It seems like California jewelry stores are getting hit left and right. I’ve already covered two other incidents where smash-and-grab robberies were foiled by the owner with a gun. This one happened earlier this week on Monday.
Shortly before 5 PM this past Monday, three masked armed robbers pulled up to a jewelry store in Menlo Park, CA. They can be seen driving a gold minivan on the store’s surveillance footage. As the first man enters, he raises a shotgun, and one of the three customers drops to the floor.
The suspect demanded cash and jewelry as two other accomplices entered the store. At least one of them was armed. That’s when the store owner’s wife pulled his concealed carry gun and fired one shot at the suspects.
The other two customers dropped to the ground as well, and the three suspects fled the store. You can watch one of them struggle to get back in the minivan, which is somewhat amusing.
Luckily, no one was injured. The store owner that fired does have a valid California concealed carry permit. He told KTVU that he used his gun to scare armed robbers off once before back in 2013. That time he didn’t have his weapon loaded, and the sound of him racking the slide was enough to cause the suspects to flee. I’m glad that incident worked out in his favor as well, but if you are going to carry a gun for self-defense, it should have a round in the chamber. Period.
In CA business owners do not need a concealed carry permit to carry concealed in their place of business. Second, this story shows that you may defend yourself and business (and home too) with a firearm in CA despite the lies that radical gun law activists continue to spread about California, and other states and municipalities who are trying to strike a responsible balance between individual rights and public safety/the common good.