Land of Lincoln Credit Union at 115 Susan Drive in Normal, IL is proud of their “NO GUNS” signage.
For many months, they have stuck with their sign advertising themselves as not welcoming to card-carrying good guys and law-abiding gun owners, despite nearly every other bank and credit union in McLean County that originally posted themselves “NO GUNS” taking their signs down.
Why did those other financial institutions take down their signs? Because they discovered how they only irritated and alienated productive citizens – and in many cases drove business away to more welcoming banks. They also learned that those card-carrying good guys that have gone to the trouble and expense to get licensed are some of the most responsible and productive members of the community. Those competing banks also have learned that those signs attract criminals.
Land of Lincoln’s slogan is “Bank on Learning More”.
They STILL haven’t learned – after almost two weeks – from the armed robbery where a man armed with a pistol threatened to kill bank staff if they didn’t give him money.
Why do you think Scott E. Books, the alleged armed robber, chose that credit union instead of any number of other banks and credit unions nearby? Could it have been because he knew that Land of Lincoln’s sign on the front door assured him there would be no good guys with guns around to potentially thwart his crime?
From the Pantagraph:
NORMAL — A 33-year-old McLean man is charged with aggravated robbery in connection with Thursday afternoon’s hold-up of a Normal credit union.
Scott E. Books is charged with two counts of aggravated robbery with a firearm for the incident at Land of Lincoln Credit Union, 115 Susan Drive.
Police responded to a call of an armed robbery at 3:51 p.m. in which witnesses said a man wearing a hoodie with a bandanna covering his nose and mouth demanded cash from bank staff.
The man displayed a semi-automatic handgun, said Normal police, and drove away in an SUV.
Would you send your wife and children into a bank or credit union with a big sign on the front door welcoming bad guys? A sign that acts like a dinner bell to criminals, hoodlums and lunatics?
Not me.
Don’t do business with posted businesses if you can avoid it. It’s not worth the risk where other options are available.
Remember, the best way to win a critical, potentially life-threatening incident? Avoid it.
Interestingly enough, there was a nice letter to the editor of the Bloomington Pantagraph about the armed robbery:
‘No gun’ signs don’t deter criminals
I am writing in regard to the armed robbery that took place at the Land of Lincoln Credit Union on July 28. Is anyone else as outraged as I am that the 33-year-old charged with the crime disobeyed the official no-gun sticker that was on the door of the establishment? I mean, aren’t those signs intended to keep gun-toting criminals out of public places? Shouldn’t we be safer because of those stickers on doors? Should the signs be bigger? Maybe the signs should be in neon? Perhaps the signs lack the kind word “please.” Or maybe, just maybe, the problem is that those stickers are invitations to criminals, letting them know that no one inside will be able to defend themselves.
Rebecca Barnes, Bloomington
Once again, the Pantagraph doesn’t understand.
Those signs don’t deter criminals… those signs ATTRACT criminals.
We called that retarded when I was in school.
Today, it is still retarded.
Something about definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result.
The several comments to Ms Barnes article reveals the impairment is more widespread than we like.
The decal was praised as working just like intended as no legal gun owners were there to shoot the robber and innocent customers and thus no one was hurt.
Of course no mention was made of the hundreds of killings that took place at all the other GFZ’s when Good Guys were not present. Nor the dozens of times when the Good Guys actually saved the day.
Crossfire shootings ranks right up with the wild west fears that anti-gunners are obsessed with.
i guess the whole liberal community is “retarded” or has a very bad learning problem.
as in there are mass shootings in only “gun free zones”.
not very many in a area where guns are welcome.
so my take on this is the areas posted “no guns allowed” are really just a place were good folk just should not be, as armed crooks and murders infest such places. as the crooks and murders must not be able to read or for some reason not understand the sign that says “no guns allowed here”.
or maybe they love it as it makes them (the crooks and murders) safe to rob and murder people.
? just my simple take on this.
.