Crisis Spurs Spike in 'Suburban Survivalists'
By GILLIAN FLACCUS, Associated Press Writer ? Mon May 25, 1:37 pm ET
SAN DIEGO ? Six months ago, Jim Wiseman didn't even have a spare
nutrition bar in his kitchen cabinet.
Now, the 54-year-old businessman and father of five has a backup
generator, a water filter, a grain mill and a 4-foot-tall pile of emergency
food tucked in his home in the expensive San Diego suburb of La Jolla.
Wiseman isn't alone. Emergency supply retailers and military surplus
stores nationwide have seen business boom in the past few months as an
increasing number of Americans spooked by the economy rush to stock
up on gear that was once the domain of hardcore survivalists.
These people snapping up everything from water purification tablets to
thermal blankets shatter the survivalist stereotype: they are mostly
urban professionals with mortgages, SUVs, solid jobs and a twinge of
embarrassment about their newfound hobby.
From teachers to real estate agents, these budding emergency gurus say
the dismal economy has made them prepare for financial collapse as if it
were an oncoming Category 5 hurricane. They worry about rampant
inflation, runs on banks, bare grocery shelves and widespread power
failures that could make taps run dry.
For Wiseman, a fire protection contractor, that's meant spending roughly
$20,000 since September on survival gear ? and trying to persuade
others to do the same.
"The UPS guy drops things off and he sees my 4-by-8-by-6-foot pile of
food and I say 'What are you doing to prepare, buddy? There won't be a
thing left on any shelf of any supermarket in the country if people's
confidence wavers."
The surge in interest in emergency stockpiling has been a bonanza for
camping supply companies and military surplus vendors, some of whom
report sales spikes of up to 50 percent. These companies usually cater to
people preparing for earthquakes or hurricanes, but informal customer
surveys now indicate the bump is from first-time shoppers who cite
financial, not natural, disaster as their primary concern, they say.
Top sellers include 55-gallon water jugs, waterproof containers, freeze-
dried foods, water filters, water purification tablets, glow sticks, lamp oil,
thermal blankets, dust masks, first-aid kits and inexpensive tents.
Joe Branin, owner of the online emergency supply store Living Fresh, said
he's seen a 700 percent increase in orders for water purification tablets
in the past month and a similar increase in orders for sterile water
pouches.
He is shipping meals-ready-to-eat (MRE's) and food bars by the case to
residential addresses nationwide.
"You're hearing from the people you will always hear from, who will build
their own bunkers and stuff," he said. "But then you're hearing from
people who usually wouldn't think about this, but now it's in their
heads: 'What if something comes to the worst?'"
Online interest in survivalism has increased too. The niche Web site
SurvivalBlog.com has seen its page views triple in the past 14 months to
nearly 137,000 unique visitors a week. Jim Rawles, a self-described
survivalist who runs the site, calls the newcomers "11th hour believers."
He charges $100 an hour for phone consulting on emergency
preparedness and says that business also has tripled.
"There's so many people who are concerned about the economy that
there's a huge interest in preparedness, and it pretty much crosses all
lines, social, economic, political and religious," he said. "There's a steep
learning curve going on right now."
Art Markman, a cognitive psychologist, said he's not surprised by the
reaction to the nation's financial woes ? even though it may seem
irrational. In an increasingly global and automated society, most people
are dependent on strangers and systems they don't understand ? and
the human brain isn't programmed to work that way.
"We have no real causal understanding of the way our world works at all,"
said Markman, a professor at the University of Texas, Austin. "When
times are good, you trust that things are working, but when times are
bad you realize you don't have a clue what you would do if the
supermarket didn't have goods on the shelves and that if the banks
disappear, you have no idea where your money is."
Those preparing for the worst echo those thoughts and say learning to be
self sufficient makes them feel more in control amid mounting
uncertainty ? even if it seems crazy to their friends and families.
Chris Macera, a 29-year-old IT Systems Administrator, said he started
buying extra food to take advantage of sales after he lost his job and he
was rehired elsewhere for $30,000 less.
