Botched East-side Detroit Barber Shop Robbery Attempt Proves That Guns Save Lives

Gun control advocates are predictably silent in the aftermath of a botched robbery attempt of an east-side Detroit barber shop last week. Apparently, the "gun grabbers" feel that if they can't say anything nice about lawfully armed citizens thwarting a crime of violence and saving the lives of fellow customers then perhaps they won't say anything at all.

Usually the gun grabbers are noticeably vocal in their disdain of firearms when they are used unlawfully by criminals to rob, to rape, and to murder victims. They loudly and incorrectly opine that if guns were illegal then criminals would not have access to them and that violent crime would also not exist.

Imagine how uncomfortable anti-gun folks in the metro-Detroit area and around the country must feel when they overhear the details of the attempted robbery at the Gent's Barber Shop in Detroit. It has to be an awful feeling for them to be shown that their anti-gun rhetoric is patently false.

Everybody - here locally and all over the Internet - is talking about this heroic story and the gun-grabbers are acting like the incident never happened - not a mumbling word. Somebody please check in on Detroit Councilwoman Saunteel Jenkins, Detroit Free Press columnists Mitch Albom and Rochelle Riley, and Detroit Metro-Times columnist Jack Lessenberry. They aren't talking about this story and they hope that you don't notice.

Despite the lies told about guns, the truth has been plainly laid bare for all to see. To start, guns are neither good or bad. They are merely things. It is far more important to both focus on who is wielding the guns and for what purpose are the guns being used. In this story, two bad guys walked into a barber shop, announced a robbery, and starting firing shots to intimidate the selected victims. This usage of firearms is wrong, illegal, and amoral.

Additionally, another truth about firearms is that they can be used to save lives. In this specific case, there were two lawfully armed good guys also in the barber shop at the time of the robbery. After the bad guys endangered the lives of all present by shooting into the floor, the good guys returned fire. Furthermore, the good guys also moved three small children to safety during the gun-fight. This usage of firearms is legal, righteous, and just even though one of the robbers died.

It was disappointing to not hear that the barbers on duty were armed. After all, a busy barbershop is usually an "all cash" business and presents an attractive target for robbers. In my opinion, it is foolish and dangerous to be operating an "open to the public" business in Detroit with inadequate and token security measures: buzzers, security cameras, and peep-holes.

Finally, the over-all "good" result of this incident was made possible because there were armed law-abiding citizens present in the barber shop. If the bad guys in this story had chosen to rob a statutorily defined pistol-free zone, the result could have been predictably different: victimized citizens and a throng a gun-grabbers bemoaning the utility of the Second Amendment in both the daily and weekly newspapers.

Let us remember this incident and its outcome. There are still far too many people in our town who still lack the desire to be responsible for their safety. As such, crime will continue unabated in the forseeable future, as there is virtually no down-side to being a bad guy. Our local police force is understaffed and overworked, violent criminals are still being sent home early, and liberal judges lack the bed space and the political will to dole out serious jail-time to the small number of predators who manage to be apprehended.

Ultimately, every citizen has a decision to make: Be a victim or not. Not making a decision, is choosing victimization by default.

Which option do you select?