This struck home with me because I took my 4 y/o daughter out with me to lunch today. I took my usual seat where I could watch the main and side door and the counter while we ate. It was enjoyable spending time with her. I remember thinking to myself, “What if someone comes in here and starts shooting people?” Yes, I was carrying.
Shades of Luby’s Cafeteria…
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2 Dead, 5 Injured in Wendy’s Shooting
By BRIAN SKOLOFF – 2 hours ago
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A gunman burst into a Wendy’s restaurant at lunchtime on Monday, killing one person and injuring five others before killing himself, officials said.
The gunfire sent customers scampering out of the restaurant. Motorists at the drive-thru window also fled, some leaving their vehicles running.
Palm Beach County sheriff’s spokeswoman Teri Barbera said three of the survivors were in critical condition. Two others had minor injuries, including one person who was injured while running away.
“I just saw a lady with a little boy in her arms come running out screaming, ‘Somebody’s shooting!’” said Sandra Jackson, who had been getting gas across the street. The woman said her husband was still inside, said Jackson, 43, of Palm Springs.
Several people were carried away from the restaurant on stretchers. Authorities did not identify the shooter or the victims.
The mayhem unfolded just after noon during the lunch hour rush. Palm Beach County sheriff’s spokesman Paul Miller said the shooter entered the restaurant and went to a restroom before coming out brandishing what appeared to be a 9 mm handgun.
Ashley Milton, 28, said she had just opened the door to get lunch when she heard the “pop pop” of gunfire and saw people running.
“I really didn’t think that’s what it was. I thought this can’t be happening,” she said. “You see your life flash before your eyes.”
The gunman went to the counter, Miller said, shooting a customer before slowly turning to his left and firing on others before shooting himself.
About 10 to 15 people were believed to be in the restaurant at the time of the shooting, Miller said.
Bob Bertini, a Wendy’s Inc. spokesman based in Dublin, Ohio, said the restaurant was cooperating with the sheriff’s office.
“This is a terrible and sad day for our restaurant and for this community. It was a senseless tragedy,” Bertini said.
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Gun control doesn’t protect us — guns do
Mike Thomas
October 4, 2007
Tiffany Barwick and Michael Ruschak asked the cops to protect them from Barwick’s former boyfriend.
She told them he had harassed her, threatened to kill her, bought a gun and sent an image of her riddled with bullet holes.
A Seminole deputy advised her to get a protective court order. We all know how effective they are against the criminally obsessed.
The deputy also would send her complaint to the State Attorney’s Office, which is akin to tossing it into the Grand Canyon.
There is a lesson in all this.
The cops can’t protect you.
The cops could not protect Erin Belanger and her five friends who were beaten to death by Troy Victorino and his band of thugs in Deltona.
She begged police for help in the days leading up to the assault.
“Can I ask you a question?” she said to a 911 dispatcher. “What can I do?”
Or better yet, what could they do?
Nothing.
I am not knocking the cops, just acknowledging reality. There are a thousand threats in the Big City. Picking out the real ones from the bluster is an impossible task.
Given this reality, given that Central Florida is turning into a bad Mad Max sequel, my liberal belief in gun control is getting wobbly.
I’m not advocating selling machine guns and cop-killer bullets at Wal-Mart. But if somebody faces an immediate threat, I have a hard time understanding why they need to wait three days or longer to buy a handgun for self-protection.
Shouldn’t we be allowed to go to a reputable gun store, get a lesson in how to use a specific weapon and buy it after the background check?
The stated reason against this is that some ill-tempered lout will blow a fuse, run off to Guns R Us, buy a Glock and open fire on his spouse, neighbor, boss or co-worker.
One might assume someone this prone to venting with a volley already has a gun, locked and loaded.
A 2000 report in the Journal of the American Medical Association, hardly part of the gun lobby, showed cooling-off periods did not reduce homicide rates or overall suicide rates.
After examining 51 studies on various gun-control laws, including mandatory waiting periods, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded in 2003 that there was “insufficient evidence” to say they reduced gun violence.
It seems we pass laws that feel good without a lot of proof they are doing any good.
Maybe I need a good slap from Ted Kennedy, but I almost buy the National Rifle Association argument that the primary target of gun-control laws would be the people who shoot them at ranges, then lovingly oil and ogle them before safely locking them up.
As far as keeping guns away from bad guys, gun-control laws work as well as crack cocaine-control laws. My footnoted reference on this would be our crime blog.
We even have high school kids in Orange County firing guns in the air at high school athletic events.
If there were no guns, I would say allow no guns. But since all the wrong people already have them, and the cops can’t do much about it except match their firepower, then it may well be time to arm thyself, citizen.
When Florida liberalized permits for concealed weapons in the 1980s, critics predicted a Wild West bloodbath. It never happened.
Responsible gun owners don’t use guns irresponsibly. Go figure.
Until the cops get better at enforcing gun control on those who shouldn’t have guns, a better alternative for the rest of us is gun education, gun classes and secure gun storage.
