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Dallas Open Carry Texas at Chipotle (courtesy washingtonpost.com)

Back in September 2013, the Texas Alcoholic Beverages Commission issued a warning to licensed establishments – Reminder: “Long guns” prohibited in TABC. The notice stated, in part, “Although an individual may have the legal authority to openly carry certain firearms in public, a business that is licensed to sell or serve alcoholic beverages is prohibited by state law from allowing rifles or shotguns in the building.” As you can see from the picture above, that didn’t not happen at last week’s Open Carry Texas gathering at a Dallas Chipotle. Motivated by the prospect of losing their liquor license, perhaps, the chain has issued the now-standard non-legally binding (i.e. toothless) “request” to customers to leave their firearms – including handguns carried by Concealed Handgun Licensees – at home . . .

Recently participants from an “open carry” demonstration in Texas brought guns (including military-style assault rifles) into one of our restaurants, causing many of our customers anxiety and discomfort. Because of this, we are respectfully asking that customers not bring guns into our restaurants, unless they are authorized law enforcement personnel . . . The display of firearms in our restaurants has now created an environment that is potentially intimidating or uncomfortable for many of our customers.

Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America claims their anti-gun agitation convinced Chipotle to issue the statement. MDA jefe Shannon Watts tied the “ban” to protecting Americans’ Second Amendment rights. [Full football spiking press release below.]

Chipotle’s statement that firearms are not welcome in their restaurants is bold and meaningful – it shows that you can support the Second Amendment while also taking reasonable measures to ensure that Americans are safe and secure in the places we take our children

Either way, this was an ill-advised demo – given that Texas’ next governor will sign an open carry bill if it reaches his desk. A right is a right, but it’s not right that the odds of an open carry bill just went down. For what?

Open Carry Texas at Chipotle (courtesy breitbart.com)

MDA press release:

Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America is thanking Chipotle today for asking customers not to bring guns to their restaurants in response to a petition launched earlier today.  Moms Demand Action launched the petition after a gun extremist group brought semi-automatic, loaded assault weapons (photos here ) into a Dallas-area store this weekend.  Within just a few hours the petition (which can be found here ) received more than 10,000 signatures.

In a statement released today to media , a spokesman for Chipotle said, “…we are respectfully asking that customers not bring guns into our restaurants, unless they are authorized law enforcement personnel.”  The Chipotle statement went on to say that, “…because the display of firearms in our restaurants has now created an environment that is potentially intimidating or uncomfortable for many of our customers, we think it is time to make this request.”

“Moms are grateful to Chipotle for taking quick action today to stand up for the safety and security of our families,” said Shannon Watts, Founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America .  “Businesses have a duty to protect their employees and patrons – especially in states where no background checks or training are required to buy semi-automatic rifles and carry them openly in public.  Chipotle’s statement that firearms are not welcome in their restaurants is bold and meaningful – it shows that you can support the Second Amendment while also taking reasonable measures to ensure that Americans are safe and secure in the places we take our children.”

Moms Demand Action previously launched petitions that garnered hundreds of thousands of signatures asking Starbucks, Facebook and Jack in the Box to reform the companies’ gun policies to make customers and communities safer.  Starbucks announced that guns are no longer welcome in its stores and Jack in the Box announced that it would enforce a prohibition of guns in its stores as a result of the campaigns. Facebook and Instagram also announced changes to block illegal gun sales after 230,000 Americans signed a Moms Demand Action petition asking for stronger protections against illegal gun sales on the two social media platforms.

About Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America

Much like Mothers Against Drunk Driving was created to change laws regarding drunk driving, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America was created to build support for common-sense gun reforms. The nonpartisan grassroots movement of American mothers is demanding new and stronger solutions to lax gun laws and loopholes that jeopardize the safety of our children and families. Since its inception after the Sandy Hook Elementary mass shooting, Moms Demand Action has established a chapter in every state of the country and is part of Everytown for Gun Safety along with Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Everytown is the largest gun violence prevention organization in the country with more than 1.5 million supporters including moms, mayors, survivors, and everyday Americans who are fighting for reforms that respect the Second Amendment and protect people. For more information or to get involved visit www.momsdemandaction.org. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MomsDemandAction or on Twitter at @MomsDemand. Make any pro-gun comments at either and we’ll ban you so fast it’ll make your head spin. [NB: I added that last bit.]

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287 COMMENTS

  1. I’d be anxious if I saw a kid walk in with a rifle in his hands like that first picture. Would that not be brandishing? Over-the-top in-your-face actions like this create problems for everyone. A right does not mean a must-do. I am free to wear a shirt with profanities on it, but that doesn’t mean I would choose to do so. Discretion…….

    • I couldn’t agree more.

      The amount of damage being done by these folks is amazing. Showing up OC isn’t going to bring people over to your side, it’s going to scare the hell out of them. Hell, I’d double take if I saw a couple of guys posing with rifles at a Chipotle — and I’ve been around guns my entire life.

      Imagine how Sally Homemaker who has never seen a rifle feels. If these folks were serious about bringing more people over to the pro gun side — rather than just self-righteous attention whoring — they would intervene on a personal level by inviting people to the range, teaching them to shoot, and generally being the kind of normal and calm individuals that are the exact opposite of the “gun crazed psycho” image the antis are shopping around.

      • Dude… if you’d start pissing yourself if a guy was holding his rifle while posing for a picture….

        Seriously?

        Mother Jones is that way —————————–>

        • Huh? I said I’d “double take.”

