Father defends son. (Exercising the Right).(Brief Article)

A Blockbuster video rental store in Orange City, Florida, was robbed in January by two thugs who, among other things, dragged one of the employees around by his ponytail. When another store employee, 20-year-old Gabe Shockey, insisted on keeping his job following the crime, his father, Robert P. Shockey, began keeping watch on nights when his son closed the store. Armed with a .45-caliber handgun, for which he has a conceal-carry permit, the elder Shockey would drive to the store's parking lot and sit in his car, hoping that the vehicle's presence might deter other would-be robbers. Occasionally, when business was quiet, he would enter the store to chat with his son.

At around 11:45 p.m. on March 18th, there were no customers, so Gabe Shockey went to the back office to tally the day's receipts while his father talked to another employee, identified only as Brian. It was Brian's first day on the job. Suddenly, two men wearing ski masks burst into the store, one of whom was armed with a Winchester 30/30 rifle later determined to be unloaded. They shouted violent, obscenitylaced threats as the gun-wielding miscreant first pointed the rifle at Robert Shockey, then turned it on the new employee. That allowed Mr. Shockey to reach for the handgun tucked in his belt behind his back.

When Shockey shouted "Freeze!" the armed man, rather than dropping the rifle, started to point it at him again. ...