A trucker has been killed in what police are calling yet another botched robbery attempt. The victim was 53-year-old Robert Horton of Arlington, TX, who was shot and killed at around 6am on Saturday, March 23rd while he was unloading food supplies at a restaurant. The really shocking part? The shooting was carried out by three 17-year-olds.
All three suspects have been arrested following an investigation that got its break on Monday when police officers stopped the dark-colored SUV that had been used by the murderers. Two of the suspects were inside the vehicle and the third was arrested after the first two were interviewed.
News stations in the area reported that Horton was shot twice in the chest when the robbery went south while his co-driver was inside the restaurant. Horton was an Army veteran who had two adult children and had been married for 30 years.
This news story has re-ignited the debate over allowing drivers to carry open or concealed weapons while operating a commercial motor vehicle. Though it isn’t against any nation-wide laws, some states and many companies won’t allow drivers to carry firearms.
The issue has been hotly debated for many years. Some drivers with concealed carry licenses say that they follow the rules 100% of the time and lock their weapons up when they’re in states that don’t allow them to carry, but others prefer to take their chances with the law than with the lawless. Regardless of whether or not you carry a weapon while driving, the lesson is to always be on your guard, whether you’re armed or not.
As always, keep your head on a swivel, stay safe, and keep the shiny side up.
Next Story: Scam Alert! Fake Traffic Tickets Cost Hundreds!
Source: landline
Image Source: concealcarry
What a shame. Glad they got these criminials. Any late night delivery point should provide security for its delivery. I’d pay a little extra for that. Also insurance companies are ruining the trucking industry
I agree there defiantly should be security for late night deliveries. But, I also think drivers should be able to carry . You have to go through background checks anyways and if you are a law abiding citizen you should have rights to carry.
Our right to lawfully carry a conceled wepon in every state in America is the 2nd Admendment.
Let us know how you do with that challange! NY and MA just naming 2, doesn’t care two hoots about the 2nd admendment!
Allowing drivers to carry open or concealed weapons while operating a commercial motor vehicle
As a over the road driver i feel we should be aloud to carry CCW for our safety. We as drivers are in places and sleep in places the no one wants to be in. I would hope i never would have to use it. But i have a family that i like to come home to.
I am a 10 year veteran driver and I have a concealed permit to carry. I don’t keep my gun with me while on the road and I am very concerned about a lot of the places I go and have to sleep at. I also have my wife with me now and I am really considering bringing my gun out just to ptotect us. Times have seriously changed and crime is up due to the poor economy. We need to protect ourselves and our families and also eachother.
Take your gun with you, you have a CCP and you don’t take it with you? Are you kidding me?
Just because you have a CCP, doesn’t mean that you can carry your weapon anywhere that you want to; reciprocity with the state that you are from vs traveling through trumps all. However, federal law allows you to “transport” a weapon anywhere, providing that you transport it properly, and the general rule of thumb is, keep the weapon and ammo separated in different locked compartments within your vehicle, ie trunk and glove box. In additon to, being legally allowed by law to own a firearm.
Too many hard-working truck drivers have been victims.We should be demanding the right to concealed carry for our own and others protection.
I for one believe that drivers should not be prohibited from having firearms in trucks.
How many drivers over the last couple of years have been murdered? To many!
We as drivers are entrusted to carry everything from explosives, money, and any other of a million different commodities, and as the last post stated we don’t always get to sleep in the safest areas.
Furthermore, when the families of these drivers start suing companies for not allowing drivers to exercise their constitutional right to self defense we might see a difference in those policies that companies make their drivers follow. Just my .02 cents.
I had to sit overnight in a thuggish area of Alexandria, VA.
45 ACP under the seat.
EVERY trucker should be packing heat, the laws be damned.
Law enforcement CANNOT help you when the chips are down,
and EVERYONE has a God given right to protect themselves.
You are correct! There is not a cop alive that can save your when the S$%@ hits the fan, it’s not his responsibility. Your safety is the responsibility of only one person in the world…..YOU! Remember self-reliance….it used to be the American way.
Absolutely.
lol you are funny, the “thuggish area of alexandria, va” why even park there, or put yourself in that situation, find a space at the truck stop early or even a safe rest area..