          Quite frankly, including you, I’m sure, anyone who says he wouldn’t be a little bit surprised to see a couple of guys posing with rifles in a suburban Chipotle is a dirty, filthy, stinking liar.

        • He said he’d do a double take. Hyperbole much?

          More importantly though, are you saying this is helpful to the cause? That if a bunch of complete strangers showed up with guns at a business you are attending wouldn’t cause you to become more alert to danger?

          When I’m at a gun range for cryin’ out loud, I am watching the other shooters and making note of who knows what they are doing and who does not. If the guy in the lane next to me is competent with his firearms, no sweat. If not, I watch them everytime they stop to reload. My safety is my responsibility, even if it means having to be alert to chuckleheads that should know better.

          There is nothing to be gained from this except attention whoring and giving ammo to the other side.

        • C’mon Bear, that’s a little over the top. He said “double take” and so would I given how these two clowns look. Yo need to relax a little and maybe have a little less coffee.

        • anyone who says he wouldn’t be a little bit surprised to see a couple of guys posing with rifles in a suburban Chipotle is a dirty, filthy, stinking liar.

          I’m sometimes dirty. I’m sometimes filthy. I’m sometimes stinking. However, I am not a liar and, unless you mean pleasantly surprised, then no I wouldn’t.

        • Meh perhaps I was a bit harsh.

          The reason was not too much coffee, though. I actually had not had my daily caffeine yet!

        • Peter, it was not a reply to your comment, it was a reply to “The amount of damage being done by these folks is amazing. Showing up OC isn’t going to bring people over to your side, it’s going to scare the hell out of them. Hell, I’d double take if I saw a couple of guys posing with rifles at a Chipotle — and I’ve been around guns my entire life.”

          The exact same could have been said (probably was said) about blacks in the front of the bus or gay people holding hands in public.

          Times change.

        • I know whose comment to which it was a reply. What again is your point? “Times change”? What is that supposed to mean in the context of this comment?

        • @LegitamateSportsman

          While I agree that open carry needs to be accepted by the masses as just another everyday thing, what the kid was doing, posing for a picture, was just stupid. Just a DAY after Chipotle says “We want to stay out of the fight,” these guys DRAG them back into it. Stupid. If I were there and saw these guys come in I would have told them that all they were doing is hurting their appearance as respectable people whom just want to exercise their right to bear arms responsibly.

          If they took a picture outside, fine. Going inside for a meal, great! Posing with your rifles unslung, face-palm the crap outta’ that.

        • I wonder if gun folks realize how ridiculous is sounds to the general public when they compare their AR to Rosa Parks.

        • @Robert W.

          I can certainly agree with your sentiment there, although I would add ‘and posting the picture on a public website’.

          When on private property, especially inside a restaurant, firearms should be kept slung and/or holstered (as appropriate) unless there is a need. Unless there is a specific request by the owner/management of the establishment. Considering the placement of the individuals in the photo (apparently near the register/counter with the photographer being very close to the register, although I do not know the layout of the Chipotle restaurant to say for sure). and the apparently total and complete lack of concern of the patrons in the background (top right of the photo) one might think this may have been the case.

          That being said, personally I would prefer that slung rifles be in a covered ‘holster’ like the old horse-holsters, but those are difficult to find for ARs, much less an SKS (I think?) like the one in the pic.

        • @Hannibal, I am not comparing an AR to Rosa Parks. Inanimate objects have no rights. I am comparing lawful gun owners to Rosa Parks and other people that demonstrated in support of their civil rights that were being repressed. I am comparing the everyday person’s acceptance of that repression in both cases. Your comment actually confirms it. Since you do not support open carry, you feel it is fine for blacks not to be allowed to sit in the front of the bus, or for gays to be allowed to hold hands in public. So-to-speak.

        • I wonder if gun folks realize how ridiculous it sounds to the general public when they compare their AR to Rosa Parks.

          No, a lot of us don’t realize how ridiculous we sound to the general public. I think the phrase you’re looking for is “tone deaf”. If only stupidity were painful….

          NPR’s “This American Life’ did a segment about activists comparing themselves to Rosa Parks (audio here, transcript here, scroll down to Act 3 “At the Back of the Bus”).

          When the Black Panthers started openly carrying guns in late the late 1960s, California Governor Ronald Reagan — obviously a left-wing socialist — reacted by enacting new gun control laws.

      • I couldn’t give less of a crap how Susie Homemaker feels. If she can’t handle a free county, there are plenty of petty tyrannies where she’ll feel right at home in her proverbial chains.

    • The answer to your question is yes. Holding the rifle in the low ready is considered “brandishing” by LEO in Texas.

      To compound the problem, that person has published on twitter remarks about using and selling drugs.

      • Oh wonderful; *that’s* the kind of reputation we POTG wanna’ nurture for public consumption; immature boneheaded ‘gunslingers’ linking themselves to criminal activity.

        I said it before with the CA Starbucks discussion. What’s the point of open carry zealots shooting us all in the foot by imposing open carry rights on and startling customers in neutral establishments? All that does is push the apathetic and fence sitters over to the other side.

        While I agree with the efforts to those who work to normalize open carry there is a time and place to do so which must coincide with established local custom. Deliberately defying established local norms where it is not customary and usual to open carry in certain settings, especially with long guns, serves only to frighten or annoy those who are non-committed in the 2A firearms debate. That kind of behavior is counterproductive and stupid.

        Open carry proponents who wish to openly express gun rights should take a page from the grabbers play book; incremental steps by quietly, subtly normalizing open carry, starting in venues that won’t create major pushback and startle customers.

