, Dzhokhar, was forced to go inside the Shell Food Mart to pay, older brother Tamerlan put his gun in the door pocket to fiddle with a navigation device — letting his guard down briefly after a night on the run. Danny then did what he had been rehearsing in his head. In a flash, he unbuckled his seat belt, opened the door, stepped through, slammed it behind, and sprinted off at an angle that would be a hard shot for any marksman.
I’m not sure which I would have done: unbuckled, opened the door and run or unbuckled my belt, drawn my carry gun and double tapped Tamerlan. Both would have required some forethought and physical coordination under extreme stress.
I’d probably have gone for the gun. Who wants to depend on a terrorist’s lack of marksmanship for his or her survival? Equally, who wouldn’t want to have a gun in a situation like that?
In reporting the carjacking, the media was clearly shocked that “Danny” survived his encounter with the terrorist duo. Roger that. He was lucky. More than that, it should have been a defensive gun use.
Hopefully the condition white sheep are thinking about this exact scenario… probably not though.
They are thinking he is only alive because he didn’t have a gun. After all a gun did not help the cop. Gun grabbers seriously think this way. 1 example is all the proof they need. Never mind if 9 times out of 10 a gun firearm saves a persons life, all they need is that 1 time and that’s it. Conversation is over, it’s settled.
I’m thinking he’s only alive because he’s not the great white Satan from the West.
Gun grabbers are going to start referring to DGUs as ‘outliers’ if they have not already.
And this attitude right here is probably why lots of people are turned off by pro-2A people…
You own a gun, you’re not Superman. Carrying a gun doesn’t make you “better” than anyone else, especially people without firearms. Calling people sheep is rather insulting. And you wonder why lots of people sway to being anti-gun when this is attitude they get from “pro-gun” people.
Of course people in condition white aren’t thinking about this type of scenario, that’s why they are condition white. But don’t berate them for being that way.
If you’re a responsible gun owner, good for you. Not everyone wants to own or carry a gun — and that is their choice.
And the fact that they willfully give up their right and allow someone else to be responsible for their safety is exactly what makes them sheep.
I understand what you are saying, not everyone can be a shepherd, but the more shepherds there are, the less wolves there will be.
Another DGU opportunity was during the BBB’s shootout with police. Someone was taking iPhone pics from around 30 yards away and above the bros. That is a super easy rifle shot that would have ended the problem. Assuming one had a rifle instead of an iPhone. Heck, it wasn’t that difficult a pistol shot either.
They could have been 150 yards away and ended it with a Ruger 10-22.
Exactlu.
head shot from the window.
I get DGU’s, but how is it at all prudent to become an unannounced shooter from a window amidst a firefight with police?
Introducing yourself into a firefight is always incredibly risky. You don’t know who’s who, who’s where, who else is where or who anybody thinks you are. Plainclothes / off-duty police get shot all the time. Your chances are worse. MUCH worse. More can go wrong than go right.
More can go wrong than right for me, but if I see the brothers shooting at uniformed officers, and I shoot them I don’t see what’s wrong with that. I would risk my life to protect the people around me, including the people in my neighborhood at risk from injury from the firefight, and the police officers serving my community. why not squeeze off 2-3 rounds and hope you get to explain yourself later?
But they were all inside cowering away because “johny law” told them it was too dangerous for them to get involved. Anyone here wish there were still remnants of the old “posse” mentality where these dudes would have had not just a few thousand officers but another 10-20k angry people after them? The end result would have more than likely be the same but it would have taken way less time.
“Who amongst TTAG’s Armed Intelligentsia would have lowered the window to speak with anyone rapping on their glass—especially given the day’s events?”
Be it in my car or ambulance, if I lower my window its only about 1/4 down and no more. Most people coming up to you in Memphis will be beggers and some get butthurt and angry if you say no. Most of them make more than I do in a day.
How would YOU know how much they make? You sound as if you just resent the fact they’re not working – like about 25 million formerly-employed countrymen of yours. How do YOU know what their story is?
And if you think begging isn’t work, please go out and try it on your next day off. Don’t forget to dress the part.
If you don’t like begging (they don’t like it any better than you do, but don’t have a choice), do it and give the money to other beggars, or to a registered charity.
Your life might never be the same. But in a good way.
Giving In Memphis the benefit of the doubt, sounds like he works on the streets and has a good idea of whom is coming up to his window.
And I would agree, give to a recognized charity, dont give em cash for more booze and drugs so they become In Memphis’s customers.
Sounds like you might be one of those butt-hurt beggars.
Seems funny how someone can be on the street begging me for handouts when within 1000 ft of their begging spot is a sign where McDonalds or Burger King are hiring workers….
People always have a choice. It’s those culminations of choices we’ve made that have us all in the positions we’re in today.
There’s no reason anybody on the street begging today can’t have a job. Maybe not the job they want, but a damn fine job that’s better than being on the street corner.
Except that they won’t hire you if you don’t have a phone or a home address. And those people who are mentally ill are just who I want around hot oil fry cookers.
God calls us to give to those less fortunate. If they misuse the money, that is between them and God.
William I deal with these people on a regualar basis as well as the people who care for them. I have worked in emergency medicine for eleven years. I am not saying they are all the same, I dont doubt for a moment some truley need help but I know many for a fact who have jobs and beg
Ya. I don’t see help wanted signs at dunkins every time I’m in…
No one reported them to the police, who were all over the place. I haven’t seen anything that suggests they attracted attention at all. There were scads of National Guardsmen there in plain clothes, all dressed in black or dark blue nylon jackets, khakis, Under Armor boots, baseball caps with the “Craft” skull logo, and, most interestingly, BLACK BACKPACKS.
