Thursday, May 31, 2012

Personal Protection Tip: Exercise Due Caution With Pan-Handlers

Personal Protection Tip: Exercise extreme caution when being solicited for donations by panhandlers. If you spend any appreciable amount of time in Detroit, you have certainly seen more than your share of people in need asking for money in high traffic and dangerous locations: freeway exit ramps, gas stations, convenience stores, and parking lots.



Their apparent plight may pull at your heartstrings and give you the desire to help a person in need of a meal. In truth, on many occasions I have given money to panhandlers. However, when doing so, I am very mindful of the real risks that exists when doing so. 

For instance, the apparent panhandler may in fact be a criminal seeking to distract you before attacking you himself or setting you up to be attacked by another person. In an incident that happened recently, a panhandler at a gas station got aggressive and berated me for giving too little - in his mind - before I had to respond aggressively to inform him that I could not be intimidated or scared into giving more than I planned. 

If despite the risks of giving money to panhandlers, you still insist on doing so (as I do on occasion) take a few steps as a precaution: keep at a relatively safe distance, have the donation readily accessible, scan area for other people who may be a threat, give the money quickly, keep your eyes on the panhandler, and remove yourself from the scene quickly. 

Finally, if the plight of the homeless bothers you and you do not want to take the risk of being set-up for a robbery, give strong consideration to either volunteering your time at a charity or giving monetary donations to your favorite charitable organization via payroll donation.


About The Author
Rick Ector is a National Rifle Association credentialed Firearms Trainer, who provides Michigan CCW Class training in Detroit for students at his firearms school - Rick's Firearm Academy of Detroit.

Ector is a recognized expert in firearm safety and has been featured extensively in the national and local media: Associated Press, NRAnews, Gun Digest, The Politics Daily, Fox News Detroit, The Detroit News, WJLB, WGPR and the UrbanShooterPodcast.

For more info about Detroit Michigan CPL Classes, please contact:

Rick's Firearm Academy of Detroit
Contact: Rick Ector
Web: http://www.detroitccw.com
Email: info@detroitccw.com
Phone: 313.733.7404

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