        Making a scene at private businesses open to the public is what MDA does. How do they come across? Do open carrier demonstrators wanna’ be like them? If they do, they are being immature and stupid just like MDA!

        • established local custom. Deliberately defying established local norms

          This.

          In some parts of the world, it may be considered normal to walk around with an M1 Carbine. For example, “M1 Carbine Still In Use By Israeli Tour Guides” (2007). If you look at the pictures in that article, you will notice that the rifles are slung. The tour guides are not “posing” with them. But this isn’t Israel. Or Somalia. Or Afghanistan.

          Speaking of norms and customs, I’m just going to steal something that Todd Green of Pistol-Training.com wrote

          Do you know what would happen if you walked into the NRA Headquarter Range carrying a gun like the guys pictured above? You’d be refused entrance because they don’t allow people to walk around like that. Know what would happen if you, a stranger, walked up to my front door carrying a shotgun like this guy:

          (image)

          At a bare minimum you’d have a gun pointed at your face and police sirens closing in at top speed. Worst case scenario, you’d get shot dead. You know why? Because in suburban America, normal people don’t walk around carrying rifles and shotguns. Period.

          (emphasis in original)

          As soon as some “open carry” idiot grabs the pistol grip of his rifle, I would be in fear of my life.

        • PS — Why don’t these retarded monkeys try changing the hearts and minds of the folks who run gun shows first? I am tired of the hypocritical “no weapons” policy at gun shows.

        • One of the local gun show promoters lets you unload the gun then carry it and its ammo. The other makes you leave your ammo in the car. At least with the former, there’s a decent chance I can reload while whatever maniac is attacking the show shoots his first ten victims, because odds are in a room with a thousand people in it, I won’t be one of them.

        • I agree with Roscoe. These OCD OC nitwits got their egos stroked, but managed to give the anti’s the PR opportunity to yet again broadcast the lie that AR gun owners are goof balls with no common sense.

    • Right!
      The right to keep and bear arms is for two purposes,
      Self-protection from personal attack and
      to protect our country from potential tyranny.
      Side arms may be quicker to bring to bear on the first purpose when out and about.
      A rifle is a definite requirement for the later.
      Not so sure on the cross-over. (home defense rifle guys, that’s different)
      True, Texas only allows long guns to be OC’d and by doing so, it may be a strategy that will drive Texas law to be changed to allow hand guns but for god’s sake, did these two characters study a manual on how to look like idiots?

      At the very least, sling them over your backs because it is obvious that you are “wearing” them NOT for defense but for political purposes. Carrying a rifle at the low ready in public is offensive not defensive.
      If you have a political statement guys, and that is what you are doing, then do it right. Wear some decent clothes.
      So before you strap one on look in the F*cking mirror and ask yourself if the way you look will give law makers cover that gun owners are responsible and do not POSE a threat.

      • Completely right KCK. I’m as 2A as anyone else but try using a little common sense. If I saw these two guys I’d reposition myself to keep an eye on them.

        As you say; if people would just take a look in the mirror before doing stupid sh*t.

    • The kid with the glasses holding the AK at low ready is an utter and complete jackwagon.

      I am a gun toting, Second Amendment supporting, CHL carrying, Force on Force training, Mas Ayoob class taking TEXAN who intends to protect his family (and certain third parties under specific circumstances) using up to and including lethal force under TX use of force/lethal force law Title 2 Chapter 9 articulation. I am also well balanced and understand the EXTREMELY LOW ODDS I will ever need to do this.

      These incredibly short sighted people make all CHL holders less safe (and by default themselves and the sheep near the CHL holder). Their actions SCARE THE SHEEP. Look at the idiot kid with the AK pic and how he presents himself. Guess what……30.06 sign goes up and now we are less safe because these buffoons needed to get their gun ego on.

      If you want to do this the right way, go on a march after contacting police to let everyone know and slowly desensitize and innoculate the sheep.

      Now Chipotle with throw up a 30.06 sign in a kneejerk reaction thereby making it a felony for me to get a burrito there while carrying.

      This is EXACTLY why I am opposed to open carry in Texas WITHOUT eliminating the 30.06 sign. Open carry will create this same situation just in mass scale without the repeal of the 30.06 or it just applying to the current automatic off limits places.

      I can’t stand the strategy of these people.

    • Here is a question to the AI in general.
      Has ANYONE seen a legally binding no guns allowed sign in any of the mentioned places, i.e. Starbucks, Jack in the Box, or Chipotle?
      I understand what these businesses are doing, it is risk mitigation, and getting Shannon to claim an astro turf victory and go away. This has become the norm. Give a little, not make any policy change, and move on.
      I don’t think the OC groups are helping. I support it, but given the reaction we are seeing it is basically handing the hit list over to MDA and MAIG to go after. I would think they would have learned by now.
      A mom or dad with kid in tow OC’ing and getting lunch would not cause this issue.
      Again I support OC, but why make the work easy for MDA and their ilk?

      • On the other hand; silence from the gun community sways public opinion to the MDA side as well. Complacency is compliance. I think the only thing that really sets the pro 2A movement back is when a mass shooting occurs. Guys open carrying in public may startle a few sensitive folks but after it is all said and done, no one is traumatized. It may even cause some people to rethink, or think of their position on the issue.

      • The response from Chipotle does not seem to carry the force of law but seems to be merely a request. That said, even without a 30.06 they can still ask people to leave and be within their rights.

        I think there are better ways of doing OC demonstration. This was not one of them. Chipotle is an obvious left-leaning business. They are not the ally we are looking for.

      • The Chipotle near me is awesome and they don’t mind CCW even though the Grapevine Mills Mall that is 100 ft away is 30.06.