But Macera, who works in suburban Orange County, said that over
several months his mentality began to shift from saving money to
preparing for possible financial mayhem. He is motivated, too, by
memories of the government paralysis that followed Hurricane Katrina.
He now buys 15 pounds of meat at a time and freezes it, and buys wheat
in 50-pound bags, mills it into flour and uses it to bake bread. He checks
survivalist Web sites for advice at least once a day and listens to survival
podcasts.
"You kind of have to sift through the people with their hats on a little bit
too tight," said Macera, who said his colleagues tease him about the grain
mill. "But I see a lot of things (on the Web) and they're real common
sense-type things."
"I don't want to be a slave to anybody," he said. "The more systems
you're dependent on, the more likely things are going to go bad for you."
That's a philosophy shared by Vincent Springer, a newcomer to
emergency preparedness from the Chicago area.
Springer, a high school social studies teacher, says he's most worried
about energy shortages and an economic breakdown that could paralyze
the just-in-time supply chain that grocery stores rely on.
In the past few months, Springer has stockpiled enough freeze-dried food
for three months and bought 72-hour emergency supply kits for himself,
his wife and two young children. The 39-year-old is also teaching himself
to can food.
"I'm not looking for a retreat in northern Idaho or any of that stuff, but I
think there's more people like me out there and I think those numbers
are growing," he said.
Today's Headlines
Moderator: Priests of Syrinx
-
Walkinghairball
- Posts: 25037
- Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2004 9:42 pm
- Location: In a rock an roll venue near you....as long as you are in the Pacific Northwest.
HOA Goes After Marine For Being Patriotic...
SERIOUSLY!
Posted by: Dwayne Horner at 11:10 PM
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
If you're a member of a home owners association (HOA) or have heard of
the absurd things they do from time to time, you'll want to hear about
this one in particular.
Most Marines are proud of being ... well, a Marine.
And Frank Larison is no different. He proudly served his country in
Vietnam and fought for, amongst many things, the freedom of speech.
Problem is, to one HOA in Dallas - being a proud Marine and displaying
that on your car is "advertising."
From the Dallas Morning News:
"About five months ago, [Frank Larison] adorned the rear window of his
black Chevy HHR with several decals, the largest of which is the eagle,
globe and anchor, the official emblem of the U.S. Marine Corps.
There's also a diamond-shaped 1st Marine Aircraft Wing insignia and two
other small window decals.
He's also got one sticker on his bumper that reads: "OORAH! (It's a Marine Thing.)"
As proud as he is of the men and women who serve his country, and of
his own 14 years spent in the Marines and Coast Guard, Larison didn't
think much about his decals until he got a letter from his homeowners
association.
The letter, dated May 18, stated that the Woodlands II board of
directors "has observed that your vehicle has decal advertising on its
exterior" in violation of a homeowners association covenant."
That's right, showing you are a proud Marine on your car is
now "advertising" and has made some little HOA's feather's to be ruffled.
Problem is, not all members of the so-called board knew of the
President's letter. That should be the only problem, but of course, it's
not.
Who in their right mind would consider displaying their Marine stickers
a "problem?"
(BTW- no notices were given to those who had OBAMA '08
stickers...I guess it isn't "advertising" to support a guy who can't
figure out the election is over and he is supposed to be governing and
not campaigning, but I digress.)
I just lost my father, who served this nation proudly for twenty-plus years
in the Navy and who adorned his car with a "US Navy - Retired" magnet.
He was a man who loved the Navy and this country in particular. I am
thankful he isn't here to see this today.
"For starters, he said, his decals aren't advertising anything. More than
that, however, he believes he has a First Amendment right to sport
military service decals on his car.
"I am a Marine Corps Veteran," he said. "I do support our troops. I'm
patriotic. If that's wrong, if that's going to keep me from living here, well,
I'm sorry."
Hooray for him. Better yet, make that "Ooooo-rah."
SERIOUSLY!
