First Starbucks

Another "victory" brought to us by the Open Carry zealots with no common sense.

Pretty hard to blame the business. I'd ban guns too if people started carrying rifles in my store.

I am not opposed to Open Carry, though I fully realize that my failure to support the actions of a tiny militant minority will have me labeled as The Enemy.
 
Brian Pfleuger said:
Another "victory" brought to us by the Open Carry zealots with no common sense.

Pretty hard to blame the business. I'd ban guns too if people started carrying rifles in my store.

I am not opposed to Open Carry, though I fully realize that my failure to support the actions of a tiny militant minority will have me labeled as The Enemy.
Click to expand...


I read the whole story of what happened. I for one, do not agree with what they did. Carrying uncased rifles into a restaurant was a bad idea. I for one, do not believe you're the enemy. :)
 
mnoirot64 said:
I read the whole story of what happened. I for one, do not agree with what they did. Carrying uncased rifles into a restaurant was a bad idea. I for one, do not believe you're the enemy. :)
Click to expand...


That's good. ;) I realized rereading that I might have sounded like I meant you, but that wasn't my intent. Sorry. :blush:
 
mnoirot64 said:
Now Chipotle says guns not allowed. I always liked Chipotle, but now, I will satisfy my burrito cravings elsewhere.
Click to expand...
How in the world can you fault Chipotle for this? Just like Starbucks, they only changed their policy because a bunch of tacticool morons decided to aggressively open carry loaded rifles in their stores as a "protest". I'm as pro-Second Amendment, pro-open-carry as they get, but -- just like Brian -- I'd ask people to stop open carrying in my store if I had a bunch of these idiots open carrying rifles and hurting business.

I'd love to think these open-carry protesters (both the ones at Chipotle and the ones at Starbucks) were actually hired by the anti-gun folks, because I find it hard to imagine that someone can be so stupid as to sabotage their own side like this.
 
and according to their statements, they were previously fine with open carry as well:
Historically, we felt it enough to simply comply with local laws regarding the open or concealed carrying of firearms
Click to expand...

quote from here
 
I’m beginning to believe more and more that we are indeed our own worst enemy. In an effort to push for more acceptance some people are actually turning off the vast majority of people that are actual pretty indifferent about firearms.

While the sight of an occasional person discreetly carrying a gun may elicit a bit of brief attention most people generally don’t care. However, as some gun owners become more aggressive they’ll inevitable create more negative attitudes about guns and politicians will be more than happy to oblige with more regulation.
 
Last edited:
It was totally asinine for the guys to open carry ARs into Chipotle. I am not opposed to open carry. I can do it in TN. However, I only do it on the range. With the OC crowd trying to make a point this way, it is inevitable that more businesses will follow suit. Hopefully Chipotle will follow Starbucks' lead and not actually post signs.
 
BarryLee,

Well said and so true. People flaunting open carry are crapping in their nests. In the long term, it will set us all back.
 
"I’m beginning to believe more and more that we are indeed our own worst enemy."

You're just now coming to that realization?

I've known it for years.

People think the gun lobby is potent right now...

Could you imagine what it would be like if we could get all of the infighting to stop between all of the "I'M HOLIER FOR THE SECOND AMENDMENT THAN THOU, SINNER!" groups, especially those whose only business model is to attack NRA and ask for money?

Or if we could motivate and activate even 10% of the gun owners who currently just coat tail on the rest of us?

We couldn't be stopped.
 
Wow.

I just read the Forbes article and saw the pictures.

Holy.

Freaking.

Crap.

If I truly shared what I thought about this I'd probably be pilloried and thrown off TFL.
 
Starbucks wants to sell coffee. Chipotle wants to sell burritos and other food.

What's not involved in selling those things: becoming a battleground for the RKBA and having people bring uncased long guns into the store for photo ops, potentially driving off other customers.

I'm with Brian & Mike on this one... these open carry zealots aren't helping one little bit. Yes, a right unused is a right lost. But so is a right exercised in such an in your face manner that it actively turns people off. Tam has once opined on her blog about "carrying a gun vs. carrying a gun AT people." Open carry of a pistol in a holster is the first. Photo ops with AKs, ARs, and whatever else are the second.

Doing this has pushed two companies right off the fence and into the arms of the other camp. Well done. That's a *wonderful* way to preserve our rights... by making all of us look like a bunch of clueless jerks with no sense of decorum.

Let retail establishments be retail establishments. You want to make a political point, do it on the steps of the legislature. Let coffee shops be coffee shops and Mexican food outlets sell their nachos. Don't drag them into this, they won't appreciate it.
 
To be brutally honest, I have a sneaking suspicion that for some of these people open carry in such a confrontational manner has little to do with concern for personal rights and liberties and a lot to do with pandering to a personal exhibitionist streak.

I'm sorry, I simply can't buy that people are THAT clueless that they think that such "demonstrations" combined with what can only be classified as extremely questionable gun handling in public is actually a positive statement for Second Amendment rights.
 
To stand in a restaurant with a long arm in a ready position is the height of idiocy. I think it would not be unreasonable if someone who was in the restaurant and carrying concealed would not be half way to shooting that little guy DRT. Can you take the chance that he is supporting the 2nd Amend. or a Lanza 2.0?
 
What happened to "an armed society is a POLITE society"?

The open carrying of long guns into retail stores is not "polite". In todays world of mass shootings and other lunacy, i find that kind of behavior threatening.

Were i sitting in chiptole and somebody started for the in door with a longgun in their hands, i would put my wife and daughter on the floor and be prepared to repel boarders.

Im not saying to engage at that point but my alert condition would certainly be in red and id be ready to trip the trigger at the first sign of intent

I FULLY support the RKBA. I dont support STUPIDITY and this was stupid. I see this as yet another reason for a national CCW program. If you want to carry... Do it concealed and be POLITE
 
Glenn E. Meyer said:
To stand in a restaurant with a long arm in a ready position is the height of idiocy. I think it would not be unreasonable if someone who was in the restaurant and carrying concealed would not be half way to shooting that little guy DRT. Can you take the chance that he is supporting the 2nd Amend. or a Lanza 2.0?
Click to expand...


I totally agree, Glenn. My state of readiness would go off the charts if I were in that restaurant.
 
CJ Grisham and his bunch will continue to make their petty political statements to the detriment of our gun rights.
 
Let's not forget that they also recently handed a win to Moms Demand Action in regards to Jack in the Box.

Frankly, I'm tired of the whole thing. I have never, ever seen open carry result in positive change. All I have seen (and I have seen it personally) is negative change as a result of the practice.

Open Carry Texas has been a problem for a while, and at this point, they really need to feel some pressure from other gun owners in Texas to knock it off.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top