Armed with handguns and an AR-15, they stood guard over the store during the protests in August and again last week.
Because of their bravery, the gas station is the only store on its block that hasn’t been destroyed or boarded up. It has stayed open and undamaged throughout the rioting.
“We would have burned to the ground many times over if it weren’t for them,” storeowner Doug Merello told a reporter.
The armed citizens, all former employees of the gas station, are not being paid for their efforts. They are risking their lives simply out of loyalty for their former boss.
“He’s a nice dude, he’s helped us a lot,” said one of the volunteers, named R.J.
The selflessness of these men should be a national news story, as the Free Thought Project has pointed out. Yet most news outlets have ignored it completely.
The media goes to great lengths to avoid any story that makes gun owners look good, and this story does exactly that. As the Free Thought Project puts it:
“[This story] shows the true power of people policing themselves. Responsibly arming themselves and practicing their second amendment rights, these 4 men were able to do what thousands of national guardsmen, police and FBI were unable to do, prevent looting and damage to property.”
