Why not hire Batman instead?

It would be a better idea than the one proposed:

On the heels of an uptick in violence that claimed the life of an off-duty cop, Newark's city council voted Thursday to require all late-night restaurants that serve less than 20 people at a time to have an armed security guard posted from 9 p.m. to closing.

Mmmmm hmmmm. I see. So you want the restaurants that presumably bring in the least amount of profit to shoulder the major financial burden of hiring an armed dude to just stand there, all because a cop was gunned down by scumbags who sped by suddenly in a car and open fire? What exactly is an armed guard supposed to do to prevent a drive-by shooting? Would an armed guard fare better at stopping a drive-by than a cop? Will the city pay to have ballistic glass installed on the restaurants, and buy body armor for the guards?

Here's a novel idea: why don't you allow the store owners and patrons to be their own armed guards? How hard is that? It's doubtful that it would prevent drive-by shootings, but it would certainly make the stores a harder target for thieves and thugs.

If it seems like I have a lot of questions, it's because the idea of making small businesses hire armed security is a stupid fucking idea. It's the sort of non-solution that can be expected from a city council of Newark; although it does seem that Newarkians don't really give a damn about protecting themselves, so maybe it's warranted.