Philly: Bill Banning Shops From Protecting Themselves With Bulletproof Plexiglass Passes Committee

Philadelphia is one step closer to getting rid of bulletproof glass in many of its small businesses as part of a larger effort to crack down on loitering, public urination and potential drug sales -- but the potential ban has triggered a backlash from shopkeepers.

The city's Public Health and Human Services Committee passed a bill Monday enabling Philadelphia's Department of Licenses and Inspections to regulate the bullet-resistant barricades that stand between customers and cash registers in many neighborhood corner stores, according to FOX29.

"No establishment required to obtain a Large Establishment license ... shall erect or maintain a physical barrier that requires the persons serving the food either to open a window or other aperture or to pass the food through a window or other aperture, in order to hand the food to a customer inside the establishment," the bill states. It also calls for larger establishments to have bathrooms for customers.

Several of the hundreds of deli owners told FOX29 they feel as though they are being singled out, and numerous shopkeepers are among those protesting the bill.

"If the glass comes down, the crime rate will rise and there will be lots of dead bodies," Rich Kim, the owner of Broad Deli, which sells soda, meals and beer by the can, said. "The most important thing is safety and the public's safety."