Wasn’t this Joe Biden’s advice?
When three robbers walked into the Waffle House in Newnan, Georgia, where she worked, Heather “Shorty” Burkinshaw-Stanley didn’t hesitate.
As the trio made their escape, the waitress followed them outside and fired a shot, the Daily News reports. For her efforts, Burkinshaw-Stanley was fired. But the mother of three says she’s do it all again. “To myself I felt it was right,” she tells WSB-TV. The drama unfolded in the wee hours Thursday after the three men finished a meal and handed a waitress a note threatening to shoot everyone if she didn’t hand over “all the money,” reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. No gun was shown. They got $200 and walked out.
Meanwhile, Burkinshaw-Stanley strode to her car, grabbed a gun, and fired a shot in the air “in an attempt to scare the robbers,” she explains.
“I didn’t know if they had guns … so my instinct was to go to my car and get the gun,” Burkinshaw-Stanley tells WSB. “I was in fear for my life, my co-workers’ lives, and I did what I thought was right,” she tells the Newnan Times-Herald.
Her employers apparently didn’t think so and fired her the following day. “We want people to feel safe on both sides of the counter,” says a Waffle House rep. “That bullet could have went anywhere, hit anyone,” one neighbor tells WSB, “but I definitely think she had the right to defend herself.”
Put it in jail.
goodbye waffle house
Maybe she should fired a round into the trunk of the vehicle fleeing.
Fired shot in air. All bad.
Fired shot in air as bad guys were escaping. Even all badder.
Fire her? Hell no, Waffle House should pay for some training for her.
I seem to recall that Waffle House declared themselves a gun free chain many years ago. Hence they’re an easy mark for every two bit robber looking for easy, uncontested cash.
It’s pretty stupid to strut around after the fact with a pistol much less shoot it in the air.
Guess I won’t be going back to Waffle House.
Used to enjoy it on road trips … could smoke at the counter.
Oh well …
izlamo delenda est …
All warning shots shots should be directed at the suspect’s K5. Your training is ended. Thank you but I only accept cash.
I’d of fired her for not engaging the felons with her firearm. What was she thinking?
I’m with Brad on this one. What she did was stupid and dangerous, but it DID take a bit of guts, and she DID have a gun. Get her head straightened out, get her some training, and make her a manager.
@Brad – is there such a thing as a blank cartridge that has enough recoil to cycle a semi-auto pistol’s action? This is an idle question with no real relevance to this story…just curious.
Sig94 – I plead ignorance – what is the the suspect’s K5?
Uncle Al, Not enough gas out of a blank to cycle a pistol.
I have a compassionate neighbor who recently started purchasing weapons and one night over a beer they explained to me their “PLAN” should they ever actually need to level a weapon on a home intruder. First two rounds in their tiny S and W Shield will be blanks, that way they’ll just run away after they hear the report.
Imagine the shock when I explained to them that they should just sell their guns and go back to being potential victims.
Uncle Al, We have all seen people do really dumb stuff with weapons. Sometime I think an educational moment might be far more beneficial than punishment.
The essential training anyone needs is to know the laws in yor state and municipality. I live in a state where it is not legal to use a firearm when a criminal disengages. If someone kicks our door in all bets are off. Everything else is a trial.
I give her points for “courage”, but none for anything else. Seems more like “rage” to me.
My parents were friends with the founders of Waffle House. If these men were still around, this waitress would get a bonus.
@Rat – the K5 is a soda bottle shaped area of the body that includes the head, throat, heart, lungs, stomach and abdomen down to just above the bladder depicted on full size paper targets. Hits here give you the highest scores for pistol qualifications.
Bad_Brad, Et al., thanks for this discussion. It prompted me to go to the NRA pages for South Carolina and I learned a lot. I think I’m going to grab my Colt that is stored in a beautiful BFH Molon Labe tote bag and go to the range!