Need some help convincing my father.

[Snowdogs]

I got a call last night from my dad asking questions 'do you know what all guns I have at the house' and 'don't I have a 9mm'. Now a little bit about him, he is 72 and still driving tractor trailer nationwide. He was a borough police officer when 7 Springs was a borough and before it got sold. He is about 6' tall and 230 lbs and most of that weight is in his ankles and belly. The cause of this phone call is because he had gotten robbed Friday night at a truck stop in Kentucky. He bought a book on DVD at the store and went back to his truck to finish paperwork. He got out a bit later to check his oversize lights and while walking between his truck and another's 3 guys stepped out from the back. He turned and 2 more were behind him. They said they needed money and he had $2 in his wallet. They said how about the money in your left front pocket indicating they were watching him in the store. He gave it to them and they took off as a couple other drivers headed his way. None were caught and because it was on 'private property' the police refused to come.

Can anyone give me any tips on trying to convince him that carrying is a very bad idea in his case. First, in this situation he thought he would have a chance if he was armed. He wasn't listening to me that it was better that he wasn't as the assailants were too close. Next carrying a concealed handgun across state lines in his situation, especially in NJ and CT would land him in a lot of trouble. Lastly he was chosen because he is an easy target, gray haired guy out of shape and obviously not paying attention to his surroundings. He will be back home in a week or so and I'm going to try to talk him out of this. He needs to stop the over the road travels at his age and find local jobs if he wants to keep working.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for carrying and self protection but there are a lot of things that need taken into consideration in a situation. I'm thinking that a good father's day gift will be a self defense course. There are a couple in the area that teach both hand to hand and weapon defense.

[Philbert]

It's legal to rob people on private property in Kentucky?

[Snowdogs]

It's legal to rob people on private property in Kentucky?

Not legal but evidently something that the police don't have to investigate.

[Manxdriver]

You have a dilemma that I do not envy, but have endured. I cross into NJ/NY several times a week, and I work for a company that won't let us use the word 'gun' in normal conversations. My health is such that I need a protection device, but it's illegal/banned by law and corporate regs.

With that in mind, I went to school and then the USAF with a guy named Pat Smythe. He was a great guy, always had time for other people and always had a smile for them too. He bought a tractor trailer after he got out of the service. Two months later, they found his rig burning in a parking lot outside Atlanta. His body was in it. His wife, after doing all his paperwork, figures they got all of $20 from him. So, I can't, in good faith, help you tell your Dad he shouldn't carry.

Good luck. I mean that, because between the laws and reality, you will need luck for him to survive.

[franklinman]

Something just doesn't smell right here. Without researching the actual numbers, I'm sure that at least 50% of robberies take place on someone's private property (I'm using the term here to differentiate private property from public property such as state, federal and/or municipal properties in this instance. As such, even a shopping mall, stadium/arena, factory, etc. is generally a "private" property.) I've never encountered an instance in which such a crime committed on a "private" property was not investigated by what ever law enforcement agency had jurisdiction. Some large entities even have their own security forces such as universities, large resort facilities, etc., but still crimes are reported/investigated. I agree with your position regarding the inadvisability of your father carrying a firearm in the course of his job traveling throughout different states (unless all the states he is traveling through have reciprocity and he has/obtains the necessary license(s)). Even if that was the case, it doesn't sound like his physical condition is such that he should be doing that kind of job, let alone be contemplating undertaking some sort of hand-to-hand combat training. I would seriously look into the circumstances of the robbery, and directly contact the relevant law enforcement agency having jurisdiction over the location the event occurred at. Even if there were no witnesses maybe the facility had some video surveillance in place that could be checked. At the very least a report should be placed on file and the property owner(s) encouraged to do something to discourage future crimes (i.e. better lighting, security patrols, etc.). Events such as this can't be helping their business either. As the only child of now elderly parents, I can sympathize with your concerns for his safety. It's a truism that at some point the roles of parent and child often become reversed, and we find ourselves in the position of being their caretaker, protector, etc. It isn't a fun thing to deal with, and you have my sympathies.

[ray h]

being a driver and carrying is tough indeed. Even if you work for a company that allows it, it would be nearly impossible to do the job and remain completely legal all the time. Lot's of grey areas that may or may not become a problem at some point. Most people think it's illegal to carry a firearm in a commercial vehicle. It's no more illegal in a commercial vehicle than it is in any vehicle.
Is it legal to have a gun in your sleeper? I don't know. Is a sleeper considered the same as an RV? I don't know. These things just aren't addressed specifically as far as I know.
Even then, you will most likely be delivering and picking up on private property so who knows what types of issues there. If not private property, maybe military installations, again, lots of issues with having a firearm.

My suggestion is to get a dog, a big black dog (is that racist).
Most people won't bother somone who has a big dog. You go from being an easy target to being a PITA target and they'll look somewhere else.

[ray h]

Something just doesn't smell right here. Without researching the actual numbers, I'm sure that at least 50% of robberies take place on someone's private property (I'm using the term here to differentiate private property from public property such as state, federal and/or municipal properties in this instance. As such, even a shopping mall, stadium/arena, factory, etc. is generally a "private" property.) I've never encountered an instance in which such a crime committed on a "private" property was not investigated by what ever law enforcement agency had jurisdiction. Some large entities even have their own security forces such as universities, large resort facilities, etc., but still crimes are reported/investigated.

Just a guess but I would say if no one was hurt and only a few bucks were taken, they just didn't want to spend time on a crime where the chances of catching anyone is such a low percentage.

[franklinman]

Ray - That was the first assumption that came to my mind too. And you're probably correct. The OP just didn't specifically state what, if any, interaction there was with any LE at the time of the robbery. I've spent some time on the road myself and it's generally known which, if any, truck stops in a given area are more prone to trouble than others. If the management is good, they'll want to know about such happenings and at least try to keep their facilities safe. By it's very nature, driving is a lonely business, and those few down-time hours spent at a stop should be safe and relaxing. It sounds like the OP is going to have his hands full in dealing with his Dad's diminishing physical condition and trying to help him make some changes in his life style. We've been dealing with some of these type of issues for several years and it's never easy.

[Snowdogs]

Just a guess but I would say if no one was hurt and only a few bucks were taken, they just didn't want to spend time on a crime where the chances of catching anyone is such a low percentage.

My apologies, He did say that he reported it to the manager of the truck stop. The manager stated that there were other random robberies at their location. He was the one who told him that the police wouldn't come and now that you guys have brought that up it does sound fishy. Agreed, glad that in any case that nobody got hurt. I did talk to my brother a little today and we are going to have a sit down with him when he gets back and hopefully bang some sense into his head. Even if he wants to keep working, sell the truck and gt a local day delivery job, pickup and deliver bloodwork and meds for the many hospitals in our area. Getting him to realize this is the difficult part. Thanks for the advice and yes, it is my and my brother that are starting to now take on the roll of provider. Having a stubborn parent makes it fun.

[MT1]

Just a guess but I would say if no one was hurt and only a few bucks were taken, they just didn't want to spend time on a crime where the chances of catching anyone is such a low percentage.

I would hope that the police dept didn't decide to ignore a felony just because it wasn't a large amount of money. Something doesn't sound right... like maybe a truckstop manager that does not want his business identified as a high crime location.

Don't be offended but I have to ask.... any chance your father got taken by one of the lot lizards (prostitutes) that frequent these places?