Man Bucks Chuck E. Cheese Tradition: Shoots Self In Leg Instead Of Getting In Fistfight
Without any research or certainty I think it’s safe to say 1/10th of your local news stories on TV are reports of a brawl at the area Chuck E. Cheese. There’s an entire genre to fisticuffs at this establishment on YouTube & Vice even did a deep dive into why it’s such a common occurrence. At first that sounds bad, but if you look on the bright side there’s usually a silver lining – people take the high road in these fights & (besides the rare shank or pepper spray) only use their fists.
I’d like to think that’s just parents being responsible around the kiddos but it might also have something to do with Chuck E. Cheese’s (CEC) official policy:
Weapons, including guns (loaded or unloaded), knives, martial arts instruments, “brass knuckles” and any instrument which could be considered threatening to the physical well being and safety of our employees and guests are strictly prohibited on CEC premises.
But someone messed up in Tacoma over the weekend, brought a gun in and wound up shooting themselves in the leg. (Your own leg = probably the best thing you can hit in a roomful of children, besides the boombox that plays for the animatronic band.) According to KOMO News:
A 22-year-old man was hospitalized after he accidentally shot himself in a Chuck E. Cheese’s restaurant.
“A bunch of people start running down towards the end and then they said somebody has a gun, so everybody starts running,” said Nick Jones.
Jones dashed to find his 4 year old son Owen. The father and son were at the restaurant celebrating a niece’s birthday. Nick’s father, Larry Jones, said he tried to help the man who shot himself.
“Then we figured out that was a gunshot, and then people starting panicking.”
Tacoma police said the man shot himself in the leg and no one else in the restaurant was wounded. Some parents here are concerned and angry that the man took his gun into a restaurant that caters to kids and clearly asks patrons to keep firearms out. The man had a concealed-carry permit so he was carrying the gun legally, police said. The only recourse the restaurant may have is a civil suit.
Le sigh…
As per usual, this story led me down an internet rabbit hole into an old 2A forum where a wet mop shows the opposite view & thinks Chuck E. Cheese needs more guns responsibly.
Going off my own Googling today I think it’d be best if they just gave everyone puffy boxing gloves when you walk in the door. Whatever side you’re on I think we can all agree the pizza is delicious & the entertainment is second to none.