I can’t believe no one else here has seen them in photos from the pre-explosion pics.
Go back and look; you’ll see what I mean. If I had been there, THESE were the guys who would have caught my suspicion. One is pictured after the blast, holding a radiation meter! I don’t believe these guys were the bombers, necessarily, but they were clearly there for SOME purpose.
Neither these guys nor the Brothers Tsarnaev seemed to have caught anyone’s attention, Robert…. so what good would the gun have been”
Ummm, contract security maybe. You are embarrassing yourself this evening, between sticking up for bums and now seeing conspiracy theories with contract security dudes.
Many years ago, I was talking with a friend who was testifying in a murder trial. He had been contacted by the murderer to help do it. He went to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and was used as an informant. At one point, the murderer asked my friend to meet with him. The KBI told him to be sure to meet in the murderers car, since people don’t like to kill someone in their own car. So maybe Danny wouldn’t have wanted to get blood in his own car.
Side note, my friend was late to the meeting, he told me. He had gone to get his own gun, just in case. The funny part, he never told the KBI why he was late. Later, they made a movie out of this and had him arrive late, but with no explanation.
A front seat shoot out with a terrorist that had already caused havoc and death that day wouldn’t be the best tactical choice. Assuming Danny had a pistol how many shots would it have taken to shut the terrorist down? And how many shots would the terrorist have gotten off in return? The terrs scrawny younger brother survived how many hits from how many different weapons?
Danny got clear and out of the line of fire, saving his own life. Having a gun would have given him one more option but as it turns out he did the right thing.
I absolutely believe that Danny and the rest of us should be armed at all times. I see no valid reason not to be. But don’t let the gun think for you.
I understand your point, jwm, and don’t disagree — but if I was kidnapped by two self-confessed murderers and if I had a shot, I would have put a two or three right into that bastards’ face. If his little brother didn’t like it, I’d serve him a couple, too. One thing that I wouldn’t do is just sit there waiting for them to decide that they really didn’t need me around any more. And even if my ears were ringing, I’d sleep like a baby that night.
Please jwm, I gave a guy a ride the other night. My pistol never left my hand from the time I cracked my window to the moment he left my truck. It was dark, I suspected he was harmless and he never had a clue I was armed. Danny boy rolled down the window and allowed bomber boy to reach in and unlock the door!!!!!!! Pow, pow, pow!!!!
Ralph and J&D. Danny boy parked on a public street in a new Mercedes at 11 at night to handle a text. He then let a total stranger walk up and unlock his door. Do you really think Danny boy would have been up to a front seat shootout with the terrorist?
Maybe you guys would have been. But I doubt either one of you would have gotten yourselves into the spot to start with.
Good point. 🙂 Seriously though, I’m glad the kid got out alive.
Both of us. I’m all for all of us packing. But if you have as poor situational awareness as Danny boy, and I hope none of us are that sloppy, it might just slow you down when it comes time to run. Or worse, have your gun taken away and used on you.
To qoute Woody Harrelson”Oh God, please don’t kill me with my own gun!” How embarrassing would that be?
There’s no indication that they frisked “Danny” at any point during his ordeal.
Why would they? The terrorists were operating in what is effectively a disarmed-citizen zone.
I see some of the same, perfectly healthy people, out there begging year in and year out. laughing, smoking, and drinking beer. Sure seems like a carefree life style to me. No clock to punch. What’s not to like. Maybe if they put out a fraction of that energy towards trying to better there situation they would not be there year in and year out. Ow but wait maybe they like it there.
Just a side note. If you are carrying, you should be on yellow alert already.
Bad part of town?, red alert.
The last attempted robbery of me and two buddies was at a boat ramp near a town.
Chief Muck-luck-(two click noises), fu*k-a-duck, decided to try and extort money for trespassing on Indian land or he and his two homies were going to take their guns and “rock and roll” on us.
I had pre-positiond my boat gun on the dash of my boat.
20 feet behind me…might have well been non existent.
Things turned out ok, only by the grace of God and opportunity.
Lesson learned, NEVER be over an arms reach of protection.
My three previous attempted robberies were prevented by having a firearm in hand.
After too many years, I got lax. Never again.
Note to self: stay out of Oregon.
Gun or no gun, it is get of the ‘X.’
That said and though not mentioned in this post, one of the reasons originally reported in the news why the brothers did not kill the 26-year-old Chinese entrepreneur was that he was not an American – hence why he should not have had a firearm. However, it is a reason why a USCIT, regardless of their state of domicile, should have their concealed carry permits recognized nationally.
“shootout with Watertown cops, where 15 people were injured (most likely by police crossfire)” HUH? Is this for real?
I must have read and watched about a hundred news reports on the Boston marathon bombings and the manhunt and have seen nothing on this. Has that been suppressed in some way in the media? This info, if correct, makes the Boston LEOs look as bad as the recent California manhunt where they’d shoot anything moving about a hundred times or so. Al Capp’s Detective Fearless Fosdick still lives and still can’t shoot worth a hoot. Not impressive, except in a really bad way.
Ahh good ol’ victim-blaming. The pro 2a bread ‘n butter.
Robert: you are getting dangerously close to jumping the shark, IMNSHO. You are starting to see these “should have been DGU” everywhere.