Don't leave that gun at home. Senior citizens still targets for carjackers

[Old_Dog]

GARY | A 65-year-old man was reportedly carjacked while at a gas station in the 3200 block of West 4th Avenue early Monday morning.

The incident occurred around midnight, according to reports. Police said the victim got out of his vehicle when he was approached by a man armed with a small handgun. The victim told police the man pointed the gun at him and demanded money. Read the full story here at GaryCommunity.com

Next time your fellow old geezer friends call you paranoid for carrying a gun in your car you can remind them that senior citizens still make attractive targets to armed carjackers. If it can happen in Gary, IN, the home of the Music Man, it can happen anywhere. This is a good time to remind everyone to make sure you are aware of your surroundings at all time, especially at night when the bogey man comes out. Keep your gun handy and be wary of any stranger. As an old mentor once told me. “When you see a stranger, start planning on how to kill him .”. Harsh words but he was a hard nosed guy who knew how to survive in dangerous places. While we are plan to stop, rather than kill these days, there is a message in what he said.

The message is to always be prepared to do whatever it takes to defend or save yourself, whether that is knowing where the emergency exits are in a restaurant or keeping your car between you and a stranger approaching you. Whatever it is you need to do, you need to do more than just let things happen because you are not situational aware. All too often some leave their guns in their car when exiting to get gas or run into a mini-mart to buy a bottle of milk. Sometimes a gun is carried in such a way on your body or in the car that it is impossible or difficult to get to it if approached by someone with a gun with minimal warning. The last thing we want to do is to have our options taken away from us because the first sign of trouble was when we found ourselves staring down the barrel of the gun. Do not be one of those people who think that just having a gun around wards off evil. A gun is useless unless you can put it into play quickly. It is nothing without your ability to use it effectively.

[geetarman]

A gun is useless unless you can put it into play quickly. It is nothing without your ability to use it effectively.

Wise words. Thanks for sharing.

[Deaf Smith]

I'm 58 and I always have either the Glock 26 or S&W 340SC with me.

I'm not real hijack bait but in Dallas an old woman was hijacked, shot and killed by some creep they are still looking for not a week ago.

It happens folks in this wonderful paradise of an economy.

So keep your eyes open and stay in condition yellow.

Deaf

[giaquir]

fellow old geezer friends

Hey, I resemble that- you young inexperienced pup.

[kraigwy]

A gun is useless unless you can put it into play quickly

A gun is useless if its on the bedstand in your bedroom while you're setting our your couch during a home invasion.

A gun is useless if its in your car while you're being robbed at an ATM.

A gun is useless if its in your car when some one decides to mug you on your afternoon walk.

On the other hand a pocket gun just might be the ticket if you walk around with you hands in your pockets.

You're ready and no one knows but you.

[Mobuck]

I carry a pistol most of the time I'm outside but didn't used to while in the house. About 3 years ago, I moved my sleeping area to the basement. Up to this point, my bedroom where I stashed my carry pistol was at the back corner of the main floor-a natural retreat point. Soon after the shift, I realized that I now had no firearms on the main floor of my house and the basement stairway door is right next to the most accessible and nearly always unlocked back door. With this in mind, I started packing while in the house. I feel this is better than stashing a gun somewhere in the back part of the house and then having to remember to remove it when little people come to visit.

[TailGator]

I realized that I now had no firearms on the main floor of my house and the basement stairway door is right next to the most accessible and nearly always unlocked back door.

(emphasis added)

With no disrespect intended, locking that door is a very valid and reasonable enhancement of your home security. Security isn't all about firearms.

[Tactical Jackalope]

Mine is on me, literally on my person 24/7 if I am awake. If I'm asleep it's 10 inches away from my hands. Shower, bathroom, mowing the lawn, working on the cars, you name it. It's on me (or within 10 inches of me).

Bad guys will almost ALWAYS have the drop on you. They intend to do YOU harm at first. They want someone who they think is incapable of defending themselves. We need to train extensively since we need to defend from attackers that have the drop on us.

Condition yellow everyone.

[kilimanjaro]

Tailgator is right on, just lock that back door when you are inside the house and you've about eliminated the risk of 'surprise entry'.

[publius]

The thing about some older people is that they probably shouldn't even be driving, and they don't have the ability to have sufficient situational awareness at a gas station, stop light, etc. Now I don't want any of you geezer's getting all huffy about my statements. My Grandfather was sharp as a tack, physically fit, and a very good shot up until asbestos killed him when he was 80. On the other hand, my Grandmother died at 84 and shouldn't have been driving the last 4 years. She would hit parked cars in parking lots routinely. Don't beat me up for not taking away her keys. That's a hard thing to do, especially when you have an Aunt on her side so she could keep leaching money. 2 years before she passed my Mother and I finally said "we're not asking permission, we're taking the keys."

[skoro]

Good advice. I rarely walk out w/o my carry piece.

[Detachment Charlie]

Please read my sig line first....

Now, if you were some kind of bad dude and has the option of picking your prey, who are you gonna take; the 24 yr. old with a buzz cut and a muscled-out USMC t-shirt, or the old bastard, who's sucking on an oxygen tank, trying not to pass out?

[45Gunner]

Refuse to be a Victim. Like the boy scouts say, be prepared. Check your situational awareness status and act accordingly. Always have your gun where you can have easy access to it.

At age 66, I'm still a pretty fit guy. One would never know by looking at me that I have a pretty severe spinal cord injury. My neck and back have more metal in it than most VW's. I cannot afford a right hook to the head. My situational awareness is aways condition red. It's not fun sometimes but such is life. My gun is always on my hip and in condition one. Don't mess with this old guy.

[Tactical Jackalope]

the 24 yr. old with a buzz cut and a muscled-out USMC t-shirt

Hey now, I resent that! I'm not 24 though, just missed it. A little higher up. lol



As for this thread, I forgot to mention. I wish my pops carried his S&W 669 more often. He rarely carries anymore.

[Double Naught Spy]

Wait a minute. You mean there are still people carjacking senior citizens? Really? So there are bad guys that still prey upon targets that they perceive as easy or opportune? And to think this happened in the peaceful, quiet, safe community of Gary, Indiana where crime is so low.

Of course this still happens. You know what? It happens to younger people all the time as well. This isn't an old person issue. Midnight in Gary, IN is not where I would want to be.

http://www.city-data.com/crime/crime-Gary-Indiana.html

[WARRIOR I]

About a year ago, I was pumping gas at a self service when two kids on bicycles began meandering around the pumps. The older kid suddenly pulled up to me and asked if I had change for a dollar. As assertively as I could, I turned and faced him head on with an emphatic "no". When they moved on, I discretely took my j-frame from the glove box and slipped it into my pocket(where it should have been in the first place). Less than a week later, there was a small item in the paper about another senior citizen (I'm 69) who was robbed by an armed youth on a bicycle while gassing up her car. What I took away from this was to always be alert, be aware, and know that threats can arise anywhere and from any age group.