Evan Thomas
Inactive
Hal, your examples have nothing to do with the question here, which is about refusing entry to protected classes of people, as opposed to refusing entry to people carrying guns. People who carry firearms aren't a protected class, because carrying a firearm is an optional activity, and people can choose to do so or not do so. In order to be a member of a protected class, a person has to have some characteristic, like race or disability, which can't be left at home or under the seat of a car. We may not like it, but firearm owners aren't a protected class and there's no basis for making us one.Hal_F said:So, as I understand your logic, if you were quietly discussing a political view that is contrary to the owners and were not disturbing anyone and he overheard your conversation while putting your drink on the table, it would be OK to ask you to leave. What it were a group of blacks quietly discussing "black lives matter?" What if it were a group of evangelicals discussing their opposition to Planned Parenthood?
A business owner generally has the right to refuse service to anyone on the basis of their behavior; whether that behavior is protected under the Bill of Rights is irrelevant, because the Bill of Rights places restrictions on what the government may do, not on what a private entity may do. Carrying a firearm is such a behavior.
Yes, he absolutely has that right. Give or take the nice meal, The Firing Line itself is a place where exactly that sign is "on the door." It's a privately owned entity, and as such, the First Amendment doesn't apply here. We can and do impose these kinds of restriction on speech. You'll find many, many examples of this if you read our rules. There are all sorts of things members don't get to discuss here -- that fact in no way violates their rights under the First Amendment.K_Mac said:If the owner posts a notice on the door that says, "Discussion of politics, religion, sex, race or ethnicity is forbidden here; come in and enjoy a nice meal and leave all that at the door. Violators are not welcome.", would he not have the right to do so?