Tim there are no Truck stops or rest areas near Alexandia Va.
tim that always is not the case if your a driver should know this,a company driver with electronic logs can only drive x amount of time and most of the time you stay where you can. and depending on the time and area especially around the DC area their is nowhere to stay. and besides it our god given right to defend ourselfs from any peice of scum that will want to cause harm or take anything from us we have worked hard for I did it once and ill do it a million more times. I carry a gun because a cop is too heavy…
I delivered restaurants for 10 years. You have to deliver most in the middle of the night or early morning because parking lots are specifically designed to discourage tractor-trailer entry. Some have a manager and maybe a crew to help unload, check, wheel in, and put up product. Some places you have a key and you and your co-driver, if you have one, are on your own. One of our drivers was delivering Jackson, MS. And as soon as he walked in the back door he had a gun put to his head and was put in the cooler with the manager and crew that was already in there. I don’t know if having a gun would have helped or hurt in that situation. He probably would have got shot if he went for his gun or if he was able to engage the robber in a shoot out he had no way of knowing where everyone else was and bullets would have easily passed thru the cooler walls injuring or killing the workers. I’m not saying trucker shouldn’t carry a gun. I wish companies allowed it. Most don’t. I’m just saying its not THE solution.
I agree totally. Truckers are left to fend for themselves wherever they go, and we have to park in strange, unfamiliar neighborhoods.
In this case maybe it did not help to carry but it would not have hurt. You have to use your judgment.
Hmm, low pay, long hours and now this… Life endangerment… Do the powers that be realize how crappily professional drivers are treated out here. Jk, but seriously this really blows.. As if the low pay and long hours away from home and hearth weren’t enough to our up with on top of the crazy 4 wheelers.
I am a CCW holder and have been for my 20 year career. I ALWAYS have my gun on me, reguardless of where I am. My saftey is my most important concern. After all if I’m not safe, or I get hurt, my company is the biggest loser. Don’t get it twisted, I live in the Greatest state of them all, which means my CCW is good everywhere except IL and NY. When in those states it is in a bio box right behind my set.
What state do you live in?
Did you mention that the robbery/murder took place in Tulsa, OK? If so, I didn’t see it. I live in Tulsa and was home two days after the shooting and it would be nice if drivers were warned to be careful everywhere but in Tulsa specifically. Tulsa, in the last few years, has become the present day version of Deadwood. Violent crime is at an all time high there.
I have a concealed carry permit and I’m not saying that I carry my pistol with me in my truck, but if you try to harm me, your going to have a real bad day if ya know what I mean. I’d rather have twelve judging me than six carrying me.
Rather have 12 men judge me than 6 carrying me.
There is a good book you can get from the NRA titled; Traveler’s Guide to the Firearm Laws of the Fifty States. I have a CCW from my State of TN and I carry it with me always. I also have a safe in the truck to lock it up when I am in the states that don’t recognize my CCW.
I agree with others, damn the law, it’s my right and responsibility to defend/protect myself. I also do not give a damn what the rules are at the company I drive for. My life, not theirs!
It’s not against the law in any state to carry a flair gun. One shot and no more scum. I have a 2 shot. A Texas DPS officer gave my wife the idea several yrs ago during a DOT inspection. Works.
As usual, the focus was on the wrong thing.
But we can see that violent crime proliferates, when the perpetrators are not properly punished. They commit violence against others because they are morally bankrupt; most people are poorly raised, so they don’t have a good sense of right and wrong and why they should do the right thing.
If we were free, we could all be armed and there wouldn’t be an argument against misused tools (firearms).
I started driving in 1976, needless to say but I’ll say it anyway things have changed. Truckers were known to carry weapons And therefore we’re in frequently messed with. Although hijackings did happen often back then, pros were doing most the jacking and not too often was a life take it. Is this a gun issue?? Well I’d rather face 12 men and women on a jury then hae 6 man carry my casket…
Do you think the politicatons,the CEOs of the trucking companies care if you get killed? If it doesn’t effect them DIRECTLY they could care less. They just go get another trucker to replace the one that lost his life for their business. The police just catch the guys,and move on to the next trucker who gets killed,because he was not allowed to defend himself.
The best thing if the Companies would fight for rights for CCP for ALL Drivers. And lobby the Law makers to pass a Federal Law.
The advice we hear from most carriers is to ‘hand over the keys and walk away.’ The problem is that most of our trucks can be located electronically. Hijackers know this. The only sure way for a hijacker to have the time to offload cargo is to ensure that the driver cannot raise the alarm. So long as the driver is not late, there is no reason for the company to even know the yruck has been taken. O leave it to your imagination to consider what steps a smart but ruthless criminal might take to ensure getting away with a valuable load.
