Man Robs Convenience Stores With Klingon "Batleth" 579
mnovotny writes "Colorado Springs police are looking for a man who hit two 7-Eleven convenience stores, armed with a Klingon 'Batleth' sword inspired by the Star Trek science fiction series.
They did appear more human in the original series."
Re:I believe stealing slurpees (Score:5, Interesting)
You might think that's funny, but robbing gas stations is the exactly the kind of stuff that gangs use as initiation,
At least... (Score:3, Interesting)
it seems that the two clerks were big enough nerds to identify the weapon as a Batleth!
Unfortunately it seems that the robber was masked so they weren't able to tell if he was a swarmy Klingon.
Some great writing in the story: "The clerk did not give him any money and the suspect transported himself out of the store"
So the suspect ummm.. "left" the store? Oh wait... "transported himself", dude got beamed up!
Re:Enact the assault sword ban! (Score:2, Interesting)
It certainly depends on the location, but (at least in the US) there's a big difference between owning a weapon, carrying it around in a holster/scabbard/whatever, and brandishing/threatening with it.
The first is generally legal, with a few exceptions or restrictions.
The second is commonly legal too, with certain conditions. In Georgia, for example, one may carry any weapon (except a handgun) as described above, so long as it is done openly and in plain sight. To carry a handgun (openly or concealed) or to conceal a firearm in general, one must obtain a firearms license.
The third will generally 9and rightly) get you arrested on felony charges everywhere; the name of the charge will vary, but they're generally equivalent. In Georgia, pointing a gun at someone or threatening them with a deadly weapon in general will get you charged with aggrevated assault. Other states may classify it as "brandishing a weapon" or "attempted murder", for example.
I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that owning and carrying a Klingon sword is legal in Colorado. Threatening someone with it is not, obviously.
Re:Enact the assault sword ban! (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Enact the assault sword ban! (Score:5, Interesting)
If you threaten my life, I have a right to make you stop. If you end up dead, well, that's too bad. At least that's the law in Texas.
That's generally the law everywhere although the specifics may vary. Here in New York the case law says that when out in public we have to make a reasonable effort to retreat first. In our homes we don't have to retreat although it's well advised -- personally I wouldn't shoot somebody over property (it's insured) if my life isn't in danger.
If I feel like my life is in danger though all bets are off -- I'll be shooting to kill and will continue shooting until the threat has been negated. If he manages to survive then I'll tell the 911 dispatcher to send an ambulance along with the cops.
Re:The heroes of 911 are afraid of box cutters. (Score:3, Interesting)
They were not afraid of 'box cutters'.
The reason for this is that there are no reports or evidence of any kind anywhere that the hijackers had box cutters.
It's far more likely they were carrying combat knives. The box cutter myth was started to explain how they carried the knives through airport security.
See:
http://edwardjayepstein.com/nether_fictoid9.htm [edwardjayepstein.com]
Re:Enact the assault sword ban! (Score:1, Interesting)
I don't want anyone who is prepared to fight for someone who's existence is debatable to come anywhere near me. Preferable not into the same country as me, and definitely not flying on the same plane as me. The whole concept seems truly mad.
Re:Enact the assault sword ban! (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Enact the assault sword ban! (Score:3, Interesting)
Don't laugh. In ancient times in some cities swords were banned. People were only allowed knives up to a certain size.
Back in the day, 100 Roman soldiers were a huge and powerful force. A Centurion, the man who commands only 100 men was allowed to make binding agreements and speak for the Roman government
In a city where swords are outlawed 100 armed men could do as they wanted.
Re:Enact the assault sword ban! (Score:5, Interesting)
1) Fire as many shots as you want, but don't hit him more than 3x (looks bad to the cops/DA/jury).
2) Regardless of #1 above, if all shots entered through the back then roll him over and shoot him at least once through the front and claim that as your first shot. CSI is just a TV show, they're not going to figure it out.
3) If he falls outside your door, drag his ass back into your house before the cops get there and describe a "scuffle".
The fact he had this list, and left his Glock on the coffee table while we watched Star Trek, always made me nervous...
Re:Enact the assault sword ban! (Score:2, Interesting)
But why do you (the USA media and government) also portray the passengers of the other flights as heroes if they did nothing?
