And The Final Score Was...
Store clerk: 1
Robber: 0

Looks like homicide #18 in Fort Wayne (all have been in the city limits) will be worth talking about for a time. At least it's the kind of death by firearm that I find particularly intriguing. A would-be ROBBER gets more than he could have bargained for, namely a free ride to a cemetery in a brand new Lincoln or Cadillac (hearse).

VIP (adult) video store in the 7500 block of S. Anthony Blvd in Fort Wayne (actually it's on the tail end of the K-Mart Plaza there) had an "attempted" robbery yesterday at 4:40PM. A man came into the store, pulled a handgun on the store clerk there, and told him to get behind the counter. The clerk complied, and the robber quickly learned that by choosing THIS store to rob, he would most likely not see his next birthday.
He was correct in that assumption.
Now with the new Jodie Foster Movie, THE BRAVE ONE coming to theaters this weekend, one has to consider the actions one can take on both sides of the crime equation. There is a thinner line between being VIGILANT and being a VIGILANTE than many people realize (shades of Charles Bronson in DEATH WISH).

You have to think about the options (or to be more precise, the ramifications) when choosing to rob someone or some place, and conversely, one has to choose to comply or resist. And once steps are put into motion, can we just "turn it all off" when everything is said and done? The human condition dictates that the road less travelled is the one most problematic, and thereby less chosen.
Now I said all that to say this:

When EXACTLY do we, as average citizens decide and say "Enough is enough" when it comes to personal assaults and other people wanting to illegally "relieve" us of what we have worked for? Personally, I'm of the "Castle Doctrine with the NO retreat clause" persuasion. ANYONE who is seeking to freely TAKE from me or my family and/or wishes to do us harm in the process will be dealt with severely, as well as quickly.

I HAVE had enough, as I'm sure many of you also have. Criminals don't know who they're screwing with when they choose a stranger to enact a crime upon. Then again, we never said criminals were the brightest crayon in the box, did we?

We have to ask ourselves if we were justified by the actions we take, and can we also live with whatever consequences come our way. If we have done nothing more than protect ourselves, our family, or our property, I'd say sure...no problem. If, however we actively sought to do someone harm, we can soon become that which we despise.

Many would argue that the best defense is a good offense. That works well on the field of athletic combat, but when faced with a life or death situation, you only have milliseconds to make "the right call". And it better be made ASAP, because criminals don't like to "wait". Given the severity of today's crimes against people, being ready to "get offensive" is something each of us has to decide upon. DO we merely give up the wallet and HOPE we don't ALSO get killed (because the robber knows WE know what he looks like), or do we resist, and apply every tactic we have at our disposal to eliminate the threat? In the latter scenario, you MUST be willing to act...act quickly, and fiercely...without compassion, with only ONE (immediate) thing in mind, namely YOUR survival, because you won't get another chance (criminals do allow "do-overs", either). There is no easy solution, as every situation has it's own unique perspectives.
You DO...what HAS to be done...period.

And just like this store clerk, someone walks away...and someone gets carried away.

Like I have stated time and again...your FIRST line of defense in ANY situation is NOT the police, nor any governmental agency. It's YOU. The police cannot be everywhere all the time, and they know this all too well. You, however are "with you" most all the time (unless you're a tad schizophrenic, in which case, you're with a few more people), and who better to determine your situational awareness that YOU at any moment.

The store clerk made a good choice (IMHO), as have others over the past few years when they took down a perp intent on robbery. It's not easy to stare down the barrel of ANY weapon pointed at you and make a life-or-death decision. It could be YOUR death, OR the death of the robber. Either way. Now, let's see if the clerk can deal with the aftermath in his life. You indeed reap what you sow. I'd wager no one will screw with him in any event.
The business needs to remove the vertical blinds in the windows, though. It makes any passing surveillance of the property by police impossible, so no one can see what's going on. Then again, it IS an "adult" video store. I'm sure the robber thought of that before he tried to get some quick cash. No one could see him (as he fell to the floor DEAD).

Hell, I'd take the blinds down, and put a sign in the window saying:
"We SHOOT robbers FIRST...THEN call the coroner's office, THEN the police".

Let that be the message being sent to criminals...We're just fed up with crime, and we will NOT become victims any longer!

And like the old Special Forces motto goes:
"Kill 'em all...let GOD sort 'em out"