Anti-gunners like to clutch their pearls whenever facilities that serve alcohol allow firearms, as if patrons will come in armed, drink heavily and start shooting up the place. These armed citizens prove that customers and employees at bars have the same basic need for self-defense as anyone else. Armed, they were able to save their own lives and the lives of others. (And just as a reminder, it’s illegal to carry a firearm while under the influence of alcohol.)
Two armed robbers might have thought they had the advantage against four people who were out having fun, but one of the would-be victims played the role of equalizer. Police say two gunmen in a parking garage ambushed the quartet after they left a Milford, Conn., tavern at 1:30 a.m. The robbers demanded that the targeted victims hand over their valuables, and one assailant shot one of the four tavern patrons in the neck. Another member of the group returned fire with his licensed firearm, wounding one of the culprits, a 23-year-old man. An alleged accomplice fled the scene but turned himself in about a week later. Both suspects have been charged. (The Milford Mirror, Milford, Conn., 3/5/15)
A group of women were enjoying themselves at the Cork! wine bar when a man they did not know pressed his leg against their bistro table, violating their personal space. One woman asked the man to move away. The man became upset, flipped the table over and punched the woman in the face. After the assault, another customer intervened and ordered the man to leave. The assailant grew more agitated and pulled a knife as he walked toward the customer. An employee entered in time to see the knife, prompting him to pull out a handgun and order the assailant to the ground. He was held and gunpoint until police arrived. (The News Tribune, Tacoma, Wash., 8/12/14)
Bill Gies, a manager at Woody’s Wharf, was getting ready to leave the bar and eatery sometime after 3 a.m. He was in the office sending an email when he noticed something on the office security monitor: a suspicious man on the patio picking up a table umbrella. Gies dialed 911 and described the man in the security footage, then told the dispatcher that he was armed. Soon thereafter, the suspect punched through the office’s glass window, unaware that Gies stood just inside with a Glock. Gies pointed the handgun and the intruder and yelled, “Freeze!” The suspect then fled the scene and reportedly remains at large. (Daily Pilot, Balboa Peninsula, Calif., 8/6/14)
When an altercation between a man and a woman escalated at the Shoop’s Bar, the man was escorted out. As the troublemaker was being ushered out of the building by the bar’s bouncer, he turned and drew a pistol. He began firing inside the main area of the bar, striking the woman as well as two others. Twenty-five-year-old Aaron Childers, the bar’s bouncer, acted quickly, drawing his own gun and returning fire, killing the shooter. It was reported that the three injured individuals did not sustain life-threatening wounds and are expected to recover. (The Herald-Dispatch, Huntington, W.Va., 12/14/13)
Three men armed with what appeared to be real guns, but were later determined to be air pistols, entered the Concertina Beer Hall in Milwaukee, Wis., and demanded cash. Owner Andy Kochanski responded by retrieving a gun and firing at the criminals, striking one and causing the others to flee. A former firefighter, Kochanski administered CPR to the wounded criminal before authorities could arrive at the scene, but the robber later died. Kochanski later told a media outlet, in regards to his attempt to save the criminal, “That’s who I am, you know. I’m a firefighter, even though I don’t have my badge anymore. I always will be a firefighter.” The following night Kochanski reopened his bar and was greeted by a throng of well-wishers. Milwaukee County prosecutors have noted that Kochanski will not face charges. The incident was the second time in five years that Kochanski was forced to protect himself, his customers and his bar. At a 2008 Christmas party at the beer hall, Kochanski was forced to fire a .45-caliber pistol at a pair of robbers toting a sawed-off shotgun. (The Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee Wis., 8/16/13 and 12/21/08; TMJ4, Milwaukee, Wis., 8/20/13)
