Two personal stories that make me wanna carry all the time.

[waltherize]

Sorry this is a long rant but everyday that goes by, I feel more and more happy about my decision to carry in pubic and have the ability to defend myself and my loved ones from harm. I live all the way over here across the world in Karachi, Pakistan, a country and city known for its diverse sources of violence and perpetrators thereof.

As a law abiding citizen, I have been held up once already, and due to the failure in governance and state apparatus, street crime is a rampant problem. There have been many cases of vigilante justice by the public who sometimes capture armed criminals and don’t turn them over to police, because they know the BGs will get out somehow or the other. I hate to see the breakdown in the fabric of society, but that is the truth of life here.

Anyways, I would like to narrate two stories that have helped me in strengthening my resolve of not becoming another victim / statistic. I work at a local bank’s head office on a street which is sometimes called the “Wall street of Pakistan”.

It is a hugely busy road with a lot of traffic and pedestrians (both day and night) and contains the head offices of all the banks as well as some private news channels. It is considered to be a more respectable part of town. Anyways, on Friday October 16th, 2010 our bank’s Chief Credit Risk Officer stepped out of the bank at 9:15 PM to go home while talking on his cell phone (oblivious to his surroundings). An armed robber approached him (while there were people standing nearby) and my colleague voluntarily handed over his cell phone, his money (the wallet was returned by the mugger immediately), and his blackberry cell phone as well. Needless to say, my colleague was un-armed and police here suggest that the un-armed citizen should comply with the criminals demands immediately (other than getting into a car with them).
So, after handing over his valuables, the muggers did not leave the scene immediately and kept the pistol pointed at him. This was highly odd behavior. My colleague began sensing that the armed robber was profiling him because of my colleague’s ethnicity and that he might even want to harm him because of that reason (unfortunately there is also a lot of hate crimes). So my colleague grabbed the gunman’s weapon and started to struggle with the robber to defend his life (while people stood by and watched too afraid to intervene due to fear for their own safety). My colleague was successful in pointing the gun away from himself and luckily there were no shots were fired during the struggle. As the robber and my colleague fell to the ground and separated, the robber got up and ran off to the road where an accomplice was waiting for him on a motorbike. Both escaped. Today the same colleague asked me how to get a weapon carrying permit for the second story mentioned below.

Second Story:

Yesterday (October 26th, 2010) my boss, the Group Head of Corporate Banking at our bank, dropped off his guests at the Sheraton Hotel (10:30 at night), which is located in a highly secured vicinity close to the High Court Building, Office of the Chief Minister of Sindh province, the Provincial Governor’s residence, and head quarter of Sindh Rangers (the paramilitary force). The presence of police and paramilitary is extremely high due to the government buildings close by. Also, the hotels themselves including Marriot, Sheraton etc are heavily guarded and have an army of their own private security checking the cars entering their compounds. Due to the time taken for security checks, my boss decided not to take the car inside, and rather drop off his guests on the sidewalk and continue home. In Karachi, the Sheraton is right opposite to another five star local hotel chain known as the Pearl Continental Hotel, which is also heavily secured by private security. Anyways, my boss dropped them off on the sidewalk and as the car moved forward a few meters a gunman on a motorcycle blocked his car to a stand still while another gunman pulled up on a separate motorbike next to the driver’s window. My boss immediately put up his hands in the air to show them that he had no intention of resisting. Then he opened the driver’s side window. The gunman suddenly pistol whipped him on his forehead in an unprovoked attack, broke his glasses, and created a huge gash which required 4 stitches later on. The gunman then proceeded to whip him again on the side of the head a second time and demanded his money and wrist watch, which my boss handed over promptly. Somehow, the gunman did not demand his cell phone and they both fled immediately on motorcycles all in a “heavily guarded” area, while my boss just sat in his car disoriented.

Sorry for the really long stories, but I needed to rant about it to people who know and believe in self preservation and the right to bear arms. I hope and pray to keep my family safe in this environment and that I never have to use by EDC, but in case I do, then I pray to god to keep my hands as steady as possible and give me strength to pull the trigger.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[gilraen]

I'm sorry you have to face such things, Waltherize. Is Pakistan your home country? Or could you move? There are safer places to live and work.

You are doing the right thing. Take heart in that. Remember, your mind is your best defense. Do you think about scenarios that could happen, and work out what you might do?

