Fend Off a Robber, Save Your Life & Lose Your Job

Don Pitaniello, a convenience store clerk in Vermont, was recently suspended from his job because he used a gun to defend himself during a robbery.

According to a report by The Daily Caller, “…[Pitaniello] was closing shop at Mac’s Convenience Store on Sunday when a man wearing a hoodie and a bandana over his face stormed in wielding a 5-inch knife…”

The store clerk used his personal handgun to defend himself, despite the store’s rules regarding workers possessing guns on the job. The robber pulled a knife on the store clerk and demanded Pitaniello fend over the money in the register. When Pitaniello pulled out the gun, refused to hand over the cash and told the robber to leave, the robber listened and fled the store.

Because Pitaniello used a gun – a clear violation of Mac’s Convenience Store’s rules – he could lose his job. Even though he saved the owner every penny in the register, he could be fired. He didn’t have to fire a round, yet the owner no longer wants him around.

Stories like Pitaniello’s are truly disheartening to hear. We live in the greatest nation in the world, the most powerful nation in the world, yet we lack the power to protect ourselves. Am I the only one who finds this ironic?

The left flocks to incidents like Sandy Hook to warrant the need for gun control. What they’re failing to address are incident like this where a gun saved someone’s life. They’re failing to address the true problem: criminals bypassing gun regulations, the ones the left insisted on putting into place.

Gun control does nothing more than punish people like Mr. Pitaniello. Having stricter gun laws wouldn’t stop robbers from robbing convenience stores like the one Pitaniello works at. What stricter gun laws would do is keep average, responsible gun owners like Mr. Pitaniello from defending themselves.

I’m a firm believer in everyone learning how to responsibly handle and shoot a firearm. Learning how to properly handle a firearm removes the fear and stigma that is often associated with guns. If more people in this country were willing to learn how to be responsible gun owners, then we would see fewer stories like Mr. Pitaniello’s.

As Wayne LaPierre would say, “The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”