I was going thru a dot check this past tuesday and the trooper said I see you have a cwp and I said what does that have to do with giving me a dot check he didn’t say another word about it
**THIS SHORT STORY IS FOR ALL FELLOW TRUCK DRIVERS ;
A short Time ago, I was working for a Company that Today is No longer in Bussiness. I was to deliver at a well known area of Miami, full of warehouses and “Bad Boys”. My first known mistake was to arrive at the location the night before the day of the delivery. It was 9pm when I went to sleep, the outside temperture was great, no need for A/C or Heat. Truck lights were off, trailer sealed and padlocked. At about one AM I felt a Bump on the Truck that woke me up, I peak out the truck’s curtains and I see (thru my side mirrors) a U-HAUL truck parked against the rear of my trailer, and a dark BMW with two individuals. I assesed the situation and decided to take action; I grabbed both of my firearms, (Glock 9mm on the left hand and the 1911 45acp on my right hand, (( 23 rounds available all together )) ( the man sharing this story with you; former military and Police officer with plenty experience dealing with “Bad Boys” back in the 70’s and 80’s)** I exited the tractor by the passenger side using the whole truck as cover, walked towards the rear and found myself face to face with;((or THEY FOUND THEMSELVES FACE TO FACE with a crazy looking Driver aiming at them TWO SEMI- AUTO’S));; 1) the driver of the truck, two men that had exited the BMW, and there was another inside the “U=haul” truck banging the padlock on my trailer;; My only words out of my “Big mouth” were ” YOU ARE NOT STEALING FROM THIS ONE TODAY”….(Do not ask me why I said that…..my Adrenaline was flowing thru my brain like Fuel on a Jet engine….and Im sure the men saw that on my face) **At this point I noticed that one of the men had a Pistol on his belt by the buckle; ((all I said to him was you Draw; you Die…)) Now you boys take your shit somewhere else!! We stood there for a few seconds that felt like hours…. and the guy with the gun told the others “vamonos muchachos”….. they got into their vehicles and left. **I was owner operator so;;;; Nothing stolen…No shots fired….. No harm done.** After a loooong piss by the truck’s tires I got in it and drove like forty miles….and decided to come back the morning after to deliver the load.*** Lesson; when firearms are involved; the door could swing either way;;; But im 100% positive that anybody; being Truck drivers; cooks;airline pilots; or every day citizens;; with Good training and common sense can stop a Felon right on their tracks. **YES;; Companies should ERASE that directive from the operations manual;;;”NO WEAPONS/FIREARMS ALLOWED ON COMPANY EQUIPMENT OR PROPERTY”…and realize that Drivers need to be able to protect themselves.
And the reason you didn’t call the police and wait in the truck for them is ?
Raul,
Great story and appreciate you sharing. I fully agree with you that utilizing a cool head and applying deadly force as a last resort, will not only save lives that would otherwise be lost due to unrealistic company gun policies. I would like to see trucking companies pay for ccp’s and safe gun handling classes. Or at least allow the drivers that have this training to carry in self defense. As I do realize that carrying a weapon can be a double edge sword if not used for the strict intended purpose to get back home to the family. I do honestly feel that these incidents will only continue to rise as our population grows. Like the previous posts have been so accurate in annotating, it is we the drivers, as is every citizen of the U.S., to defend our freedom and liberties. It’s to late to think about it when 4 savages are sticking a knife in your chest. To all you truckers out there, thank you for the many sacrifices you make to keep this country running. Always.. Head on the swivel!
Like a wise man once said, I would rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6. I keep my 357 mag in my truck and have never been caught,Yet
Folks you can call for insurance companies to provide security, ask for safer places to unload, or a million different other things, but whether it’s a loading dock in a bad area, a parking lot, or you bedroom at home, you are ultimately responsible for your own safety. Whether or not you favor carrying weapons, everyone is a potential victim every day of the week, and if someone wants to do you harm, its unlikely they will wait until you have had time to call the cops. Even if a company or a state says I can’t protect myself, I will continue to carry a gun with me, until the state or the company is able to protect me, and that is never going to happen.
They expect us to go into some of the biggest hellholes with out a means of defence and call ot “common sence gun control”