{"id":144097,"date":"2021-04-29T19:17:09","date_gmt":"2021-04-29T23:17:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/?p=144097"},"modified":"2021-04-29T19:17:09","modified_gmt":"2023-09-07T10:42:47","slug":"the-subway-vigilante-who-birthed-the-modern-concealed-carry-movement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/the-subway-vigilante-who-birthed-the-modern-concealed-carry-movement\/","title":{"rendered":"The Subway Vigilante Who Birthed the Modern Concealed Carry Movement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"The
Sometimes small things have really big consequences.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A quick way to keep a couple of guys occupied is to pose this question, \u201cBatman versus the Terminator—Go.\u201d The typical American male can entertain himself for hours with such banal stuff as this. I know I can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Batman looks cool, to be sure. However, at his heart the Caped Crusader is just a working stiff like the rest of us.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Unlike Superman, Captain America, or the Flash, Batman is just a dude. Sure, he has ninja training and more cool-guy gadgets than Delta Force, but at his heart, he\u2019s really no different from the rest of us. What always befuddled me, however, is how anybody could philosophically oppose his violent nocturnal forays into the Gotham underworld.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Batman and I both think it is stupid not to actively resist in the face of violence.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Batman is a vigilante, a private citizen who fights crime on his own nickel. This is illegal almost everyplace. However, kind of like removing mattress tags or driving 57 in a 55, this always struck me as the kind of rule that should remain a bit pliable. However, there yet remains a surprisingly large percentage of folks who really do think that in the face of violent crime one should just embrace the victim role and wait for the cops to sort it out. I struggle with that myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
This geeky-looking guy was stone cold when it came time to throw down.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Certain events are watershed moments in cultural history. Compelling optics or a moving narrative can drive sweeping policy changes. One such episode was the sordid tale of Bernhard Goetz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Bernie Goetz’ upbringing was fairly chaotic. However, the young man was smart, hard-working, and resilient.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bernie Goetz was born November 7, 1947, in Queens, New York, to Bernhard William Goetz and his wife Gertrude. The senior Goetz was a German immigrant who owned a large dairy farm in upstate New York as well as a bookbinding concern. When young Bernie was 12 his dad got into some trouble. The details don’t much matter, but Bernie was subsequently sent to boarding school in Switzerland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
New York City in the 1980s was fairly horrible before Rudy Giuliani cleaned things up. What the heck is that guy anyway, Disco Sasquatch?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bernie returned to the US to attend New York University where he studied electrical and nuclear engineering. At the time of his infamous subway attack, he owned a small business that calibrated precision electronic equipment. In January of 1981, Goetz was traveling on the New York subway with a parcel of expensive electronic gear when he was attacked by three teenagers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
It took longer to lodge a formal complaint with police than it did to book and release the miscreant who attacked Bernie Goetz.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The teens threw him into a glass door, injuring his knee and tearing his jacket. A nearby off-duty NYPD officer arrested one, but the other two escaped. The apprehended teen spent less time in the police station than it took Goetz to complete his report. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Then as now, you could technically obtain a concealed carry permit in NYC but pretty much only if you knew somebody important. That’s just wrong on a dozen different levels.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The kid was charged with criminal mischief, an obviously benign offense. As he had to travel regularly with expensive electronic equipment Bernie Goetz applied for a concealed carry permit. The New York City bureaucracy denied his application citing insufficient need.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
For decades the 5-shot J-frame .38-caliber Smith and Wesson revolver represented the industry standard for concealable defensive firepower in America.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On a subsequent trip to Florida, Goetz purchased a Smith and Wesson .38-caliber revolver. While I could not find any specifics concerning the type of pistol he carried, the gun did pack five rounds. That narrows the field considerably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Watershed Event<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"The
Before they reached the age of 20, all four of these guys had earned criminal convictions.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early afternoon of December 22, 1984, four Bronx teenagers climbed aboard a downtown 2 train. Troy Canty, James Ranseur, Barry Allen, and Darrell Cabey were all four already convicted criminals. They later admitted that they set out that day to rob a Manhattan video arcade. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
NYC subways circa 1984 looked like something out of a Mad Max movie.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The R22 subway car number 7657 was the seventh of ten. When Bernie Goetz entered from the rear there were between fifteen and twenty other passengers onboard. Goetz took a seat opposite where Canty was stretched out on a long bench. The other three teens were arrayed nearby. Canty asked Goetz how he was doing. Bernie responded simply, \u201cFine\u201d but otherwise kept to himself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
In addition to some mad electronic skills, Bernie Goetz turned out to be a bit of an amateur philosopher. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