    • That was TX, right? I may be wrong, but I don’t think there is such a thing as “brandishing” with a long gun, probably because it is difficult to carry safely without handling the firearm, which with a handgun would be brandishing. So see if there really is such a law before accusing someone.

      And as per your T-shirt suppositions, if you do not “choose” to, that means others should not be given the choice?

      • I didn’t accuse anyone of anything. Holding a gun at the ready is typically considered brandishing or inciting panic or something along those lines. The name changes among states but the concept is the same. I was asking a question, and upon further reading it appears to be the latter.

        It is extremely easy to handle a long gun safely without holding it at the ready — sling it over your back or put it in a scabbard. If a person can’t carry his long gun without regularly handling it, it is not properly slung.

        I also never said a thing about restricting another’s choices. Just because I think their choice was foolish does not mean I don’t support their right to choose foolish actions. Of course I do. That’s why I ended my post with the heed for discretion.

    • +1 on the brandishing

      He looks comical since the rifle is bigger than he is. With the clothing, glasses, and expression; he seems to be the type of person I used to see walk out of the Medicinal Marijuana Dispensaries.

  2. 3….2…..1 begin the over emotional reactions to Chipotle’s decision. Perhaps we should quit dragging neutral businesses into the middle of this debate when the business just wants to sell its product. Sure the antis will pound and pound being completely unreasonable, but do we have to counter with the same level of irrational in your face displays. Sometimes the soft sell is best.

    • The business is more than capable of saying “Follow state law” and NOTHING more; they’re CHOOSING to go further to appease MDA, thus they’re choosing not to get my business.

      • Right on cue. I’d like to brag I have special insight here, but this was too easy to predict.

        So how many fence sitters does this bring over to our side? I know, doesn’t matter, we have 2nd Amendment. The Constitution can be amended, ie see Prohibition and the repeal there of.

        This is as much winning hearts and minds. “SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED” means nothing to antis and people with no real opinion on 2A. To make it mean something to the latter group, we have to bring them along, sometimes with baby steps. You don’t go from out of shape to running a marathon in one day. Educate yes with a friendly helpful demeanor, not in your face I do because I can provocation.

        • The people yelling “Shall not be infringed” are as annoying to me as Christians who justify everything with “Because the Bible said”. I say this as a Fundamentalist Christian Gun Owner.

          Those statements mean nothing if you’re not a true believer.

        • Baby steps and the race is lost. Rights were infringed incrementally because government continues to attempt grabbing power from the very first moment that government is formed. Governments often last for many generations. Individuals have limited lifespans and we now have a system that has been destroying the very concept of individual Liberty in minds, young and old. Restoration of our constitutional republic cannot ever be achieved incrementally. The balance of power has tipped too far for such a milquetoast game plan.

          I personally wouldn’t do as these OCers have done but I’m not going to blame them for Chipotle’s decision. Fuck Chipotle! I won’t eat there.

    • They don’t need to be. Pinheads like that taking “ooh look at me!” photos have become MDA’s greatest asset. MDA probably never would have had Chipotle on their radar if a bunch of fools hadn’t showed up all tacced out

      • Those two dweebs in the top photo are tacc’d out? Um… lets see, morbidly obese wearing basketball shorts and oversized tshirt and sneakers…. nope Cheap screenprinted shirt thats way too long, jeans and Tims carrying a gun that is longer than he is tall… nada

        I agree with the first post… these guys to MDA are what Obama/Feinstein have been for the gun industry. Remember this when you open carry. You are carrying a rifle, it is a tool not some fashion accessory that you go around snapping selfies and action shots of in public with.

      • Those two about make the perfect poster boys for the anti-gun proponents assertions that gun owners are ‘gun nuts’ and untrustworthy.

  3. Ugh I don’t know if I’m more annoyed by the exibitionist(sp?) way of open carry rallies at restaurants or mommy took my toys away (mda) hailing a victory

    And no I’m not an mda member I’m just getting sick of the same boonie hat mall ninjas bringing this issue up month after month.

  4. TABC is about as backwards as the Blue Laws we have in Texas.

    Let us not forget that you can also lose your Liquor permit for:

    6) the permittee is not of good moral character or his reputation for being a peaceable and law-abiding citizen in the community where he resides is bad;

    or

    9) the permittee maintains a noisy, lewd, disorderly, or unsanitary establishment or has supplied impure or otherwise deleterious beverages;

    …among 23 other violations.

    The TABC code is one of those codes designed in such a way as to let the authorities hold you over a barrel and be able to revoke your permit on a whim.

    • Then change the law, don’t ignore it. This little display has probably done a lot more harm than good.

  5. These guys actually got kicked out of Open Carry Texas because of this kind of stuff. They’re the ones that got the police called on them at Jack in the Box. They’re the ones that were cited by Arlington police for distributing literature in a roadway, so carried an antique pistol to the city council meeting (technically legal, but stupid) and got an ordinance proposed by the city council to ban antique guns from city buildings.

    Open carry in public is a right, open carry on someone else’s private property is a privilege granted by the property owner. If you don’t ask first, you’re asking for trouble.

  6. “Recently participants from an “open carry” demonstration in Texas brought guns (including military-style assault rifles) into one of our restaurants, causing many of our customers anxiety and discomfort. Because of this, we are respectfully asking that customers not bring guns into our restaurants, unless they are authorized law enforcement personnel . . . The display of firearms in our restaurants has now created an environment that is potentially intimidating or uncomfortable for many of our customers.”

