Alaskan Gun Owner Stops Attempted Robbery

Alaskan gun owner Nick Moore stopped a robbery at a Holiday gas station. Moore managed to retrieve his licensed pistol from his car during the attempted robbery. Then, he used the firearm to disarm the suspect and kept him at gunpoint. Later, law enforcement officers showed up to arrest the perpetrator. 

RELATED: Harris Gun Control Calls Include Seizing ‘Assault Weapons,’ Supports Mandatory Buybacks

Nick Moore, Responsible Gun Owner, and Hero

Nick Moore, is a Fairbanks, Alaska resident who happened to be in the right place at the right time. He was eating his morning breakfast at the Holiday gas station last Friday when a 17-year old male came barging into the store. After announcing his intention to rob the station, the suspect threatened staff with a knife he brought. 

“I kind of backed up a little bit to see what he was going to do, but I kind of already had [an] inkling in my head of what he was going to do. I put my stuff on the counter, snuck out the door, ran to my car, grabbed my pistol, and came back up to the door – and as I came up the door, he just turned to look at me,” Moore said. When he came back, Moore asked the suspect to quietly surrender. “I racked my slide on my pistol and pointed it at him and he put his hands up,” Moore said. The suspect followed his suggestion to put down his weapon as they waited for authorities to show up. 

Moore Glad He Brought His Gun

Alaskan Police arrived soon and placed the suspect under arrest. They charged him with attempted robbery in the first-degree and third-degree assault. Meanwhile, Holiday workers thanked Moore and bought him his breakfast after the police left. 

In his interview with a local television station, Moore said he was glad he brought his gun. Even if he had no plans to use the weapon that day, it helped de-escalate the tension. “They’re a shield against thieves, a deterrent against most crimes,” he said. Moore added that if people knew beforehand the establishment of the people who work there carry guns, they would think twice before attempting anything. Afterward, Moore said that he hopes the arrest is a wake-up call for the young suspect. Also, he hopes that because of this incident, the young man will decide to change his life.

Gun Rights Under Fire

Meanwhile, the debate on gun rights continues to run hot across the US mainland. Expectedly, anti-gun lawmakers made a spectacle out of recent mass shootings to call for changes to gun ownership laws. However, some Republicans are firing back and criticizing Democrats for their timing. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) spoke out against Democrats and their campaign whenever shootings happen.

“The senator from Connecticut just said, ‘It’s time for us to do something. I agree; it’s time for us to do something. And every time there’s a shooting, we play this ridiculous theater where this committee gets together and proposes a bunch of laws that would do nothing to stop these murders. The senator from Connecticut just said the folks on the other side of the aisle have no solutions. Well, the senator from Connecticut knows that is false. And he knows that’s false because Senator Grassley and I together introduced legislation, Grassley-Cruz, that targeted at violent criminals, targeted at felons, targeted at fugitives, targeted at those with serious mental disease, to stop them from getting firearms, to put them in prison when they try to illegally buy guns,” Cruz said. 

Democrats’ Proposal Makes it Worse

“What happens in this committee after every mass shooting is Democrats propose taking away guns from law-abiding citizens because that’s their political objective. But what they propose, not only does it not reduce crime, it makes it worse. The jurisdictions in this country with the strictest gun control have among the highest rates of crime and murder. When you disarm law-abiding citizens you make them more likely to be victims,” Cruz added. Then, he ended his piece with a suggestion to the Democrats. “If you want to stop these murders, go after the murderers,” Cruz argued.

Watch the Bloomberg Quicktake video where Senator Ted Cruz blasts efforts to enact gun control laws as ‘ridiculous theater':

Do you agree with Senator Ted Cruz that Democrat efforts at gun control only make the problem worse? How do you show your support for responsible gun ownership? Let us know what you think by sharing your thoughts below.