“Shannon ‘Bea’ Cothran was working at a Shell station in Nashua early Monday when a man approached him with a knife. Police confirmed that the would-be robber fled after Cothran pulled out a gun,” msn.com reports. “Cothran said he then filed a report with Nouria Energy Corp., which owns the station, and was fired hours later even though the store manager and a district manager lobbied to save his job.” Sorry, NRA “Don’t Be a Victim” graduates need not apply. “Nouria said in a statement Wednesday that it instructs its cashiers to give thieves what they ask for during a robbery attempt to resolve the conflict peacefully and quickly.” Just in case customers in the Live Free of Die state take exception to capitulation, the company issued the following statement . . .
Make no mistake: We care about the personal well-being of employees like Mr. Cothran, whose years of service are truly appreciated — not about the money in the cash register. So, we are especially grateful that this situation was resolved without injury . . . We do respect the constitutional right to bear arms. However, we believe the best way to keep our employees and customers safe is to prohibit weapons in the workplace.
The company claims its policies are “similar to others in the industry” and “consistent with the advice offered by police.” Really? That’s just sad. An open invitation to the bad guys. In case you didn’t know. [h/t D&T]