“You can’t let yourself be pushed around. You can’t live in fear. That’s no way to live your life.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

-Bernard Goetz<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The four Bronx teenagers apparently moved like a criminal unit.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Goetz later claimed that the teens exchanged quiet signals and moved to surround him. Canty said, \u201cGive me five dollars.\u201d Bernie Goetz then produced his revolver and shot all four men in rapid succession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
When he felt threatened Bernie Goetz took care of business. The details of that frenetic exchange sparked a nationwide discussion on the subject of personal defense.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From the horse\u2019s mouth, \u201cI decided to shoot as many as I could as quickly as I could. I did a fast draw, and shot with one hand (my right), pulling the trigger prior to the gun being aligned on the targets. All actual shots plus my draw time occurred easily within 1.6 seconds or less. This is not as difficult to do as some might think\u2026The first shot hit Canty in the center of the chest. After the first shot my vision changed and I lost my sense of hearing. The second shot hit lightning fast Barry Allen in the upper rear shoulder as he was ducking (later the bullet was removed from his arm). The third shot hit the subway wall just in front of Cabey; the fourth shot hit Cabey in the left. The fifth shot hit Ramseur’s arm on the way into his left side. I immediately looked at the first two to make sure they were “taken care of,” and then attempted to shoot Cabey again in the stomach, but the gun was empty\u2026I had lost count of the shots\u2026I didn’t even hear the shots or feel the kick of the gun. ‘You don’t look too bad, here’s another’, is a phrase I came up with later when trying to explain the shooting while I was under the impression that Cabey was shot twice\u2026Shortly after the shooting my vision and hearing returned to normal.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2026in a combat situation\u2026you’re not thinking in a normal way. Your memory isn’t even working normally. You are so hyped up. Your vision actually changes. Your field of view changes. Your capabilities change. What you are capable of changes\u2026you respond very quickly, and you think very quickly\u2026You think, you analyze, and you act\u2026you just have to think more quickly than your opposition\u2026Speed is very important.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
After the shooting Bernie Goetz spent several days traveling New England in anonymity.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Goetz checked on a pair of women who had been knocked down in the chaos, spoke briefly with the train conductor, and jumped out of the car. He then went home, gathered some belongings, rented an automobile, and drove to Bennington, Vermont. There he burned his distinctive blue jacket and dismantled his pistol, discarding the components in the woods nearby. He spent the next several days in New England registering at various hotels under assumed names and paying cash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Gun<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The S&W snub-nosed .38 was purpose-designed for concealed carry applications.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The snub-nosed .38 revolver was the most popular deep cover concealed carry weapon back in the early days. Colt made a similar pistol called the Detective Special, but Smith owned most of the market. Their Model 36 Chief\u2019s Special was ubiquitous. Goetz\u2019s gun might have differed slightly in its details, but this will be close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Smith and Wesson churned out these tidy little defensive handguns by the millions after World War 2.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Designed in the immediate aftermath of World War 2, the Model 36 was introduced in 1950 at the International Association of Chiefs of Police convention. The name \u201cChief\u2019s Special\u201d was the result of a poll taken at that gathering. The gun was produced with either a 2 or 3-inch barrel and fed from a five-shot cylinder. Serial number 337 was engraved with J Edgar Hoover\u2019s name and shipped directly to him. The Model 37 Airweight was the same gun with an aluminum frame and cylinder. However, the lightweight cylinder proved troublesome. The Model 36 was also marketed as the LadySmith in 1989 with \u201cgrips designed especially for women,\u201d whatever that really means. In 1976 a blued Model 36 cost $110. That would be about $516 today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Rest of the Story<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"The
Six of Goetz’ twelve jurors had themselves been victims of violent crime in NYC.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On December 30, 1984, Bernie Goetz walked into the police station in Concord, New Hampshire, and turned himself in. His case was heard before a grand jury twice, and he was ultimately tried on charges ranging from attempted murder to possession of a weapon in the 3rd degree. Of his twelve jurors, half of them had themselves been victims of street crime in New York. Goetz was ultimately convicted solely on the weapons possession charge and spent eight months in prison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJail is much easier on people who have nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

