It was 11 years ago when my family pulled up at the gas station just north of Russellville, Alabama. After we pumped our gas we went into the little Dixie Gas building there on Hwy 43 to pay and to get a snack. When we got inside there were three men who were yelling at the cashier. When my parents, my brother and I stepped through the door they got a little quieter but you could still tell that the lady at the register was pretty scared and that these guys were up to no good. In North Alabama there is very little crime. One of the reasons is because you never know who has a concealed carry permit so crime stays at a minimum. At that time my whole family had permits and so we were pretty prepared were something bad to happen. We didn’t do anything. We just walked around the shop until the men could tell we weren’t about to leave them in there alone with the lady. Not wanting any witnesses they finally left and sped away in their car.
We spoke with the lady and later on with another man who worked there and found out that these men had held up this little gas station some time in the past couple of years. They had just gotten out of jail that week and had come back to hurt the cashier who had gotten them put in jail. Without a word said or any violence done she was protected just by our presence. While some may not agree with firearms and self-defense, I was glad that we were at the right place at the right time. I think she was pretty happy about that too.
