Convenience store robbery & I left pistol at home.

[wareagle]

Last night, my wife and I attended a dinner party. I had consciously placed my carry pistol in the safe, since premium wine was involved and I wasn't driving. :) On the way home, we stopped in a local convenience store, but something did not feel right. Location was a bit too quiet with exception of three parties leaving store. As I attempted to checkout, I was informed that two patrons had just robbed store at gun point. LE arrived immediately, but I am still a bit bothered that I was not adequately prepared.

[Caster]

Yet another reason I never drink in public. I drink at home, alone. When I leave home I am dead sober and armed. Kinda makes you think huh? Could have been you and the wife in there ten minutes earlier.

[MarkInNashville]

WOW! Talk about lucky... I know what you mean, every time my GF and I go out she has a margarita (or something) and I would love to have a drink too, but I dont. Means I will probably never need it (I hope!).

 

Glad you and the wife are safe!

[Links2k]

I'm glad that you all didn't get caught up in that mess. I try to avoid going inside those places. I can't stand the begging from the moment that you open your car door.

[Erik88]

Mark, you were sober enough to drive but not to be armed? Just something to think about.

 

I was at First Tennessee Bank, the location on Middlebrook and Cedar Bluff, about 10-12 minutes before it was robbed. I was armed at the time and I later wondered how I would have handled the situation. Definitely scary to think about. 

[Pat]

That's one of a few reasons I won't ever drink or get otherwise mentally loopy... if IT hits the fan, you're screwed. A good lesson to be learned here by everyone.

[RED333]

As I stopped drinking years ago I do not have this problem.

I always carry, my OL does as well, unless She has a drink,

and them the firearm is on my side.

[TGO David]

This story could have definitely gone a much worse direction.  Hopefully it was eye opening and you'll consider it the next time you've got your hand on that gun safe's door and are thinking about whether you really need to carry.  I came to the conclusion a long time ago that if I knew where I was going to need to be armed to defend myself, I wouldn't go there in the first place.  Since I'm not omniscient or clairvoyant, I carry all the time.
 

My personal policies are kinda like this:

• Always carry.
• Enjoy my beer, wine, bourbon at home.
• Don't do convenience stores after dark and rarely during daylight.

[pcrc11]

I would be glad I missed being there and being unarmed rather than being armed and being there during the robbery.

[Jesse]

my wife hates gas stations,  in the last 3 months 4 crack heads have came up to her asking for money to get gas. I told her to stop using gas stations in bad areas. i fear one day she will get robbed when she tells them no. 

 

And i never go to one after dark, things just dont feel right and weekend nights are when people are out looking for trouble.

[wareagle]

I don't disagree with much of what has been said. What caught me off guard is this occurred around 11pm in a very affluent area within a mile of my home.

Aside from not carrying, I was equaly bothered that I briefly lost my situational awareness. As we pulled into parking area, my wife made the comment that one of the guys looked "like a hyped up cookie monster". As I stepped out of car, my teenage son texted me that we were out past curfew. In reading this text, I totally lost awareness of situation. I regained awareness when lady yelled that she'd been robbed at gun point.

FYI, I want to clear up that I was not driving and, we hadn't been out partying, it was just dinner with a few other couples that live in a nearby neighborhood. Edited January 20, 2013 by wareagle

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Convenience stores are becoming targets in areas I would have thought to be relatively safe. I haven't made a stop to one,

when I had a drink, in years. My gun still is in the car and there always is a person to use it, if not me. I just try to avoid them.

Glad to see you weren't in a bad situation.

[pcrc11]

I go the Pilot. I have heard they give free coffee and sodas to LEOs. Very rarely is there not at least one if not two or three LEOs at the Pilot I go to.

[knox]

While the number of crooked and criminal cops who think they are above the law is increasing (too many Youtube videos and other online evidences to cite), I do like the presence of uniformed officers when I am in a shady place. 

 

I don't trust them anymore, but they do offer an extra barrier to scum criminals who might think twice because of their presence. 

[Moped]

I believe there is a gang of stick up artists operating here in Knoxville at the moment.  Armed robbery seems to be WAY up over the last three or so weeks.