khou.com covered a defensive gun use in Houston in which brother of owner Dien Tu shot and killed two of three armed robbers. The would-be stickup men had pistol-whipped his brother in law when they refused to comply with demands. The reporter at khou.com shared the official law enforcement response: “Police advise clerks in this situation to give in to the demands of these robbers.” It’s not clear . . .
if this is actual advice from police in the area or vaguely remembered propaganda by the reporter. The store owner sees things a little differently, as reported in the next sentence: “The owner said everyone in this store is armed just because of how dangerous it is.”
In the picture above, Dien Tu is seen aiming at the fleeing robbers. Note the reinforced posts in the parking lot to prevent smash-and-grab burglaries and robberies. According to abc13.com, the store had been robbed just a couple of weeks earlier.
The owner says his store was robbed July 1 so he and his brother were prepared with guns to fight back. The clerk in that robbery was beaten so badly, he hasn’t been able to return to work.
I can’t help but wonder if Dien has been in some tight spots before. He acted quickly and decisively in a difficult situation. A previous story refers to Dien as “wearing a gun.” Might it be that he was openly carrying in the store? No holster is evident on this image taken four hours later. Open carry on one’s property has always been legal in Texas.
The robbers have yet to be identified, but it’s likely that cutting their criminal careers short has prevented possibly hundreds of future crimes. Perhaps their deaths will serve as a lesson to others. If the crime rate in dangerous urban areas is to be brought down, the rule of law needs to be reinforced and internalized by the culture in the area. Young men need to be taught that crime is not a respectable, worthwhile or profitable career option. Responsible actions by armed citizens are part of that process.
©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
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