Posted by: Dwayne Horner at 11:10 PM
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
If you're a member of a home owners association (HOA) or have heard of
the absurd things they do from time to time, you'll want to hear about
this one in particular.
Most Marines are proud of being ... well, a Marine.
And Frank Larison is no different. He proudly served his country in
Vietnam and fought for, amongst many things, the freedom of speech.
Problem is, to one HOA in Dallas - being a proud Marine and displaying
that on your car is "advertising."
From the Dallas Morning News:
"About five months ago, [Frank Larison] adorned the rear window of his
black Chevy HHR with several decals, the largest of which is the eagle,
globe and anchor, the official emblem of the U.S. Marine Corps.
There's also a diamond-shaped 1st Marine Aircraft Wing insignia and two
other small window decals.
He's also got one sticker on his bumper that reads: "OORAH! (It's a Marine Thing.)"
As proud as he is of the men and women who serve his country, and of
his own 14 years spent in the Marines and Coast Guard, Larison didn't
think much about his decals until he got a letter from his homeowners
association.
The letter, dated May 18, stated that the Woodlands II board of
directors "has observed that your vehicle has decal advertising on its
exterior" in violation of a homeowners association covenant."
That's right, showing you are a proud Marine on your car is
now "advertising" and has made some little HOA's feather's to be ruffled.
Problem is, not all members of the so-called board knew of the
President's letter. That should be the only problem, but of course, it's
not.
Who in their right mind would consider displaying their Marine stickers
a "problem?"
(BTW- no notices were given to those who had OBAMA '08
stickers...I guess it isn't "advertising" to support a guy who can't
figure out the election is over and he is supposed to be governing and
not campaigning, but I digress.)
I just lost my father, who served this nation proudly for twenty-plus years
in the Navy and who adorned his car with a "US Navy - Retired" magnet.
He was a man who loved the Navy and this country in particular. I am
thankful he isn't here to see this today.
"For starters, he said, his decals aren't advertising anything. More than
that, however, he believes he has a First Amendment right to sport
military service decals on his car.
"I am a Marine Corps Veteran," he said. "I do support our troops. I'm
patriotic. If that's wrong, if that's going to keep me from living here, well,
I'm sorry."
Hooray for him. Better yet, make that "Ooooo-rah."
Don't start none...won't be none.
Israel Tells Obama To Stuff It Ahead
Of Abbas-Obama Meeting
May 27th, 2009
Posted By MDVet.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas was to meet with President Barack
Obama Thursday as the new US administration steps up pressure on
Israel to freeze settlement building in the occupied West Bank.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who met with Abbas over dinner
Wednesday, reiterated Obama?s stance that Israel must halt settlement
building after the US president told visiting Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this month the practice must end.
Obama ?wants to see a stop to settlements. Not some settlements, not
outposts, not natural growth exceptions,? Clinton said.
But Israel dismissed the blunt US call Thursday.
?Normal life? will be allowed in settlements in the occupied West Bank,
government spokesman Mark Regev said, using a euphemism for
continuing construction to accommodate population growth.
And he added the fate of settlements ?will be determined in final status
negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians and in the interim,
normal life must be allowed to continue in those communities.?
Abbas will first meet one-on-one with Obama at 4:00 pm (2000 GMT)
before an expanded meeting with other top Obama administration
officials.
?We expect an active participation on the part of the United States that
will translate into US pressure on Israel to stop its settlement activity and
its provocations, and accept a two-state solution,? Abbas spokesman
Nabil Abu Rudeina told AFP.
The Palestinian Authority has ruled out restarting peace talks with Israel
unless it removes all roadblocks and freezes settlement activity in the
occupied West Bank.
Netanyahu told Obama last week at their first White House meeting that
he was willing to ?immediately? relaunch the stalled Middle East peace
process, but he has so far failed to publicly back the creation of a
Palestinian state or to freeze settlement activity.
The Palestinian Authority welcomed Clinton?s statements, noting that a
complete settlement freeze is part of terms of the US-backed roadmap,
an international plan at the heart of peace negotiations since 2003.