    This is why I disagree with open carry vis a vis visiting coffee shops . Business exist to make money, not serve as platforms for political expression. In a business, a dollar from Shannon Watts has the same power as a dollar from Tori Nonaka. I wouldn’t long patronize a restaurant which has Brady shills walking about -and like it or not, not everyone wants an AR in their face during lunchtime.

    Let’s keep the activism outside the business- and don’t give me the line that it’s “normalizing” gun rights either. Walking around a Starbucks with an anti gun sign doesn’t normalize hoplophobia. So why would someone think two random guys with ARs ordering coffee is commonplace behavior?

  7. Perhaps the open carry supporters should focus more on their physical health than their ability to carry some POS AR into a fast food eatery.

    • It’s a lot easier to buy a rifle. The one should probably get a sling that will work with his personnel scooter he’ll need soon,

  8. *looks at Starbucks situation last year*

    *looks at Chipotle this year*

    “Rethink our strategy on how best to advocate open carry? Naaaaaaaaah.”

    • +1

      As someone who thinks open carry needs to be rethought and expanded in Texas, these antics set the cause back.

      • There needs to be better leadership imo.

        These hotheads in ones and twos can still be effective with some guidance.

  9. The company used terms like anxiety and discomfort and potentially intimidating. They didn’t echo MWSA’s bleating about safety and security and protection, because that’s not what it’s about. It’s not about actual safety, it’s about the muggles’ emotional response.

  10. Many times discretion is the better part of valor. Just because you can do it does not mean you should or that it is a good idea.

  11. The vast majority of this issue is the fact that long guns are the only open carry option in Texas.

    Any business that removes a citizen’s ability to defend themselves accepts all liability for violent crimes that happen on their property. That’s my vote when I sit on a jury.

    • What’s wrong with carrying concealed? You can conceal carry a firearm in Texas. It took Luby’s and Hupp to finally get the concealed carry law put in place in order to save lives. Why isn’t that good enough?

      • Because carrying under a government license is a privilege whereas carrying without license is the expression of a right. Obtaining a concealed carry license is fine and dandy but it’s not the exercise of the right to keep and bear arms. Short answer: privilege vs. right.

        in place in order to save lives

        The 2A isn’t about ordinary crime. Privileged carry is pretty good for “saving lives” when it comes to ordinary crime but it’s almost useless in defense against tyranny.

  12. So the first picture with the two guys, the little guy has rifle at ready with finger above trigger. If someone walked into a restaurant like this I would more than likely anticipate that this person is not just ‘carrying’. To me this is no different than a person carrying their pistol in their hand instead of holstered. If you are carrying a rifle slung over your shoulder or over your back that is one thing. If you are carrying in your hands or at chest-ready then I think that is a bit over the top and will cause a reaction with many CCs.

      • According. To. Public. View. He. Is. Brandishing. A. Rifle.

        It’s one thing to go in to eat with a slung rifle (I recommend an across the back sling, a little less imposing than a single point sling), it is a whole other thing to pose for a picture with your rifle in your hands at the ready.

        If I were there I would have hushed them down, and recommended they get out of the area ASAP, they went a step too far.

    • Exactly. I live in Virginia, a state where open carry of handguns and long guns is lawful, without a permit, by legal U.S citizens over the age of 18. HOWEVER, the law states that the handgun or long gun must remain holstered or otherwise secured at all times. Carrying a gun in hand is considered brandishing unless the holder is lawfully engaged in hunting, target shooting or moving the gun from its place of storage to transport it. I primarily conceal carry my xds in an iwb hybrid holster. I am all for Open carry, and do occasionly carry my Glock 23 in a Serpa holster with my button down shirt tucked in.(and have not once “Tex Grebner” ed myself) I am always careful to respect non-gun people and to not upset them and their backwards ways. Carrying a rifle into a restaurant in the low ready position while shabbily dressed is NOT how we build respect for gun owners and the 2nd amendment.

      • TTAG still needs a +1 button.

        Open carry needs to be done sanely- Keep it holstered or slung & be polite to everyone. Say please, thank you and call people sir and ma’am. Wear properly fitted clothes with a generally neat appearance. Be a normal customer- don’t go out of your way to attract attention or hang around.

        • I get what you’re saying, but you can’t tell people what to say or wear. That’s the domain of the Left.

        • Sure you can tell people what you think they should wear and how you think they should act, but you can’t force them to do it unless it’s your own private property. It’s the progressives who try to use the law to enforce it. Both left AND right.

          But if enough people act obnoxious for long enough, the general public beyond just progressives will turn against them, too.

      • “Respect for the Second Amendment” has to be from government and government obviously no longer “respects” the Constitution. That’s a different issue and all of the polite carry or non-carry in the world won’t change that.

        I would not, however, had personally done as these OCers apparently did. But, Chipotle’s decision is on Chipotle.

  13. People don’t like other people who go anywhere for the sole purpose of ‘making a statement’. It’s not limited to 2nd Amendment issues, it’s all issues. If you go to Chipotle or Starbucks just to make a scene, you’re not going to win many friends. Whether it’s right or wrong, the fact remains that you’re simply looking for attention. I think the hearts of these people are in the right place, but in the end it’s just drawing negative attention. Also, holding your rifle at low ready while out in public seems like a stupendously bad idea.

    • Yep, if someone stood up and started spouting some protest, even if it was for something I supported, I would still be incredibly uncomfortable. I went there to patronize a business, not be protested at.

    • I don’t know about that. Usually the only other choice is to run away, and they do not appear capable of that. So they may be forced to stand and fight.