The Clerks did What They're Suppose to Do (Score:5, Interesting)
If you work in a convenience store, you never ever try to stop a robbery. It doesn't matter if the guy has a gun, a Bat'leh, or an attack gerbil.
Your job is to get this guy out of your store as fast as possible with as few injuries as possible. I knew someone who worked in HR at Southland Corporation (the people who run 7-11s). They train their workers to help the robbers.
Most robbers have little idea of what they should do once they run into a convenience store and demand all of the money. The clerks are trained to not make sudden moves and to keep their hands visible.
The clerks ask the robber if they want their money in a sack and if the robber would like them to lie down behind the counter until they leave. The clerk's job at that point is to get the robber out of the store as quickly as possible.
Most of the time, there is less than $50 in the till. If someone comes in with a bat'leh, you don't know if they may also have a gun on them. You have no idea what this person might be capable of doing or whether they have a few friends outside who may try to help out if you put up a fight.
It simply isn't worth the fuss over $50. You give the money to your assailants, wish them a nice day, and hope they leave as quickly as they came.
Re:Enact the assault sword ban! (Score:5, Interesting)
Apparently two deer hunters were walking toward an isolated rural road in west Texas, somewhere near Pecos. From a distance, they observed a state trooper standing next to a vehicle that he'd pulled over. They heard a bang and saw the trooper fall back away from the vehicle. A man stepped from the vehicle and fired a second shot at the trooper, who was apparently laying on the ground, now out of their sight.
At this point, the two hunters knelt down in the brush. Not noticing them, the man dragged the trooper's body into the ditch, then walked over and started poking through the trooper's car. After a bit of whispered discussion, one of the hunters shot the man in the chest as he stood next to the trooper's car.
They carefully came up to the car and found the man bleeding, but still alive, his handgun a few feet away. They took the gun and one of them got into the trooper's car and managed to radio for help. About 15 minutes later, another trooper arrived at the scene, and sometime thereafter an ambulance arrived.
This in of itself is an interesting story. However, the paramedics examined both the shot trooper and the man from the car, and found the former to be dead and the latter still alive. After some discussion with the second trooper, they took the dead trooper to the hospital in their ambulance, returning to pick up the wounded man over an hour later, by which time he had died.
The trooper who told me the story arrived after the ambulance had left with the first trooper, but before it returned to pick up the wounded man. That man, it turns out, was a prison escapee who'd been on the run for a week or so.
Anyway, it's not entirely relevant to this discussion, but an interesting story nonetheless.
Re:The heroes of 911 are afraid of box cutters. (Score:3, Interesting)
How much does it happen in reality? I don't hear about it very often, in a country (USA) of 300 million. Of course, flying-jets-into-buildings only happened once, but even other large-scale (more than a few deaths) random violence only happens, what, annually? Less? That's very rare. We live in an exceedingly safe society, even as it is an open and free society (mostly). Other societies have even lower crime, but they have less freedom and openness (cf England or something).
Me, I would have run to the back of the plane and browned my underwear.
Re:Enact the assault sword ban! (Score:3, Interesting)
"If you go wandering about with a real Katana you are likely to be
arrested just as if you were waving a pistol around."
I'm sorry but that is wrong. The general law in most states is you may not CONCEAL a blade larger than a certain length, but you may certainly open carry a large blade as long as it is sheathed and secured. Some states don't allow certain weapons, like shuriken (CA and MA) but BLADES are considered mostly a tool.
Seriously. I used to walk around Memphis with a katana. Open carry, plain sight, not trying to hide it, not in a position for easy draw and attack, either, just for toting. Not one fucking cop said shit to me except "Where ya going with that?" Now, were I wearing a trench coat and the katana was hidden inside, yes, I'd be busted in a heartbeat. Otherwise, I was just stopped, and asked what I was doing with the katana. "Going to kenjutsu class" or "Going out to a quiet spot to practice and meditate" were sufficient enough, and more often than not the truth.
Re:Enact the assault sword ban! (Score:3, Interesting)
This in of itself is an interesting story. However, the paramedics examined both the shot trooper and the man from the car, and found the former to be dead and the latter still alive. After some discussion with the second trooper, they took the dead trooper to the hospital in their ambulance, returning to pick up the wounded man over an hour later, by which time he had died.
Serves the SOB right, IMHO.