?I hope the United States will also establish a mechanism to obligate the
Israeli government to respect its engagements under roadmap, namely a
complete halt to settlement activity,? chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb
Erakat told AFP.
Abbas, who arrived late Tuesday in Washington, met World Bank
president Robert Zoellick Wednesday, on the eve of the bank releasing
an additional 55 million dollars in aid for the Palestinian Authority,
according to Palestinian officials.
Abbas was also scheduled to meet with visiting Egyptian Foreign Minister
Ahmed Abul Gheit and Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman.
Abul Gheit, whose country is a key regional mediator, said without new
negotiations, ?the situation will worsen in this part of the world.?
The White House talks with Abbas come just 10 days after Obama met
with Netanyahu.
Netanyahu told his cabinet Sunday he did not intend to build new
settlements but that ?it makes no sense to ask us not to answer to the
needs of natural growth and to stop all construction,? aides said.
After the peace process was relaunched under US auspices in November
2007 in Annapolis, Maryland, Abbas and former Israeli prime minister
Ehud Olmert met more than 20 times but the negotiations, suspended
since Israel?s military offensive in the Gaza Strip in December and
January, achieved no tangible results.
Abul Gheit and Suleiman were in Washington for talks arranged after
President Hosni Mubarak cancelled a US visit over the death of his
grandson last week.
Mubarak and Obama are still scheduled to meet in Egypt next week, when
Obama is set to deliver a landmark speech in Cairo addressing Muslims.
The White House has sought to play down the scope of the address,
saying it was ?not intended to lay out some detailed map? for the peace
process.
Obama will also travel to Saudi Arabia on June 3, on the eve of the
speech, for talks with King Abdullah.
Of Abbas-Obama Meeting
May 27th, 2009
Posted By MDVet.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas was to meet with President Barack
Obama Thursday as the new US administration steps up pressure on
Israel to freeze settlement building in the occupied West Bank.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who met with Abbas over dinner
Wednesday, reiterated Obama?s stance that Israel must halt settlement
building after the US president told visiting Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this month the practice must end.
Obama ?wants to see a stop to settlements. Not some settlements, not
outposts, not natural growth exceptions,? Clinton said.
But Israel dismissed the blunt US call Thursday.
?Normal life? will be allowed in settlements in the occupied West Bank,
government spokesman Mark Regev said, using a euphemism for
continuing construction to accommodate population growth.
And he added the fate of settlements ?will be determined in final status
negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians and in the interim,
normal life must be allowed to continue in those communities.?
Abbas will first meet one-on-one with Obama at 4:00 pm (2000 GMT)
before an expanded meeting with other top Obama administration
officials.
?We expect an active participation on the part of the United States that
will translate into US pressure on Israel to stop its settlement activity and
its provocations, and accept a two-state solution,? Abbas spokesman
Nabil Abu Rudeina told AFP.
The Palestinian Authority has ruled out restarting peace talks with Israel
unless it removes all roadblocks and freezes settlement activity in the
occupied West Bank.
Netanyahu told Obama last week at their first White House meeting that
he was willing to ?immediately? relaunch the stalled Middle East peace
process, but he has so far failed to publicly back the creation of a
Palestinian state or to freeze settlement activity.
The Palestinian Authority welcomed Clinton?s statements, noting that a
complete settlement freeze is part of terms of the US-backed roadmap,
an international plan at the heart of peace negotiations since 2003.
?I hope the United States will also establish a mechanism to obligate the
Israeli government to respect its engagements under roadmap, namely a
complete halt to settlement activity,? chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb
Erakat told AFP.
Abbas, who arrived late Tuesday in Washington, met World Bank
president Robert Zoellick Wednesday, on the eve of the bank releasing
an additional 55 million dollars in aid for the Palestinian Authority,
according to Palestinian officials.
Abbas was also scheduled to meet with visiting Egyptian Foreign Minister
Ahmed Abul Gheit and Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman.