    • They could at least soak up a few hostile rounds better than the average person. Hell, that one guy in the first picture could be used as cover against most rounds. Have fun shooting it out with heart disease.

  14. since this outing was obviously just for giggles, the least they could have done is dress neater (nice sweat stains, Bubba), use a chamber flag, trigger lock, and pull the mags.

    it’s not that they look scary…….it’s that they look like they are stupid enough to actually do a ND in the restaurant.

  15. And I will now be taking my business elsewhere whenever possible. I understand the display was over the top and that Chipotle is trying to protect its profits, but caving to these bigots is unacceptable and I refuse to support any business that does so.

    • And if you carried a handgun concealed (which is legal in TX) and no one was the wiser you are still able to defend yourself and you family or loved ones. So what’s the problem?

      • “Because of this, we are respectfully asking that customers not bring guns into our restaurants, unless they are authorized law enforcement personnel.” Taken at face value, Chipotle statement says carrying concealed is not good enough. It will be interesting to see if Chipotle goes the whole nine yards and starts posting 30.06 signs. If not, then MDA just got another toothless victory.

        • They have said they are “asking”. Doesn’t change a thing, if they post 30.06 I’ll stop going there. Not before.

        • Are they going to hire professional concealed carry spotters? Are they going to install door frame metal detectors? Are they going to frisk everyone coming in?

          No, no and no. So I don’t care what they think. Their statement won’t stop me from going and carrying concealed and someone who won’t go there based on principle is not going to put them out of business.

          Even if someone is not being smart in the way they conceal and they see them carrying the most they can do is ask you to leave. The only way you can get arrested is if they call the police and you are still there when they arrive. If a business owner asks you to leave it is their right to do so but if they are none the wiser then you order your food, eat and leave. Just like normal people do every day.

      • I would have the same problem with them banning the reasonable expression of any fundamental right, that is the issue. For instance, if they took the stance that Jews made some of their customers uncomfortable, so they were respectfully requesting that no one bring a yarmulke into the establishment or speak Hebrew, or if they took the position that some people were offended by attorneys and therefore asked for no one to discuss the law inside and oh by the way any legal briefs should be left locked in the car. If they had said that the open carry of rifles freaks our guests out, but we respect the second amendment and we request that you please conceal a handgun instead I would have been slightly unhappy but would understand. Could I conceal carry in Chipotle legally without issue? Sure but that isn’t the point, the point is that they were pressured into a bigoted policy by a publicity starved misandrist and enacted it with greed and cowardice. In a way I would respect them more if they actually put up signs. Stradling the fence tends to hurt after a while. It’s the Starbucks treatment for them, not another dime of my money. And FWIW I personally do not open carry but respect the right of others to do so.

        • Again, spot on!

          Also, as much as I don’t like signs going up, at least it leaves little room for doubt as to what the business thinks about bearing arms.

  16. I wish these guys would consider how this looks from the eyes of Joe and Jane Average American.

    A swarm of people descend on an everyday business carrying long-arms, many of which look similar to what we’ve seen our own troops using on the news or carried by those that oppose our troops. Doesn’t matter if they don’t have a giggle switch, the average person doesn’t know the difference.

    This won’t “educate” them, it will scare them. Hell, it would set me on edge and I actually know a thing or two about guns. There is no need to carry a rifle into Chipotle.

    Also, Chipotle is a left-leaning organization. They are so whack-a-doo they think it makes a difference that the animals they slaughter for meat are treated humanely beforehand. Do you think this is a business that is going to take a hard stance for gun rights? Hell no!

    Not only do we need to stop dragging private business into political debates, we at least need to pick our battlegrounds a lot better. Businesses with left-leaning leaders are not magically going to change their minds. Especially not when our tactics are pretty frightening to the normal American and provides fodder for the anti-gunners.

    • What if they were carrying a Winchester model-70 and maybe a Remington 700? Would that make you nervous? Is it the magazines that make you nervous? Or you just don’t like those guns because they’re black?

      • Idiots with dangerous objects make me nervous. Yes. I drive in heavy traffic and deal with idiots wielding massive multi-ton death machines everyday. Situational awareness is your friend at all times.

        A swarm of rifles, doesn’t matter if they are black or not, is not going to bring comfort to people who are neutral on guns. It hurts the cause. It has nothing to do with my feelings on black rifles.

        Helluva assumption you’re making to. I happen to own a black rifle. I have yet to take it to Starbucks though.

  17. I think carrying an assault type of rifle into a business for it’s shock value against the wishes of the business owner isn’t a good choice to make. The climate of gun control and the debate is only strengthened when a business owner can’t set the policies within his or her business with reference to dress codes, conduct and weather or not a customer can carry an assault style rifle into the business or not. It is his business, his client base and his money spent trying to become a profitable entity within a community. Concealed carry can afford the safety desired by a citizen but this isn’t the middle east where a massive firefight may break out at any moment. I guess I just don’t see the justification to damage a mans business to make a point and likely damage your own cause.

  18. LongBeach, you have a point.

    Personally, I would have preferred if chipotle’s statement simply echoed the law’s requirements, and noted they legally may be obligated to ask open carriers to leave.

    Before the dismay and scorn over advocating following an unjust law starts, I think it would be a better stance for Chipotle to take. Patrons’ discomfort can lose a little business; not following the law can lose your liquor or business license, and that would likely cost a lot more money.

  19. I don’t have a problem with open carry, but I see that walking into a restaurant and I’m not thinking about gun rights, I’m thinking about exits and angles. If I were carrying I would be adjusting to get easy access. These guys are totally looney tunes if they think they’re are doing anyone but MDA any favors.