[ctsketch]

Scary

[OPFOR]

Karachi is, indeed, one of the most "lawless" cities in the world. I feel uncorfortable in that region if I'm not armed with a rifle and wearing plates... Good luck, waltherize, you're on the right path. Make sure you get some REAL training with your EDC; having a gun is just a tiny slice of the self-defense pie.

[GunGeezer]

This has a familiar ring to it. More and more frequently, citizens are in fear of their lives in so called civilized countries where they pay taxes for the benefits of an organized government to provide for their safety and basic welfare. What is most disturbing, is that I'm hearing it more and more from my own countrymen and I read about a recent court decision where the court ruled that the police are under no legal obligation to keep us safe. How can we be expected to go about our daily lives, working to support our families and paying taxes when we are consumed by the fear of being robbed or beaten, or even murdered? In this country, we seem to be paying higher and higher taxes for fewer and fewer government services. It's reassuring to know that our elitist, career politicians can vote themselves raises, enjoy better retirement and health care benefits, hire armed body guards and get CCP's regardless of state and local laws. Obama's "Change" is working. We're turning into the same kind of nation as the rest of the world, the ruling class and everybody else.

[BikerRN]

Karachi is, indeed, one of the most "lawless" cities in the world. I feel uncorfortable in that region if I'm not armed with a rifle and wearing plates... Good luck, waltherize, you're on the right path. Make sure you get some REAL training with your EDC; having a gun is just a tiny slice of the self-defense pie.

As the old saying goes, "Bad things happen to good people, in the nicest of places."

Biker

[BigStick]

You should tell your boss to not stop the car next time. He should have gunned it and ran over the motorcycle. A car can be a great weapon.

[HKinNY]

Welcome from the states. Sorry to hear what happen. I have a question. What does it take to get a CCW in your country?

[DUNDEM]

You should tell your boss to not stop the car next time. He should have gunned it and ran over the motorcycle. A car can be a great weapon.

Agreed.

[HKinNY]

There have been many cases of vigilante justice by the public who sometimes capture armed criminals and don’t turn them over to police, because they know the BGs will get out somehow or the other. I hate to see the breakdown in the fabric of society, but that is the truth of life here.

I needed to rant about it to people who know and believe in self preservation and the right to bear arms. I hope and pray to keep my family safe in this environment and that I never have to use by EDC, but in case I do, then I pray to god to keep my hands as steady as possible and give me strength to pull the trigger.

I think I would like to live in an area with some street justice for awhile.

Rant all you want that is what this board and the members are here for. Once you get a ccw for Pakistan is it good for the whole county or just certain geo locations.

[21bubba]

This has a familiar ring to it. More and more frequently, citizens are in fear of their lives in so called civilized countries where they pay taxes for the benefits of an organized government to provide for their safety and basic welfare. What is most disturbing, is that I'm hearing it more and more from my own countrymen and I read about a recent court decision where the court ruled that the police are under no legal obligation to keep us safe. How can we be expected to go about our daily lives, working to support our families and paying taxes when we are consumed by the fear of being robbed or beaten, or even murdered? In this country, we seem to be paying higher and higher taxes for fewer and fewer government services. It's reassuring to know that our elitist, career politicians can vote themselves raises, enjoy better retirement and health care benefits, hire armed body guards and get CCP's regardless of state and local laws. Obama's "Change" is working. We're turning into the same kind of nation as the rest of the world, the ruling class and everybody else.

Very good post except for the obama shot. This has been going on longer then he's been around. Not a fann just trying to give credit where credit is due.

[zacii]

With that kind of atmosphere, I'd want a long gun nearby.

[xXxplosive]

Whoa......."happy about my decision to carry in pubic"


Is that similar to appendix carry.......................?

[oneshot]

You should tell your boss to not stop the car next time. He should have gunned it and ran over the motorcycle. A car can be a great weapon.

^^^^UM^^^this^^^^^^^^^^^^


Dead muggers tell no tales.TOO bad!!!!!!!!!

" oh goodness officer, In all the excitement, what with guns being pointed at me and what-all, I must have hit the accelerator pedal, instead of the BRAKES!!!"

OPPSSS!!!

[retsupt99]

The oxygen wasters are all over the globe. Glad your boss was not seriously injured.
A couple of lead deposits could have converted those repeat offenders to dead offenders.