Abul Gheit, whose country is a key regional mediator, said without new
negotiations, ?the situation will worsen in this part of the world.?
The White House talks with Abbas come just 10 days after Obama met
with Netanyahu.
Netanyahu told his cabinet Sunday he did not intend to build new
settlements but that ?it makes no sense to ask us not to answer to the
needs of natural growth and to stop all construction,? aides said.
After the peace process was relaunched under US auspices in November
2007 in Annapolis, Maryland, Abbas and former Israeli prime minister
Ehud Olmert met more than 20 times but the negotiations, suspended
since Israel?s military offensive in the Gaza Strip in December and
January, achieved no tangible results.
Abul Gheit and Suleiman were in Washington for talks arranged after
President Hosni Mubarak cancelled a US visit over the death of his
grandson last week.
Mubarak and Obama are still scheduled to meet in Egypt next week, when
Obama is set to deliver a landmark speech in Cairo addressing Muslims.
The White House has sought to play down the scope of the address,
saying it was ?not intended to lay out some detailed map? for the peace
process.
Obama will also travel to Saudi Arabia on June 3, on the eve of the
speech, for talks with King Abdullah.
Don't start none...won't be none.
-
Sir Myghin
- Posts: 9148
- Joined: Thu Nov 13, 2003 10:12 pm
- Location: Ontario, Canada
Coming from "The land of fruit and nuts," does that surprise you?
(No offense to any Cali's out there)
I don't know what they're gonna do when California goes bankrupt.
Ahhh-nold can forget about a bailout. They made the bed, and now they
have to lay in it. All that fiscal excess has caught up and bit them in the
tocchus.
Time to bite the bullet out there, for sure.
Welcome to 21st century budgeting, California!
Time to join the rest of the country...and trim those fat pork projects and
entitlements.
I know, it won't be easy....But you-can-do-it!
Don't start none...won't be none.
Dude, I know they're talking about doing that nationwide, but you guysYYZ30 wrote:Or just do what Massachusetts did and raise the sales tax on everything 25%CygnusX1 wrote:
Welcome to 21st century budgeting, California!
Time to join the rest of the country...and trim those fat pork projects and
entitlements.
I know, it won't be easy....But you-can-do-it!
are already paying it?
that's all-kinds-of-f'd-up Bro.
Don't start none...won't be none.
It's been approved we are waiting for it to go into effect.CygnusX1 wrote:Dude, I know they're talking about doing that nationwide, but you guysYYZ30 wrote:Or just do what Massachusetts did and raise the sales tax on everything 25%CygnusX1 wrote:
Welcome to 21st century budgeting, California!
Time to join the rest of the country...and trim those fat pork projects and
entitlements.
I know, it won't be easy....But you-can-do-it!
are already paying it?
that's all-kinds-of-f'd-up Bro.
Who's to blame? We are- we keep voting these crooks, cheats and liars in. For the few Democrats and Republicans that stood up and said "no tax for now" I commend you. The rest of you- enjoy your terms because I hope to God the residents in this state have the common sense to vote you thieves out when they are up for re-election.
This one sure slipped under the MSM radar, didn't it?
Yeah, I think there was a reason for that.
(The slobbering love affair with our new administration could be a part of it, but I'm not hatin'.)
At any rate, dig this:
Desert Storm Vet Protects Employees
By Killing Armed Robber
May 23rd, 2009 Posted By Pat Dollard
Jerome Ersland was back at work Thursday filling prescriptions and
hoping that by taking the life of a 16-year-old boy two days earlier, he
had saved others.
Rubbing an oversized bandage on his left forearm, where he said he was
grazed by a robber?s bullet, Ersland related details of what he said was a
highly organized hit on the Reliable Discount Pharmacy.
?I just regret anybody would get killed,? Ersland said. ?But if I wouldn?t
have been here, there would have been three people killed ? the other
pharmacist and the two techs.?
He also recalls the angry voices of people who gathered outside the
pharmacy Tuesday night, shouting that he was a racist who unnecessarily
took a life of the Seeworth Academy charter school student, Antwun
Parker.