Mike Thomas can be reached at 407-420-5525 or mthomas@orlandosentinel.com. His blog is OrlandoSentinel.com/mikethomas.
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Update on Florida’s NRA-Backed “Individual Personal Private Property Protection” Legislation!
Friday, March 23, 2007
House Bill 1417 and Senate Bill 2356 are companion bills that have been introduced to stop businesses from searching customer and employee vehicles in parking lots and from taking punitive action against people who keep firearms in their vehicles for self-defense and other lawful purposes.
You may think this does not happen, but it does!
Below is a letter received by Marion Hammer, former NRA President and current Executive Director of Unified Sportsmen of Florida, from Ernest J. Myers, Esq. Mr. Myers represents a couple who were fired from their jobs of 10 years because they had a firearm in their locked vehicle on their employer’s property.
Please take the time to read this letter. This is the ugly truth of what is happening in Florida.
_________________________________________________________________
Dear Ms. Hammer:
I am an attorney in Orlando, Florida. I understand that you are supporting the proposed Personal Private Property Protection Act introduced to the Florida Legislature this year. I wanted to bring a matter to your attention that relates to this Bill.
I represent Doug and Linda Gray, a husband and wife who were both employed by the Walt Disney World Company. They worked similar shifts, and traveled to work together. The Grays had to begin their commute before sunrise, and had to travel through some less than safe areas. In fact, they had been accosted on their commute to work in the past. They contacted law enforcement about this and were advised that they should purchase a firearm for their own protection during their commute. Based on this advice, Mr. Gray purchased a revolver to protect he and his wife. When the Grays arrived at work, the revolver was locked in their vehicle.
The Grays were both hired by Disney on November 13, 1996. They met at Disney during the final entry interview process, and were later married. Just 17 days before their 10th anniversary of employment at Disney, they were both terminated. While Mrs. Gray was being asked about an absence from work, she responded that her husband was unable to attend, and she didn’t feel safe traveling into work without him. Upon further questioning, Mrs. Gray revealed that Mr. Gray had the firearm in their vehicle for their protection. Disney had the vehicle searched, and the firearm was found, locked in the vehicle where the Grays indicated it was. Both Mr. and Mrs. Gray were terminated. Additionally, Disney had the Orange County Sheriffs issue a trespass warning against Mr. and Mrs. Gray, so that neither could step foot on any Disney property again.
I attempted to intervene on behalf of Mr. and Mrs. Gray. However, Disney would not allow me to participate in their review of this incident. Disney claimed that they had a zero tolerance policy with respect to firearms on their property. They would not listen when they were told that the revolver belonged to Mr. Gray, and that Mrs. Gray had never even handled the same. They would not listen when they were told about the Grays’ commute and how it was dangerous for them to travel to work at the times they were scheduled.
Moreover, Disney showed no leniency toward the Grays whatsoever. The punishment for Mrs. Gray was the same as for Mr. Gray, because she knew that he kept a firearm in the vehicle and the vehicle was titled in both of their names. Disney did not take the Grays’ years of service into account when they were terminated. Disney did not take into account the fact that the Grays voluntarily reduced their hours in the post-September 11, 2001 tourist slump, so that Disney would not have to lay off as many employees. Disney would not even withdraw the trespasses against the Gray so that they could bring their grandchildren to the parks when they visited on vacation. Mr. Gray was originally granted unemployment compensation, but Disney fought that as well and now Mr. Gray is obligated to pay back the unemployment benefits he was paid.
Doug and Linda Gray are good people. They had recently bought a house and were working hard to pay for the same. They worked for Disney for almost 10 years, and they no plans to change their careers. Unfortunately, it is not a perfect world. The Grays had been threatened by criminals on their commute to work during the pre-dawn hours. Mr. Gray purchased a firearm for the sole purpose of protecting himself and his wife so that they could continue to show up for work at Disney. However, when Disney discovered that there was a firearm in its parking lot, Disney fired these hard working, long time employees without hesitation, without remorse, and without any recourse. When Disney was given the opportunity to show leniency, it failed to do so.
In short, Mr. Gray lost his job because he wanted to protect himself and his wife when they were traveling to and from work. Mrs. Gray lost her job simply because her husband wanted to keep her safe during their commute. Their lives have been thrown into upheaval because they were willing to take responsibility for their own safety. Certainly Disney did nothing to keep them safe during their commute; to the contrary, in complete disregard for the safety and welfare of its employees, Disney prohibits employees, such as the Grays, from protecting themselves while traveling to and from work.
The Grays understand that there was no law preventing Disney from terminating them as it did. However, they have asked me to share their story with you and with the Florida Legislature, so perhaps other good citizens of Florida are protected from similar actions in the future.
If I can provide any additional information on this topic that would be useful to you or the Florida Legislature, please do not hesitate to contact me. Until then, I remain,
Very truly yours,
Ernest J. Myers, Esq.
Orlando, FL 32801
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