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DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) --
Police are searching for three suspects involved in an armed robbery at Durham's newly-opened barbecue restaurant, The Pit, at 321 W. Geer Street.

Authorities said just before 9 p.m. Sunday, three men wearing hoodies entered the restaurant through the back doors with pistols, and forced several staff members to lie on the floor.

The bandits assaulted two employees during the crime, but they were not seriously injured.

"They're doing great," restaurant owner Greg Hatem said. "One of them actually went to the hospital and was released. They took a good look at him, he's fine."

Hatem also said there were a few patrons in the dining room while the robbery was happening in the kitchen area. Workers were able to ask them to leave, and got them out safely through the front door.

"We're offering $2,000 for the arrest and conviction of these guys," Hatem said. "We take this very seriously. We want to make sure our guests and our staff are taken care of."

North Carolina restaurant The Pit was robbed at gunpoint on Sunday. Normally, local crime stories like this wouldn't merit a Townhall post, but this one is different: The Pit has a "no weapons" sign displayed prominently on its door declaring the restaurant a gun-free zone, and bans patrons from carrying concealed weapons.

Authorities said just before 9 p.m. Sunday, three men wearing hoodies entered the restaurant through the back doors with pistols, and forced several staff members to lie on the floor.

The bandits assaulted two employees during the crime, but they were not seriously injured.

What groups like Everytown for Gun Safety or Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America seem to have an issue grasping is that criminals have no respect for the law by nature of being criminals. Criminals aren't going to be stopped by a "no guns allowed" sign. If somebody is going to rob or shoot up a Chipotle, for instance, they're not going to care that they cannot (or have been politely asked not to) bring a gun onto the premises. Criminals are not going to submit to background checks. They'll use straw purchases or just buy a gun from an illegal source. All these policies and laws do is make it harder for legal gun owners to protect themselves.

While I am thankful nobody was hurt, this certainly harms the narrative that "gun free" places are safe places.

Those in the pro-gun control camp believe that gun-free zone signs are enough to deter criminals. People with a little more common sense, however, understand that criminals are not law-abiding people to begin with and so it’s best to allow law-abiding citizens to carry inside establishments. When that right is taken away in favor of a sign, this is what happens:

You have to wonder if the CEO of Jack in the Box is kicking himself after making the decision to request all gun owners to leave their guns at home. It was not even 2 weeks ago that Jack in the Box essentially banned guns from their fast food joints, and now the third armed robbery has taken place since then.

According to Click2Houston, 4 men put on gloves and masks before walking into a Houston Jack in the Box, robbing the restaurant at gunpoint. The armed crooks robbed both employees and customers who were eating at the fast food place.

Who would have thought that criminals would break the restaurant’s policy? But at least they did not have any law abiding gun owners to try and stop them and make their job more dangerous. These gun owners would have to either leave their guns at home or eat somewhere else.

For this to happen for the 3rd time in about 10 days has to make one wonder if armed criminals are just targeting Jack in the Box since they know law abiding citizens will not be armed there. You can read about the 1st armed robbery at Jack in the Box that we reported here.

The whole gun-ban fiasco at Jack in the Box started with some gun owners who were open carrying at another Jack in the Box a few weeks ago. Anti-gun groups saw the pictures and were so outraged by it that they fabricated all kinds of lies about employees cowering in fear in locked coolers.

Because of pressure from Bloomberg’s Moms Demand Action and Everytown for Gun Safety, Jack in the Box decided to ask gun owners to disarm themselves.

Three armed robberies since the new gun-free policy was implemented…What will it take for the CEO of Jack in the Box and other companies to realize that gun-free zones can actually do more harm than good to their businesses, employees, and customers?