  20. Please stop representing me. You guys look unreasonable. I’m a big gun guy, I own 7 NFA items, but damn, I don’t like this. This is not winning, it’s shooting ourselves in the foot, stop dragging people into the debate that for commerical reasons will not take a side. Go to a park or some other neutral location.

  21. While everyone keeps blaming the OCers, let’s not forget… the business is fully capable of saying nothing more than “Follow state law”. They choose to go further, they choose to restrict firearms, they choose to side with MDA.

    The OCers may have brought it to the spotlight, but it was still a decision by Chipotle corporate (since they don’t allow franchises) to ban firearms, and their decision alone.

    • This. There’s a middle ground between “come on in wielding whatever tacticool operator rifles your little heart desires” and “no guns, please, we prefer our patrons defenseless”.

      • If customers are going to be obnoxious about it, then a business will get specifically restrictive. When one abuses his freedom, that freedom tends to get reigned in.

    • So? Carry concealed then. They can’t stop you. If you are intelligent and conceal correctly then they will never know you are armed. Worst thing happens and they notice it they can ask you to leave. It’s only an arrestable offense if they tell you to leave and you don’t and they call the cops and you’re still there when the cops arrive.

      • And why were they put into a place where they had to make that decision? Because of Dumpy and Stumpy and the rest of the OC rejects who brought rifles into a restaurant.

        Don’t be an enabler.

        • Hey, I wouldn’t have made the same OC choices (hopefully). But, Chipotle made its choice. That’s on Chipotle, not these two guys. Management merely had to ask them to leave. Instead, Chipotle asked that all armed people, outside of law enforcement, not visit their restaurants. I’m good with that. I don’t like going places and spending my money where my firearm isn’t welcome. I’m not enabling anyone on either side of this situation.

    • Steve, wake up. Read the Chipotle announcement. They said “respectfully request” not ban.

      That you can’t get this, might be an indication that you are your own worst enemy.
      OC long guns got banned in CA right after this kind of ass-hattery. Not saying it will happen in TX, but your attitude is not helping. Use a little common sense is what most of us are asking here.

  22. Posing for photos is over-the-top, but activist open carry is not. It’s about making the appearance of firearms more common in the public sphere, and as such working to reduce the baseless terror so many seem to feel at the mere sight of guns. People who walk around in fear of guns need to get psychological help. Movies, television, and our ‘news’ media have really warped these people’s minds. You are very much more likely to be killed by a drunk driver on the way home from Chipotle than to be shot by a law abiding, gun carrying citizen. 18% more people are killed by drunk drivers in the US each year than are murdered with ALL TYPES of firearms combined. Alcohol fuels all manner of violence throughout our society. Strangely though, I don’t hear the clarion calls for its banning. If Chipotle were really concerned about its customers, they’d stop serving alcohol.

    • And all of what you say is utterly irrelevant when some doofy looking clowns walk in at Low Ready with single point slings.

      OCing a handgun (where legal) is healthy; particularly if you do it as if it were your normal everyday mode of operations (it should be, again, where legal). No one not in a combat zone carries a rifle as normal everyday mode. Especially not like these idiots did.

      The situation in Texas is different of course with handgun OC is not legal. But there you should sling the rifle on your back rather than looking ready to plug someone in the next 1.0 seconds. And FGS don’t dress like that; you are trying to make OC look respectable.

  23. “I’m just getting sick of the same boonie hat mall ninjas bringing this issue up month after month.”

    + elevnty billion

    These clowns are making the rest of us look like raving, rabid lunatics. While their heart may be in the right place, the road to a new AWB is paved with good intentions.

    Not to mention that crapco-ed out SKS makes me facepalm.

    • By and large, probably not, but there are always those few people who tend to make the entire group look a bit whacko. In gay parades for example, it’s the shirtless oiled guys in ass-less chaps, writhing against one another. Entertaining, yes, but not likely to help “normalize” grandma. In OC, it’s guys like this, more concerned with their “coolness” than actually helping the cause.

      Just because you CAN open carry a rifle into a restaurant, doesn’t mean you should. Wearing ass-less chaps in line at Chipotle wouldn’t go over any better.

      • But there is no public outcry when those few “out of control” gays embarrass the rest of the movement, everyone just accepts it and moves on. I get it, gays are seen as victims demanding their civil rights, regardless of circumstances and 2A supporters are viewed as bigoted, violent racist regardless of circumstance, but the latter attitude needs to change. I’m not advocating what these fools did, but no way I am giving Chipotle a free pass either. No need to give them my money if they don’t want me to conceal either.

        • Gun owners will get no cover from political correctness. Is it fair? No it is not. However, knowing this going in helps.

          The media will conveniently ignore the guy in assless chaps and pretend like they were never at the parade. At the same time they will put every idiot gun owner on the front-page, even if it is 1 in a 1000 or 1 in 10,000 because it helps their narrative.

          We need to do our PR accordingly.

    • Was this a parade? This would be more akin to two gay guys walking into a dining establishment and making out loudly. If they’d just been there to eat no one would care.

  24. What states do not have background checks for long guns? Every time I bought any variety of shotgun or rifle I was subject to at least the phone check and proper paperwork. Texas, NC, VA, Arizona, OK, just to name a few. Oh and I really can’t stand people like these two idiots. They give us all a bad name.

