Are you running a business without a firearm on your person behind the counter? If so, here are six reasons you might want to consider carrying a handgun for protection while you work.
1. A handgun could save lives during a robbery
Owning a business can be financially risky (many companies fail within their first five years of operation), but it also comes with physical risks. In addition to work-related injuries, every business is susceptible to getting robbed.
It’s never advisable to try to be the hero, but there are situations that may warrant the use of a firearm. In fact, many store owners and clerks have stopped robbers from both robbing and shooting them by brandishing or firing a gun.
Granted, there was also a shop owner who handled a robber by ignoring him, but that’s probably an unusual outcome. If you should ever experience a situation where you have an opportunity to defend yourself and your business with a handgun, you’ll be glad you bought one.
2. Your business might be targeted during a riot
Riots have been an unfortunate feature of some of the protests that began peacefully. When people start to run amok, they also start to loot local businesses.
In May 2020, after some of the George Floyd protests turned into riots, business owners boarded up their windows and doors to keep looters out. Some business owners stood their ground with rifles and shotguns, for instance the staff of Corbo’s Bakery.
We hope you never find yourself in the middle of a riot, but if you do, being armed with a handgun will give you some protection and security.
3. A mass shooter could enter your business
Although this would be a rare event, if a mass shooter starts firing inside of your business, or even on the street outside of it, you’ll be able to defend yourself and/or others.
The media likes to report that armed citizens and business owners haven’t stopped mass shootings, but that’s not true. Some indeed have. The problem is that when mass shootings occur, few people around them are armed.
With a little bit of searching, you can find stories about armed citizens who took down a mass shooter. For instance, two armed Walmart customers confronted a man who had already shot a person at another location before he could fire on more people at the Walmart. One of the customers fatally shot the man.
Mass shooters aren’t a threat you need to be concerned about all the time, but when you have a handgun, you’ll be able to protect yourself and your business if one shows up.
4. You’ll feel more at ease
If you’re comfortable with firearms, having a handgun behind the counter will make you feel more at ease. You may not ever have to use it, but just having one within reach will give you greater peace of mind.
If you’re not comfortable with firearms, you’ll still feel at ease knowing you’re armed. But it’s a good idea to take some training courses and time shooting at your local gun range.
Your comfort level will rise as you develop shooting skills and become more comfortable around firearms in general.
5. The police might not arrive fast enough
Police response times can often be too slow. If you’re in a situation where you’ve dialed 911, the threat is still present, and nobody has shown up yet, a handgun could save your life.
6. You’ll have a chance to deter fake robbers
Some would-be robbers pretend they have a gun in their pocket, but they don’t actually have one. In a thick jacket pocket, it’s hard to tell whether the “gun” is real, and that’s certainly not a chance you’d want to take in the heat of the moment.
If you have a handgun on you, pulling it out and brandishing it at the intruder could be enough to make him leave. This happens often enough.
You’d have to make that decision in the moment, but it’s worth considering. Waving a handgun at a robber who’s faking possession of a gun in his pocket will probably send him running out the door.
You also might deter potential robbers with a fake gun. People are getting smarter and criminals have two tricks up their sleeve when it comes to guns.
First, they acquire fake guns that look and feel real. Second, they disguise real guns as toy guns, and it’s hard to tell the difference.
Most criminals who carry a fake gun won’t stick around to see whether or not you’re going to shoot them – they’ll race for the street.
Get the protection you need to defend your business
Chances are low that you’ll ever need to use a handgun to defend your operation, but it’s better to be ready in case that time comes. There’s really no substitute for protecting yourself with a firearm.