11 and 7 year olds detained for attm armed robbery

[Pancho Villa]

http://news.sky.com/story/1023262/armed-robbery-boys-aged-7-and-11-detained


Two boys, aged just seven and 11, have been accused of trying to rob a woman at gunpoint, police in Oregon have revealed.The older boy had a loaded handgun in his pocket when officers found him outside a church in Portland on Saturday.
Amy Garrett, 22, claimed the pair had threatened her as she waited for her parents in the family's truck in the church car park.
The woman said the boys demanded cash and her phone, and that the younger boy told the older one to "show her your piece".

The kid did indeed have a gun, which was apparently loaded.

So, here's an interesting hypothetical: This happens to you. You are, of course, carrying that day, as you do every day. What do you do?

I've been thinking about it the last 15 minutes and I'm still not sure what I'd do.

[buffalobo]

Would depend on kids specific actions. Did they walk up with gun pointed at victim, or did he pull gun in process of robbery, or did he just flash gun? Tough spot to be in. Nobody wants to hurt a kid, at the same time I would not allow a kid to harm me or my family.

[WETWRKS]

For me that is really based on the situation. If there is no gun visible then I would most likely refuse to hand over anything. If they are waving the gun around and not really pointing it at me I would try and take it away from them. If they were pointing it at me I would most likely hand over what they want. Unless there were really good reason to get into a gunfight (like someone already shot) I wouldn't pull a gun on them.

Again base on the situation...I might pull my gun when they mention they are armed. The sight of me having a gun might persuade them to not go for their gun.

Really is all based on what they do and how they are acting.

[SuperiorDG]

The only reason I would shoot is if they had it pointed at me with the booger picker on the bang switch. I have a five, seven and 16 year old to go home to.

[wctriumph]

I would have offered to buy the gun, asked to see it and when I had it in hand I would have detained them for the police or parents.

[TFOGGER]

I would have offered to buy the gun, asked to see it and when I had it in hand I would have detained them for the police or parents.

...after an appropriate ass paddling... http://www.coloradoevo.com/forums/images/smilies/spanka.gif

[Ronin13]

When your life is in danger, age doesn't matter when it comes to defending yourself. That being said, I agree with everyone who said it really depends, do I feel legitimate threat to my life/safety? Are their actions indicative of hostile? Do they appear like they might escalate without provocation? So many factors that come to play that I can't say exactly what I would do, it is all based on the situation.

[SuperiorDG]

Saying "I don't know what I'd do, it's based on the situation," is the wrong answer for the CCW person. These are situations one should think about and have a plan so if it ever does happen you are not killed. I think this is the point of this discussion, and many like it. As a rock climber I used to read accident reports so I could learn from others' mistakes, I think one should do the same with these types of reports.

[rondog]

I'd suspect that if their "victim" countered with his own weapon, they'd flee screaming. But these days, who knows, who the hell knows......

[Monky]

Who knows.. I can say it wouldn't end with my handing over anything of mine.

For those of you who think you'd just take a gun from someone.. do you have any idea how? [facepalm] If a trigger has a 5# pull on it, can you redirect the muzzle before you get shot? Seriously.. the amount of ninjas we have here is awesome. I know a 'few' other people here who have actual trained to do so..

Me.. I'm just a 'little' guy.. not threatening by any means.. certainly NOT a ninja..

[Flatline]

I'd treat them like anyone else pulling a gun. Kids have no impulse control and don't have the sense of right and wrong that an adult does, so they very well could look pull the trigger on you. Look at the child soldiers in Africa, those kids go and shoot people so it's not like it can't happen.

This does mean thinking about the situation, like you should with any other confrontation. Treat them like a smaller adult that you could probably control in a physical confrontation. If you can reasonably control them physically then do so, if you need to pull a gun do so, if you need to pop them then do so. Don't hesitate or treat them differently.

[Ronin13]

Who knows.. I can say it wouldn't end with my handing over anything of mine.

For those of you who think you'd just take a gun from someone.. do you have any idea how? [facepalm] If a trigger has a 5# pull on it, can you redirect the muzzle before you get shot? Seriously.. the amount of ninjas we have here is awesome. I know a 'few' other people here who have actual trained to do so..

Me.. I'm just a 'little' guy.. not threatening by any means.. certainly NOT a ninja..
I can agree with this- I have a little, a LITTLE, training on disarming someone, and that was in PSD training so the training was hinged upon the fact that it's better you take the bullet instead of the principal. Either way, I would not try to disarm anyone, I'd focus on addressing any threat appropriately.