Behind The Bar: Be A Lover, Not A Fighter By Holly, Hipsterpad.com|Email|
I hate people who fight in bars; especially mine.
A bar fight means several things: people are drunk, people are mad about something stupid, and I won’t make any money.
Most bar fights are simple, someone throws a few punches, everyone starts gathering ‘round and chanting, and the fight moves outside. Lately, it seems like the arguments are getting more dangerous; some deadly.
During my shift last Saturday, a small fight broke out between two patrons. Everything seemed fairly usual, until everyone started screaming. Then a girl shouted, “Oh my God, he’s got a gun!”
Now, let me confess that lately, I’ve had a huge fear of being shot in public—even in my neighborhood Starbucks. I don’t know where this fear comes from, blame it on the shooters at Virginia Tech, Northern Illinois, the Chicago strip mall, UNC, Auburn, and Wendy’s (this is just a hunch).
I didn’t know what to do; my body froze. The fight naturally took itself outside and half of the bar followed it; the other half closed their tabs. The local police showed up and my manager arrived inside holding the weapon of choice: a .44 automatic handgun.
The gun was fully loaded, and the gunman had an extra clip in his pocket, along with a bracelet of bullets around his left wrist. I noticed the jewelry as I served him a drink early in the night, but thought 2 things: 1. That’s ugly, and 2. Are those real?
No one was shot. Apparently, once the fight was taken outside, the gun was pointed at someone’s face, but the gunman was punched above the ear and started bleeding. Someone coaxed him to put down his gun and then the police showed up and he was arrested.
It was only 11:30pm at this point. I still had two hours of bartending left before we could close. I was a wreck. I didn’t understand why my fellow coworkers weren’t shaken up, did they not realize someone could’ve been killed in front of us? Were they aware that one stray bullet could’ve ended our lives?
I love my bar and I love bartending, but nothing is worth more than a human life. I was helpless in the situation and it was my worst nightmare come true. I wasn’t wearing a bullet proof vest and there was nowhere for me to hide.
I am all for human rights, but there is no reason to bring a gun into a bar. When alcohol is flowing, a gunman will find a simple, stupid reason to show it off.
It seems like we are in danger of being killed anywhere but please don’t feed the issue by bringing a weapon into a place where accidents could easily happen. If you are in a bar and someone pulls a gun, don’t follow the fight. Leave the bar if possible, even if it’s just to the bar next door. Don’t be afraid to call your local police, either.
Until people start calming down, I’m wearing Kevlar from now on.
- Holly -
Rate This Post !
You can check out more articles By Holly
on her blog wittywriter7.com
