Thanks, Open Carry folks
The Washington Times reports that two more restaurant chains have joined the growing list of eateries that have asked legal gun owners to keep their guns out of the businesses. Chili’s and Sonic have made public statements. Says Sonic’s Vice President of Public Relations Patrick Lenow;
“While we historically have relied upon local laws to guide how we address the display of guns at drive-ins, recent actions required we carefully reconsider this approach. We’ve considered the views and desires of our customers and employees that staff the drive-ins across the country. Accordingly, we’re asking that customers refrain from bringing guns onto our patios or into our indoor dining areas. With respect to the storage of guns in vehicles, we ask that our customers continue to honor local laws,” he said.
Chili’s made a similar statement and they’ve joined Starbucks, Chipotle’s and Jack-in-the-Box in banning guns where guns were once welcomed. Of course this all because the folks at the various Open Carry rights organizations sought to “condition” the American public to accept the sight of long guns in private businesses – and businesses don’t want to be in the politics business as well as serve food to the public. And I don’t blame them one bit.
I don’t see the point of the open carry groups, actually. It used to be that I could carry my concealed weapon into those establishments, but now, because I respect property rights, I can’t. So, thanks, open carry nuts. Get a real issue, why don’t you? Like transsexual rights – you could screw them over like you’ve screwed gun owners.
Category: Guns
What is happening is not quite what the press is gleefully trumpeting. Sonic is “requesting” this and Chili’s is asking for no open carry just like Starbucks. Conceal and carry on.
BTW who is going into a sonic? Its a drive through place.
I agree. I think these places are simply palying both sides of the fence. The statement could have been a declaration, a strong policy message that leaves no doubt as to whether weapons are permitted. “No shoes, no socks, no shirt? No service!” That’s an unequivocal statement. What these establishments are doing is orotecting against the open carry loons. And who can blame them for that?
I used to wonder why more States didn’t allow open carry until these brain dead inbreds started parading around like that!
Last Sonic I was at, was drive-through and I seriously doubt they’ve remodeled every drive-in to accomodate seating inside.
They have patio dining – where they’ve also asked that you don’t carry your gun.
And I suspect that if you get out of your car to get ride of trash or something, and are OCing, you could be asked to depart.
Seen quite a few with a room off to the side where you can walk in and place orders, most of them with tables for people who don’t want to eat in the car.
These twits don’t seem to realize that there are much better ways to fight the Open Carry battle, if it is one that needs to be fought. (I know, would help concealed carriers who accidentally flash their weapon when their jacket gets snagged on the back of the chair and so on.) I’m a staunch supporter of concealed carry and not opposed to open carry, but if someone saunters into where I’m shopping with a long gun on his/her/its back or across the chest, I’m going to get a little concerned.
I’m a bit on the fence with open carry. I have no real problem with it. But carrying long guns like those OCT clowns? There’s no need. While they claim to be “educating” the public, all they’re really doing is pissing people off, scaring others, and giving all gun owners a bad name. If I saw one of those clowns with a long gun on his back, I’d tell him I thought he was a moron. If he was carrying it to the front, in a ready position, I would consider it a possible threat.
So it’s a right you are willing to give up?
You don’t “give up” a right if a private business doesn’t want you to come on their privately owned property with a long gun. Only the government can take your rights from you since the Bill of Rights was written to protect us from the government, not from private businesses.
What right is that? The “right to impose your will upon others?” If you own a piece of property, should I be able to force you to erect a huge Star of David on it as an exercise in freedom of religion? Must you also allow someone else to speechify about a topic of their choosing in the name of free speech – all night, if that’s what they want to do? Just how far do you want to go in forcing others to succumb to what YOU want?
Nope. You do NOT have the right to force others to do what you want just because you want it. The Bill of Rights does not include any such notion.
Well, apparently if you don’t want to perform a service like baking a cake for a gay wedding, you are not allowed to refuse them service from your private business. Am I the only one that sees a contradiction in the relative strength of these “rights”?
I’m not giving up anything. Those turds, like the OCT bunch, are the ones getting our rights restricted with their moronic actions. Here in Indiana we don’t have a CCW permit. Ours is a carry permit, either open or concealed. I carry both ways depending on my mood and the event I’m attending.
If I am patio dining at one of these places, while I respect their property rights, I respect my and my family’s lives more. So I will still CC. I would rather be alive to ask forgiveness, than dead or wounded because I was being polite.
It would suck to be the last restaurant chain to institute a firearm restriction. The place would be wall to wall idiots, fiddling around with guns at the table and taking pictures of how awesome they think they are.
Reaperman…I agree. There is not much reason for me to open carry besides the range. In fact I can’t think of one. Especially open carrying long guns. Again, thank you you dumb ass hicks down in Texas for shining a bad light on the rest of us. Nice way to give the scared leftist, gun grabbers more reason to hate us.
It seems to me, from the wording of the various letters, that the restaraunts are basically saying, “out of sight, out of mind. Don’t bring your long guns in our stores.”
This isn’t so much about open carry as it is about idiots walking into a place with an AR strapped to their dumbass body.
I’m with the guy above. I will tell you to your face that you are a capital D Dumbass if you walk into an eatery with a long gun strapped to your back. I’m also reaching for my CC, because I assume you are a kook if you walk into an eatery with a long gun on you.
A specifically worded, constructed and displayed sign is the only official means to notify a CHL carrier they are not allowed to carry in a particular place of business. All the pistol silhouettes with a red stripe through them, and all the public announcements made by company spokespersons are not sufficient legal means to prevent a CHL holder from carrying on their premises. There are other restrictions where one may not carry also. Unless the 30.06 sign is properly displayed, or one is asked to leave, nothing prevents a CHL holder from entering any property open to the public. As far as the open carry clowns are concerned, maybe they will move to New Hampshire or wherever.
As litigious as our society is; you would think that they would want to cover their butts from people like me. I say that, because I have asked the manager of an establishment, that had a “guns banned on these premises” signs up, if he has adequate security in place to protect me from harm? He said; “what”? I asked him if they can ensure my safety in their establishment against bad guys. When he said he didn’t understand the question, I mentioned that by displaying the “no guns” sign, they are making the statement that they have enough security to keep their patrons safe from harm. He said that was an unreasonable request and I said that if I’m not allowed to protect myself in his establishment, then if something happens, I will sue them for failing to provide enough reasonable protection. He said that if I didn’t like it, I am free to leave. I said I will, and I won’t be back.
Gun free zones are victim zones, it’s that simple. Whether you open carry or conceal carry, you have the right to protect yourself. In the case of dumb and dumber; they chose to be outrageous in their display. I don’t see anything wrong with open carrying a 1911, or the ever popular Glock (although they have been known to jump out and start shooting all on their own), on your hip. It doesn’t scare me, and shouldn’t scare anyone else.