Antonio Feliciano was fired from his job at 7-Eleven the other day. Was he showing up late? Watering down too many slurpees? Nope. Mr. Feliciano stopped a robbery attempt.
He may well have saved his own life and the lives of others in the store. 7-Eleven officials say disarming the robber goes against company policy, which states clerks should just hand over the dough rather than risk their lives for the store.
7-Eleven is worried about lawsuits, of course. When the woman who tried to rob the store pointed her gun at a cashier and cocked the trigger, Feliciano did not have time to pore through the 7-Eleven company policy on whether to stand by and do nothing when your co-worker is about to get blown away. Instead, he acted courageously. For his courage he has lost his job, thanks to 7-Eleven’s idiotic “zero tolerance” policy.
Antonio did give the money that was demanded from him. He wasn’t risking his life for the store. But when the robber pointed the gun at Feliciano’s co-worker and cocked the trigger, the thought that flashed in his mind was: “Oh God, I’m never going to see my kids again.” Acting on instinct, he grabbed the gun away from the robber and wrestled her to the ground. Good for you, Antonio Feliciano.
We are turning into a nation that worships victims and punishes heroes. When you think about it, maybe it’s the robber who’s really at fault here. 7-Eleven, give Feliciano his job back. And give him a raise.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.