In yesterday’s post More Thoughts About Home Carry and Fanny Packs, scribe Stephen P. Wenger states “as soon as I’m out of the shower, my normal complement of revolvers is riding in holsters on my belt and in one pocket.” To which TTAG commentator Ralph replies, “I’m looking for a waterproof gun pack so I can shower-carry. Hey, you never know…..” It’s a theme that never gets old: how much paranoia does a gun owner “need”? On one hand, chill. On the other hand, chilling. Reality check this insight into the criminal mind (such as it is) from leagle.com . . .

According to the statement of fact set out by the Ohio Supreme Court, “`gaffling‘ is a term used to describe the act of forcibly removing people from their cars to rob them.” State v. Woodard, 623 N.E.2d 75, 76 (1993). The first intended victim they accosted managed to outrun the assailants’ car, which was itself a stolen vehicle that overheated as a result of the chase.

The gang then abandoned that car, stole another one from a nearby parking lot, and went after their second intended victim, Mani Akram. The ensuing car-jacking was accomplished at the cost of Akram’s life — he was shot and then left for dead in the street after Woodard and the other perpetrators took possession of his car and drove away.

Later that same evening, the petitioner and other members of the group doused both stolen vehicles with gasoline and set them on fire. At Woodard’s trial, one of his accomplices, Gary Hill, testified that Woodard was the shooter and that Woodard claimed entitlement to Akram’s car, saying that he was “the one who shot the guy.” The jury came to the same conclusion and convicted Woodard on multiple counts.

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5 COMMENTS

  1. I really need to look at how I carry. A traditional carry at the 3 or 4 o’clock position is useless when you’re wearing your seatbelt. The same can apply to a cross draw holster if the lap belt covers it.

    It is time for my shoulder holster to get more carry time than for fun on the range. If I can’t get to my weapon when I need it, I might as well not carry it.

  2. How widespread is this practice? I've never heard of it here in Denver. I can't help but think that this is a couple of isolated incidents that are being blown out of proportion by the speed and ubiquity of the Internet. Also just a WAG but I'll bet these kinds of crimes only happen in certain parts of town – parts that a prudent gun owner would not be caught dead in (for fear of being caught and/or dead.)

    Rather than trying to figure out how to draw your gun while also driving away, wouldn't it be more prudent to (a) avoid high crime areas and (b) lock your doors?

  4. Mike: would you call the millions of people who buy lottery tickets delusional? The odds of winning the lottery are far less than the odds of a violent attack (although the odds of either are pretty small in any absolute terms). And yet buying a lottery ticket is considered "normal." If millions (some 40 million CCW holders by now) prepare for an attack that will probably never come, seeking to allay their fears, are they being prepared or paranoid? Or both?

  5. Now that I've been promoted from mere gun weenie to "TTAG commentator," let me say this about that.

    Martin is correct. The best way to stay away from trouble is to stay away from trouble. But what if you can't? What if you need to be in a "high crime area?" What if you make a wrong turn and end up in Scaryville? What if? That's why we carry, because of what if.

    Mike, on the other hand, is off base. Paranoia is a delusion that the world is out to getcha. I'm not worried about the world. The world is nice. The world is green and pretty, there are cute little birdies and sweet, furry bunnies –and there are armed men who would kill to steal a pair of overpriced sneakers. My neighbor wasn't paranoid when thieves broke into his home and beat him to a pulp. He was under the delusion — maybe like Mike — that bad things can't happen to good people.

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