?There were a lot of black people gathered out there yelling and
everything at my boss,? Ersland said.
An organized hit
After the pharmacy near SW 59 and Pennsylvania was robbed two years
ago, the owner installed new security measures to try to make sure his
employees would never again be forced to a back room and pistol-
whipped.
?We have a very good security system,? Ersland said, motioning to the
magnetic door locks that won?t let anyone in or out of the store without
permission. ?The door locks, and they (robbers) knew that. They had
cased it because they knew exactly what time to hit us when we?d have
all of our narcotics out and our money out.?
About 10 minutes before 6 p.m., Ersland said, two robbers wearing ski
masks waited for someone to leave the pharmacy and then grabbed the
open door and threw down a board to stop the door from closing.
The robbers went in cursing and yelling, ordering employees to give them
money and drugs, Ersland said.
Two women who were working behind the counter ran for a back room
where they would be safe, but Ersland said he couldn?t run. Ersland said
he?s a veteran with disabilities from wounds he received in Operation
Desert Storm, wears a cumbersome back brace and just had his latest
back surgery six weeks ago.
?All of a sudden, they started shooting,? he said. ?They were attempting to
kill me, but they didn?t know I had a gun. They said, ?You?re gonna die.?
That?s when one of them shot at me, and that?s when he got my hand.?
Ersland said he was thrown against a wall, but managed to go for the
semiautomatic in his pocket.
?And that?s when I started defending myself,? he said. ?The first shot got
him in the head, and that slowed him down so I could get my other gun.?
But as one robber hit the floor, Ersland said, a bullet from the other
robber whizzed past his ear.
The pharmacist said he then got his second gun from a nearby drawer, a
Taurus ?Judge.?
After he had the big gun, Ersland said, the second robber ran.
But as he started to chase after the second robber, Ersland said, he
looked back to see the 16-year-old he had shot in the head getting up
again. Ersland said he then emptied the Kel-Tec .380 into the boy?s chest
as he kept going after the second robber.
?I went after the other guy, but he was real fast and I?m crippled,? Ersland
said.
Outside the pharmacy, he said he saw what he thought was a third black
male in a car with the engine running and reaching for what appeared to
be a shotgun.
?I pulled out my ?Judge? and pointed it right between his eyes and he
floored it,? Ersland said.
The investigation
Because of the sensitive nature of the investigation, police said they could
not confirm any of Ersland?s story, including whether Ersland was shot,
whether the robbers ever fired on him or even if Parker was armed.
On Thursday, police were still looking for the second robber, described as
a black man in his 20s, about 5 feet, 7 inches tall, and weighing about
175 pounds. The man was last seen wearing a red shirt and dark pants.
A man was arrested about a block away after crashing a stolen car that fit
the description Ersland gave, but police said the man has not been linked
to the robbery.
After the gunfire
When he went back in the pharmacy, Ersland said, he called police.
?I asked if the girls were all right, and they were in the back crying,? he
said. ?I was glad to know they were alive. We were lucky and I?m glad I
defended us, because I feel that a person has a right to defend
themselves at their home or at their work. People deserve to be safe and
not be afraid of people that want to take money when they don?t work for
it.?
That?s what the Second Amendment and the state?s ?concealed carry?
license are for, he said.
?Fortunately, God made them miss me, except for this minor scratch,?
Ersland said.
?I was able to return fire and protect the girls? lives. God was helping me.?
Siggy's take: Observe the awesome power of the Taurus "Judge"
here: www.taurususa.com/video/taurus-theJudge-video.cfm
Yeah, I think there was a reason for that.
(The slobbering love affair with our new administration could be a part of it, but I'm not hatin'.)
At any rate, dig this:
Desert Storm Vet Protects Employees
By Killing Armed Robber
May 23rd, 2009 Posted By Pat Dollard
Jerome Ersland was back at work Thursday filling prescriptions and
hoping that by taking the life of a 16-year-old boy two days earlier, he
had saved others.
