Jewelry store shootout. (Exercising the Right).(attempted jewelry store robbery in Marietta, Georgia)(Brief Article)

On July 9th, a man and woman entered Norton's Jewelry in downtown Marietta, Georgia, and asked to see some expensive items. They left without making a purchase, but owner Ronnie Norton, 54, felt uneasy, suspecting that they may have been casing the store. He mentioned the incident, along with his concern, to wife Barbara that night.

The next afternoon, as they were preparing to close the store, Mrs. Norton noticed two men loitering outside. She told her husband, who promptly retrieved a .32-caliber handgun from its carrying case and slipped it into his belt. As the Daily Oklahoman for July 17th noted, "Norton always carries a gun or keeps one within arm's reach."

The two men eventually entered the store. One asked to see a $2,500 wedding set. As Mr. Norton walked toward the safe, with one of the men close behind, Mrs. Norton noticed the latter place his hand in his pocket. Suspecting the worst, she bolted for the front door, but was grabbed and thrown to the floor by the other man (who was also armed) before she could escape.

When Mr. Norton turned around, he found himself staring at a 9mm pistol pointed at his chest. As described by Daily Oklahoman reporter Ed Godfrey, "The gunman ordered Norton to the floor but he refused," whereupon the thug "repeated the order and waved the weapon in front of Norton, giving the jeweler a chance to grab the man's wrist and push the gun away."

During the ensuing skirmish a shot rang out and Dexter B. Dunnum, 23, slumped to the floor, seriously wounded. Norton believes that Dunnum may have been one of the persons who had ...