The Ayoob files; An urban gunfighter: The lessons of Lance Thomas
American Handgunner , March-April, 2002 by Massad Ayoob
Over a period of less than 3 years, Thomas was involved in four gun battles against a total of 11 known suspects. He shot six of them, killing five. The watch dealer himself was wounded on two of these occasions, taking a total of five rounds. There are many lessons that the rest of us can learn: Lessons of long-term strategy and short-term tactics; of gun selection and ammunition effectiveness; and, above all, of courage under fire in the moment, and of determination over the long haul.
August 10, 1989. Like so many storekeepers, Thomas feels his watch shop would be a safer place if he had a gun with which to fend off armed robbers. He has acquired a Model 36, a five-shot Smith & Wesson .38 Chief Special. He keeps the snubnose revolver where he can reach it easily. On this day, he'll be glad he did.
Two men enter. One appears to have some sort of weapon, and the other pulls what Thomas recognizes as a 9mm semiautomatic pistol. Thomas knows he can just give the man his money and goods, but he also knows that to do so is to trust his life to the whim of a violent man unlawfully wielding a deadly weapon. Instead, Thomas chooses to fight.
His hand flashes to the Chief Special, and he comes up shooting. The little revolver barks three times. Two of his bullets miss, but one smashes into the gunman's face, putting him out of the fight.
The merchant swings toward the accomplice, but cannot see a weapon at the moment, and so, does not fire. Instead, he orders the suspect to leave. The now-compliant accomplice does so, dragging his wounded comrade with him.
The robber will survive. Lance Thomas is unhurt. His decision to be an armed citizen, to fight back, has been validated. The wounded robber will be charged, and the armed citizen has the sympathy of the authorities. Thomas has won in every respect.
West L.A. Watchmaker (and small businessman) Lance Thomas has fought, and survived, four gunfights against robbers who would threaten him and his business in a "High-Crime Area". He has since closed his store and semi-retired to an undisclosed location'. He continues to perform repairs on watches, but only for those who make appointments.
Quotes from the Video:
Interviewer: "So why do anything?If you hadn't have reached for your gun, maybe you wouldn't have got shot. Maybe you would have lost a few of your watches, but it would have been over."
Thomas: "I refuse to be a victim of violent crime."
"There's not negotiation; my life is too precious for that."
"They pretended to open the front door to leave, turned around, 'You're Dead!', and fired their weapons. .... I killed them both."
LAPD Detective: "All of the criminals had extensive records. They knew what they were doing, the just didn't know what they were doing it against."
Thomas: "It's kind of made old man out of me. ... It's Hell, it's something to be avoided, but if you have to do it you must be responsible."
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