Former AutoZone employee and veteran Devin McLean was getting ready to close a York County AutoZone shop with his manager, when he a man came into the store with a gun. McLean recognized the man as the so-called “Fake Beard Bandit”, who had robbed more than 30 stores in the area.
While the robber was forcing the shop manager to open the safe, McLean slipped out of the shop to his car to retrieve his handgun. He then went back into the store and confronted the robber, who ended up fleeing.
AutoZone’s response? They fired McLean due to their zero tolerance policy for employees having weapons inside the store. Beyond despicable.
In response, a Facebook page calling for the boycott of AutoZone as well as a Boycott Owl have been started.
I understand that the company has a zero tolerance policy, but the right thing for AutoZone executives to do in this instance would have been to use this case as proof that their policy was incorrect and to change it, but instead they chose to fire a man who should have been rewarded for his heroism.
The good news for the people of York County is that Mr. McLean is probably looking for a job.
Another disturbing fact about this story is that this is the SECOND time in two months that this store has been robbed, you’d think after the first time their employees were put in harms way they would re-think their absurd policy, but I guess not. Instead they chose to let their employees remain in danger and then fire someone who potentially saved their life of their very own store manager. I agree with the comment that these two instances should serve as a reason to change their policy, especially after seeing how having a law abiding and heroic citizen working for them can actually save the lives of their employees and their money (since we all know that’s the most important thing in the corporate world). If anything I think they should change their policy to allow the store manager, the person who is ultimately responsible for the store, to be allowed to decide the individual store’s policy on employees legally carrying firearms on the premises.
Thanks for the additional info. It’s just insane to me that it was easier for the AutoZone execs to fire McLean rather than admit their policy sucks and do the right thing. I for one will not be shopping at AutoZone any longer. I hear that Pep Boys does everything for less anyways.
Thanks, now I have that stupid Pep Boys jingle in my head haha
What a shame that our culture is doing more to protect the bad guys than to protect and reward our heroes. If our culture wants to look down on me for carrying and wanting to protect myself and protect them from the bad guys, then so be it. I know in my heart that I am doing the right thing, and you can not be wrong if you do what your heart tells you.
I am a lawful gun owner with a concealed permit. I would have fired him too. For two reasons. # 1.. Autozone’s personal property rights trump the employees 2nd amendment rights.. Secondly, once he left the store, his only duty was to call police. When he went back in the store, his actions had the potential to greatly increase Autozone’s liWho shot who? Gotta do ballistics. What if a bullet finds the wrong person? This is a perfect example of how a clusterfck happens. The guy and Autozone are lucky it went down the way it did.
James, James, James. So Autozone’s property rights are worth more than the lives of the employees in harms way from a low life who wanted to rob and possibly kill? You must live in a bubble. Open your eyes to what has been happening all over our country lately.
It does suck, but, “It’s complicated.”
The sooner the gun community/gun culture realizes there are no black and white issues, only grey areas, the sooner we can all participate in a sane and respectful dialogue.
Case in point: Zimmerman/Martin. There are half a dozen points for and against both parties. This will be tried in Draconian Florida courts, and who knows how it will play. I am grateful not to be in that jury pool. Race, racial profiling, hotdogging, getting beat up and bloodied, and somebody ends up dead.
I could vote either way. I hope Zimmerman has a good lawyer and knows how to pick jurors.