Trucker Shot at Loves

Good guys with guns stop bad guys, camera's watch people die.


One of the perks of being local is I can still carry. I wind up in some crappy area's and glad I can. I feel bad for some of the OTR guys, although I'm sure some regional guys can pull it off with permit reciprocity.

 

I agree that weapons need to be in the hands of good people and while cameras watch people die they still are a deterrent to lowly criminals. The problem with security guards is that they are mostly young guys with an ego and an axe to grind, and then add in the boredom of standing there all day..

I am use to seeing my neighbors open carry in plain clothes and I am comfortable with it. But for store security I prefer concealed carry, uniforms I don't like. Their very presence sends a message that customers cannot be trusted. And I really don't see why the Dayton Loves (which is farm country) would need an armed and uniformed security guard.

On the other side of the coin you have a Serbian national which are like Russian nationals and they are more easily provoked because of the environment they came from. In Russia young men fight out in the streets without being arrested, all the have to do is tell the police everything is OK, and when the police leave they resume fighting. Try doing that in this country.

Several months ago I was making a delivery at a grocery warehouse, there was a Russian guy from Illinois in front of me, we were both waiting for someone to come to the window. I made a few remarks in jest to open up a conversation with him, but instead of being friendly he was ready to jump on me. The guy was complaining that he was running late and he was pretty nervous, so I put my hands up and said "hey take it easy" and used my body language to let him know I wasn't going to attack him.

We met for a second time at the window to get our bills and he was in front of me again, when he got his paperwork he nodded his head at me and said goodbye. I was surprised since after our first encounter I didn't want to say a word to him, and I didn't think he would want to talk to me either. But do you see where I am going? We're all stressed out, it's better to have a little humility and empathy for your fellow driver than attack him.

Most conflicts can be avoided. If you are armed be responsible by not drawing negative energy, show compassion to your enemy to diffuse the situation before going on the defensive. I am not against guns at all. I am very pro-gun but I'm questioning why Loves would hire an armed security guard, who wasn't properly licensed.

It's good that you carry, you're also lucky compared to OTR drivers, but if you were to get into a situation where you have to use your gun you would be examined like a science project. The lawyers (our government/legislators) have caused a lot of problems for (law abiding citizens) us and they've done this for their own personal gain.

 

I'm OTR and I carry. One needs to know and understand the laws of the states through which one drives. I tend to steer clear of those states that could cause me problems.

 

I think a persons perspective on this, like most everything, comes from personal experience. If a person has never needed a weapon, they probably don't think they are necessary. I respect that way of thinking, and those that are not comfortable shouldn't carry. In fact, if you are inclined to give chances, it's probably more dangerous to have a gun.

I'll say again though - it wouldn't be a bad thing if more criminals were shot by citizens during the commission of a crime. It really shocks me that we don't hear more about these situations.

 

I avoid situations that might cause conflict, although, some of the idiots out here try my patience (not to draw my weapon, just to speak my mind), but I keep my cool. I have to.

As far as the reason we don't hear more about citizens defending themselves, or others, or stopping a crime with the use of a firearm (and there are a whole lot more cases of this than they would have you believe), the MSM does their level best to keep those very stories out of the public eye due to the fact that, if there were more evidence of regular Joes using a firearm to do good, it would upend the anti-gun agenda, making people realize that it isn't the tool that's the problem, it's people misusing the tool.

To go any further would undoubtedly turn this political, so I'll stop there.

 

I suspect you are 100% correct. Well said.

 

You bet you do. If you allow fear to get the better of you than leave the piece at the house.

 

Things that stand out to me:

1.) Place has cameras everywhere, should be pretty easy to determine who was where and doing what when the "attack" and "defense" came.
2.) Arrow security seems to care for gun permits the way brokers seem to care for driver detention. Hope this comes back to haunt them, playing fast and loose with the regs has resulted in a dead body, just to get a customer contract that much quicker.
3.) And the reason this guard couldn't carry a Tazer until his paperwork cleared was,,,,? (Or why he couldn't just get by with a tire thumper and a Tazer in the 1st place? I know whole towns where the PD couldn't empty a clip in a YEAR! How often did the security firm think someone was going to draw.

Guns don't make me feel very safe, if someone else is holding the gun.

 

Well that's the thing, they don't call them equalizers for nothing.
If the guard just whipped out the gun and fired I'd say that's not justified but if he pulled his weapon pointed it at him and told the guy to stop, well that's a different scenario.
Maybe the guard was a small guy 5'6"/150lbs and the driver was a 6'4"/250lbs brute and obviously filled with rage for some reason.
If I were in a situation like that and pulled my weapon and pointed it at the guy with some warning that he had better stop, well I'm not letting him have a chance to take my gun from me that's for sure.
I would think a gun pointed at someone would transcend any language barrier would it not?
That said it seems like security should have had some non-lethal device to deploy before using a deadly weapon.

 

Agreed 100%. I'm luckily in a very pro gun state but I've also considered one of those self defense lawyer services just incase. Hopefully that day never comes.