Rubbing an oversized bandage on his left forearm, where he said he was
grazed by a robber?s bullet, Ersland related details of what he said was a
highly organized hit on the Reliable Discount Pharmacy.
?I just regret anybody would get killed,? Ersland said. ?But if I wouldn?t
have been here, there would have been three people killed ? the other
pharmacist and the two techs.?
He also recalls the angry voices of people who gathered outside the
pharmacy Tuesday night, shouting that he was a racist who unnecessarily
took a life of the Seeworth Academy charter school student, Antwun
Parker.
?There were a lot of black people gathered out there yelling and
everything at my boss,? Ersland said.
An organized hit
After the pharmacy near SW 59 and Pennsylvania was robbed two years
ago, the owner installed new security measures to try to make sure his
employees would never again be forced to a back room and pistol-
whipped.
?We have a very good security system,? Ersland said, motioning to the
magnetic door locks that won?t let anyone in or out of the store without
permission. ?The door locks, and they (robbers) knew that. They had
cased it because they knew exactly what time to hit us when we?d have
all of our narcotics out and our money out.?
About 10 minutes before 6 p.m., Ersland said, two robbers wearing ski
masks waited for someone to leave the pharmacy and then grabbed the
open door and threw down a board to stop the door from closing.
The robbers went in cursing and yelling, ordering employees to give them
money and drugs, Ersland said.
Two women who were working behind the counter ran for a back room
where they would be safe, but Ersland said he couldn?t run. Ersland said
he?s a veteran with disabilities from wounds he received in Operation
Desert Storm, wears a cumbersome back brace and just had his latest
back surgery six weeks ago.
?All of a sudden, they started shooting,? he said. ?They were attempting to
kill me, but they didn?t know I had a gun. They said, ?You?re gonna die.?
That?s when one of them shot at me, and that?s when he got my hand.?
Ersland said he was thrown against a wall, but managed to go for the
semiautomatic in his pocket.
?And that?s when I started defending myself,? he said. ?The first shot got
him in the head, and that slowed him down so I could get my other gun.?
But as one robber hit the floor, Ersland said, a bullet from the other
robber whizzed past his ear.
The pharmacist said he then got his second gun from a nearby drawer, a
Taurus ?Judge.?
After he had the big gun, Ersland said, the second robber ran.
But as he started to chase after the second robber, Ersland said, he
looked back to see the 16-year-old he had shot in the head getting up
again. Ersland said he then emptied the Kel-Tec .380 into the boy?s chest
as he kept going after the second robber.
?I went after the other guy, but he was real fast and I?m crippled,? Ersland
said.
Outside the pharmacy, he said he saw what he thought was a third black
male in a car with the engine running and reaching for what appeared to
be a shotgun.
?I pulled out my ?Judge? and pointed it right between his eyes and he
floored it,? Ersland said.
The investigation
Because of the sensitive nature of the investigation, police said they could
not confirm any of Ersland?s story, including whether Ersland was shot,
whether the robbers ever fired on him or even if Parker was armed.
On Thursday, police were still looking for the second robber, described as
a black man in his 20s, about 5 feet, 7 inches tall, and weighing about
175 pounds. The man was last seen wearing a red shirt and dark pants.
A man was arrested about a block away after crashing a stolen car that fit
the description Ersland gave, but police said the man has not been linked
to the robbery.
After the gunfire
When he went back in the pharmacy, Ersland said, he called police.
?I asked if the girls were all right, and they were in the back crying,? he
said. ?I was glad to know they were alive. We were lucky and I?m glad I
defended us, because I feel that a person has a right to defend
themselves at their home or at their work. People deserve to be safe and
not be afraid of people that want to take money when they don?t work for
it.?
That?s what the Second Amendment and the state?s ?concealed carry?
license are for, he said.
?Fortunately, God made them miss me, except for this minor scratch,?
Ersland said.
?I was able to return fire and protect the girls? lives. God was helping me.?
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here: www.taurususa.com/video/taurus-theJudge-video.cfm
Don't start none...won't be none.