-Bernard Goetz<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Darrel Cabey would never walk again after having been shot during his attempted robbery of Bernie Goetz.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Darrel Cabey was rendered paraplegic, but the other three teens recovered. During the trial, they claimed they were simply panhandling but did eventually admit their intent had been to rob Goetz. Paramedics recovered three screwdrivers from the men. Cabey was later awarded a $47 million judgment in a civil suit. As of 2004, Goetz had declared bankruptcy and not paid a penny of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
James Ramseur was convicted in 1986 of robbing, raping, and sodomizing a young pregnant woman. In and out of prison until 2010, Ramseur died in 2011 at age 45 of a drug overdose–27 years to the day after the subway shooting.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

“I would, without any hesitation, shoot a violent criminal again.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

-Bernard Goetz<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Today Bernie Goetz is a vegetarian marijuana enthusiast living in the same apartment he occupied back in the 1980’s.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
In recent years Bernie Goetz has been castigated by his landlord for farming squirrels in his NYC apartment.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Goetz was arrested in 2013 for selling marijuana, but the charges were dismissed. Bernie Goetz is now 74 years old and resides today in the same NYC apartment where he lived back in 1980. He has run for public office twice, advocates for the legalization of marijuana, and, no kidding, apparently enjoys raising squirrels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Bernie Goetz was either a role model or a villain depending upon one’s worldview.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
It’s all a question of perspective. While many Americans obviously disagreed, apparently this pirate thought Bernie Goetz was a great guy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Whether Bernie Goetz was a hero or a criminal turns on your perspective. However, that brief frenetic gunfight did help catalyze the modern concealed carry movement in America. Biased media coverage notwithstanding, crime rates have generally fallen steadily since that time. The Subway Vigilante shooting was a seminal moment in American history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Bernie Goetz inspired Joaquin Phoenix’ depiction of Arthur Fleck in the dystopian film The Joker.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith my time in the limelight, I regret that I didn’t use it more to push vegetarianism. I support vegetarian options in the school lunch program.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

-Bernard Goetz<\/p>\n\n\n\n

***Buy and Sell on GunsAmerica!<\/a>***<\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Certain events are watershed moments in cultural history. Compelling optics or a moving narrative can drive sweeping policy changes. One such episode was the sordid tale of Bernhard Goetz.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":144112,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_specdata_upc":"","_specdata_placement":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[257,892,772],"tags":[132,127,535,102,178,752,636,2017],"featured":[],"hunt365":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-144097","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-historical-guns","8":"category-columns-home-defense","9":"category-will-dabbs","10":"tag-buzz","11":"tag-concealed-carry","12":"tag-crime","13":"tag-feature-articles","14":"tag-hand-guns","15":"tag-historical-guns","16":"tag-history","17":"tag-self-defense-2"},"yoast_head":"\nThe Subway Vigilante Who Birthed the Modern Concealed Carry Movement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Subway Vigilante Who Birthed the Modern Concealed Carry Movement - Will Dabbs\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/the-subway-vigilante-who-birthed-the-modern-concealed-carry-movement\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Subway Vigilante Who Birthed the Modern Concealed Carry Movement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Certain events are watershed moments in cultural history. 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However, shooting guns and claiming it was work seemed like a pretty sweet hustle. As a result, Will serendipitously transformed an avocation into a vocation. Raised in the Mississippi Delta, Will flew UH1H, OH58A\\\/C, CH47D and AH1S helicopters operationally as an Army Aviator. He is SCUBA-qualified and has parachuted out of perfectly good airplanes at 3 o'clock in the morning. Will has summited Mount McKinley, Alaska, six times\u2026always at the controls of an Army helicopter, which is the only way sensible folk climb mountains. Will has delivered sixty babies and occasionally wrung human blood out of his socks. He is married to his high school sweetheart and has three awesome adult children. Turn-ons include vintage German machineguns, flying his sexy-cool RV6A airplane, Count Chocula cereal and the movie \u201cAliens.\u201d www.word-monkey.com Experience: -Professional Writer-thousands of publishing credits for dozens of titles -Mechanical Engineer\\\/Practicing Physician -Instrument-rated Commercial Pilot -Sunday School Teacher\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/www.word-monkey.com\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/will.dabbs.9\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/drwildmanmd\\\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/author\\\/willdabbs\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Subway Vigilante Who Birthed the Modern Concealed Carry Movement","description":"The Subway Vigilante Who Birthed the Modern Concealed Carry Movement - Will Dabbs","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/the-subway-vigilante-who-birthed-the-modern-concealed-carry-movement\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Subway Vigilante Who Birthed the Modern Concealed Carry Movement","og_description":"Certain events are watershed moments in cultural history. 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