Yeah #1 you can lay down like a scared dog and let criminals prey on your weakness, or you can stand up and fight.

I choose the latter.

#1 What you say is true on a certain level but it looks like this kid has transcended that and arrived at a higher place. He didn't run away and complain "Somebody should do something!"; he just did it. Sure there were risks in what he did, but there are risks with everything we do. If 9 out of 10 people reacted to criminals the way this kid did there would be very little crime.

Kudos kid!! Don't ever let those reflexes be taken away from you!!!!

#1 and people like him/her are well loved...by criminals.

#1 You do realize the guy was about to take the kid hostage don't you? He is clearly reaching for him before the kid reacts.

Better go for the gun than get taken hostage I say.

please people, don't blame #1. he is one of those people who runs away as fast as possible when there is trouble.

brave kid. all respect to you. what a great story to tell everyone at school. no one can know how they would react in a fight or flight situation, it's instinctual. all that being said, my opinion, this kid is a hero.

That was totally the wrong move, the guy clearly isn't a total psycho (but could have been) the adult was quick enough to save him. These kids watch too many movies.

It's not about bravery, but about survival. You ask any experts in law enforcement and they will tell you "let them have it" if the culprit(s) have a lethal weapon.

I fail to see why so many people here giving praise to a little kid who responded by getting physical with an adult with a handgun. The natural response for anyone who threatens to get caught would be to shoot and run. This kid lacks the physical strength to wrestle. He was lucky to be alive.

It's worth risking your own life to save another life, but not over valuables.

And they now have robbed the robber from his bag

Okay, what the kid have done is dangerous. And brave, I totally agree.

But, how can you be sure to stay alive after a robbery?
Who knows, maybe the robber could have shot the both to insure no witness are left behind.
Or even kill one or two by a mishandling of the gun.

So, you may let the bad guys rob everything and still end into a wheelchair or in a grave...

Please don't forget, too, that the money doesn't come from nothing. If you have nothing to sell or too depressed to work again, you may end quickly homeless and too soon dead. Never heard about PTSD? So a "successful" robbery, with no bullets fired, may mean death at the end for the victims and their families. Don't speak about insurances, because insurances soon stop to reimburse for robberies when it happens too often. And a regular robbed shop stop to have any value to anyone, so you may end to have no escape solution.

So I am at the side of the people praising this very brave kid. No, this kid don't watch too many movies, else he wouldn't try anything, the television trains ourselves not to react, reacting is useless when watching a movie. At the contrary, he saw his life was in real danger and done his best to save his life, that's all.

HEY PUSSY.. you left your purse on the counter...

#7 The US ? This took place in Turkey and many of the comments are from people that are not from the US.
The kid blocked the robber's gun hand away from himself when the perp swung the gun his way and struck the guy in the chest with a palm-heel strike with his other hand .... nice move. He may have had some training.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=preq8JSu0I4

#3 I don't really think the kid evaluated the risks before reacting. It was just the impulse of the moment: fight or flight. Good instincts on the kid also, he pushed the gun away from him, and even managed to punch the robber.

#5 Or maybe the robber was just going for the door, to close it... don't know why he didn't do so when he entered, maybe he thought the kid would leave. Not a good day for him overall, he even lost his 'purse'.

"I would have gotten away with it, too, if it hadn't been for you meddling kids!" said the robber with the masterplan

#1 and the rest. Ever heard of Fight or Flight response? When in extreme danger we shutdown most of our rational thinking and go back to our ancient instincts. And those are very simple. You then can only fight to get out of danger or flight. You can flee by shutding down most of your cognitions and distance your mind litaraly from your body. Or you can freeze and barely move. All of these are automatic reactions that you pretty much can't control.