‘Did he yell that the British are coming?’: Tulsa idiot robs liquor store with 175-year-old antique derringer pistol

If you’re the proprietor of a Tulsa liquor store, being robbed at gunpoint is probably just one of those things that happens from time to time. But what you probably don’t expect is to be staring down the barrel of a pistol that looks like it’s from the personal collection of John Wilkes Booth.

But that’s exactly what happened on Dec. 5 at Primo’s Wine and Spirits. As per a police report, 24-year-old Dyllon Redfern is accused of entering the store (wearing a red hoodie and pajama pants) and attempting to make a purchase.

He was denied liquor as he didn’t have ID, but returned a few minutes later and brandished what employees described as an “old-timey musket”. This later proved to be a single-shot percussion derringer estimated to have been manufactured in the 1850s, 175 years ago.

To be fair, even a single-shot antique gun being pointed at you must be scary. I mean, if it killed Lincoln, it could certainly do a number on you at close range! And so Redfern got his money and fled into the night. Fortunately, Tulsa cops soon picked him up, along with the stolen cash, and his museum piece weapon.

We got a regular Arthur Morgan here!

It’s safe to say the comments find the whole situation amusing. People are baffled as to where Redfern got the weapon and what he was planning to do with it. Angel Cervantes said: “Did he show up like “Be still! For though this firearm hails from a bygone age, its bite remains most grievous!””

Billy Bruce Wallin said: “I bet his letters from jail be like, ‘My dearest Mildred, it is with the heaviest weights upon thine breast, that I must inform you that I have plundered away my future” and Jason Boner wondered if he yelled “The British are coming!” as he sprinted his way out of the store.

Others point out that a gun like this is probably worth more than the contents of the cash register. But, as Redfern probably figured, if he can use it to hold up a liquor store, he’ll have both cash and a gun he can sell.

Jokes aside, while an antique firearm definitely isn’t anyone’s weapon of choice in a firefight, a functioning weapon pulled out of a museum case is still dangerous. After all, the combination of a metal barrel, a projectile, and a small explosive charge can still be quite deadly, no matter what year it was produced!