To the editor:

I would like to thank the City Commission for making a good first step toward resolving our club-related crime problems. The new law forbidding a firearm within 200 feet of a bar will help, if the police department has the staffing to enforce this new law.

As an employee of a local retail business, I see law enforcement officers throughout the day and I appreciate their protection. Sometimes I work alone, so it’s good to know that someone’s got my back.

But, even our local police department knows they do not have the staffing to keep my fellow employees safe after the clubs close at 2 a.m. Sunday. They know they are stretched too thin. That is why they urged us to lock our doors on Saturday night.

It took only one incident on a Sunday morning to prove their case. Now my 24/7 business has become a 24/6 and 22/1 business. Perhaps, if there were more law enforcement officers on the street between the hours of 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. Sunday, we would feel safe enough to serve our law-abiding citizens with the conveniences we love to offer, 24/7.

Dan Knight,

Lawrence