So, I didn’t even know that Jewelers had a magazine, but I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised. There’s a magazine for everything. Anyway, in a recent article, the issue of guns in stores is discussed. The author appears to be in favor of keeping a firearm in the store, or at the very least she’s in favor of fighting back against robbery attempts.
She then goes on to ask five questions to store owners regarding firearms in the workplace. I’m going to answer questions 3 & 4 from my perspective as a consumer.
- Do you have a gun in your store? If so, are your employees aware of it or do you feel they don’t need to know because they aren’t supposed to use it anyway? Have you had an employee not want to work at your store because you kept a gun on the premise?
- Have you thought about keeping a gun on premise—what made you decide to have or not have one?
- Is fighting back with guns giving bad publicity to jewelry stores?
- Will these shootings make customers scared of entering jewelry stores without officers on the premise?
- What do you tell your staff to do if you’re robbed? (The obvious should be to do what they want because the merchandise is insured and lives are more important).
3 – No, it’s really not. In fact, I’m more likely to patronize an establishment where I know that the proprietor is willing to fight back to defend his life, and the lives of his customers. I think that’s pretty keen.
4 – Only if those customers are idiots. I can understand being reticent to go into a jewelry store that’s been robbed seven or eight times in the past month, because it’s probably not in a nice area. However, if I go to jewelry store where the owner has righteously plugged some asshole, the other assholes are going to think twice before they hit the place, lest they receive a dose of hot lead.
In short – if you own a jewelry store and make the choice to keep a firearm on the premise to defend your livelihood: Good for you. If I know about it, I’m more likely to patronize your establishment.
–
