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Restaurant With Anti-Gun Policy Robbed at Gunpoint
Thursday, May 22, 2014 10:05 PM
By: Jason Devaney
A North Carolina restaurant that posted a sign out front saying it was a gun-free zone was robbed at gunpoint earlier this week.
As seen in surveillance video, Eyewitness News 11 reports, three men wearing hooded sweatshirts and wielding handguns entered The Pit, a barbecue restaurant, through the kitchen Sunday night. Two employees were assaulted during the robbery, although the restaurant's owner says, "[t]hey're doing great."
The restaurant has a sign on its front window that reads, "No Weapons. No Concealed Firearms." A pro-gun website published a photo of the sign this week in the wake of the robbery. Several reports say that retired Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head in what was termed an assassination attempt in Arizona three years ago, visited The Pit for an anti-gun roundtable last year.
The news comes on the heels of several restaurants, including Chipotle and Starbucks, saying guns are not welcome in their establishments.
Chipotle's anti-gun announcement came on Monday after the Denver-based company famous for its burritos said gun rights activists brought assault rifles into one of its locations in Texas.
"The display of firearms in our restaurants has now created an environment that is potentially intimidating or uncomfortable for many of our customers," the statement read.
A petition by Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, which has urged companies to ban firearms from their stores and restaurants, spearheaded Chipotle's decision. The group says it submitted a petition after pro-gun Texans appeared at a Dallas-area Chipotle restaurant last weekend, according to the Associated Press.
Erika Soto Lamb, a spokeswoman for the group, called the move by Chipotle a "bold statement."
As for the restaurant in North Carolina, the owner has offered a $2,000 reward in the case — in addition to the police department's CrimeStoppers reward.
"We're offering $2,000 for the arrest and conviction of these guys," owner Greg Hatem said. "We take this very seriously. We want to make sure our guests and our staff are taken care of."