  25. Getting really tired of watching people hand these little victories to MDA to claim as rousing successes. MDA didn’t do a damn thing to accomplish this, open carrying with no class did.
    And as someone pointed out earlier, open carry IS a right, but in someone else’s house it’s a PRIVILEGE. If those two showed up at my business, particularly Mr low-ready tactical SKS, I’m going to tell him to leave, simple as that.
    Here again, I just don’t see how changing hearts and minds at fast food chains helps normalize open carry. Do it where it makes sense, in a venue that you could actually talk to someone in, and explain why you’re doing it.
    God, this is really starting to bug me. This kind of shit is going to force a wedge between open carry activists and the rest of us who consider ourselves gun rights supporters. Which means when the old divide and conquer works, it always does, it won’t be MDA that pulls it off.

    • Chipotle could’ve asked them to leave. Chipotle could’ve banned long gun carry. Instead, Chipotle chose to ban all firearms. That’s Chipotle’s bad decision.

  26. Chipotle’s statement is contradictory. On one hand they request no firearms:

    [Because of this, we are respectfully asking that customers not bring guns into our restaurants, unless they are authorized law enforcement personnel.]

    On the other they say policy should be set by legislation, which in many states allows OC/CC:

    [And we hope that our customers who oppose the carrying of guns in public agree with us that it is the role of elected officials and the legislative process to set policy in this area, not the role of businesses like Chipotle.]

  27. What is it with these idiots and single point slings? That has got to be the least comfortable way to carry a rifle around.

  28. I am fine with adding Chipotle to the list of establishments that I will never spend another dollar at. While I don’t think criminals like the guy who stabbed someone multiple times over a spot in line at the Chipotle in Washington, DC even read the news, would anyone be surprised if violent incidents become more frequent at this particular chain as a direct result of disarming law abiding citizens so anti gun bullies can feel “safe”?

    • It is more likely that these guys would been disarmed by a bad guy rather than a successful defense on their part.
      The operator on the left looks like he only knows how to operate on a pizza.

  29. I dont mind OC and I even would consider going to some of these Open Carry TX rallies.

    but seriously SLING YOUR RIFLE ON YOUR FVCKING BACK PLEASE. The whole point of this is to make it non threatening not some god damn mall ninjas with single point slings running around with rifles at the low ready.

    If you walked into any restaurant while I was eating with a rifle slung to your front, it would be damn near time to draw that smoke wagon…

    Even the posing for pictures while holding it is a problem. If youre not going to use it, treat it like the tool it is, you dont wave your hammer around showing it off to people.

    • But what’s the point of having a rifle as a fashion accessory if you can’t show it off? All the other guys in the COD server will be so jelly of that and the sweet beard.

  30. I don’t even eat at this place, but you had better believe that I am going to go in there CCing now. On principle. Until I see a 30.06 sign, they can pound sand.

  31. As I’ve said before, I’m not a huge fan of open carry.  For personal defense purposes, I prefer concealed carry for a number of reasons, discretion being high on the list.  I support open carry though…but I support it when done with respect and used with…common sense… With rights come responsibilities.   I’m not going to say, just because you can, doesn’t mean you should, but really guys…Open Carry Texas is going to screw themselves and everyone else.  Greg Abbott has already said, if elected, he will sign OC in Texas if it crosses his desk.  They need to chill and not give MDA more emotional (non) victories.  Forcing businesses to make choices is bad PR.  Let MDA do that.  Staples was cold called and they got turned away.  OCT and MDA has forced Jack in the Box, Starbucks and now Chipotle to act.  Yes, their action has been a request, not a ban…but still. If it was just MDA cold calling, they would have stuck with the “we follow local laws”.   At least in Texas, it’s yours to lose right now.  I don’t want you to lose…I want us all to win. 

      • Okay, well we can go down that path.  With rights come responsibilities and risk.  And that risk is borne both by those that hold the right as well as by those that grant it.  In this case we are going to skip the constitutional debate and power of the state legislature and go straight to the court of public opinion.  That would be the one that votes the legislature in and out.  That would be the folks who really don’t care one way or another about OC, until there’s an idiot playing with his AR or SKS in Chipotle, because he feels he’s making a statement. That would be the one that MDA is trying to court. 
         
        While these clowns are exercising their rights and accepting a degree of risk as they see it, they incur risk for me and my fellow gun owners.  They are going to cause businesses to put up 30.06 signs so I can’t legally carry.   Because businesses are in the business of business, whether they lean left, right or indifferent.  But if their customers feel uncomfortable, they don’t come back.  Some people, even in Texas, are not going to be desensitized to firearms.  And I don’t care who you are…folks with rifles slung…even when you are sitting around armed with a bunch of other armed military guys in the field, you pay attention to where the muzzles are.   

        If you put enough businesses in the middle where they don’t want to be, annoy enough soccer moms and even reasonable folks who could really care less…yes OC will fail in Texas…it will never make it to the Governor’s desk.  I’m not against OC it Texas.  I want it to pass.  I’m against idiots…in general, but specifically those who stand to ruin things for others.  That’s the risk they are taking. 
         
        In fact, if I were MDA and Bloomie…I’d hire guys this to do exactly this to win the battle of public opinion, and beat OC one restaurant at time.

        • The reality of the situation, regardless of how you or I interpret 2A, is barring a landmark SCOTUS decision, the right to open carry will remain at the state level.

          So in that respect, it resides in the hands of the state government, who have a tendency to respond to public opinion. Right now, I’d say OC has a good chance in TX. But if the keep pissing off businesses and public in the middle…it’s theirs to lose.

        • I don’t really disagree with your last statement.

          Here is what I’m confused about:
          Okay, well we can go down that path. With rights come responsibilities and risk. And that risk is borne both by those that hold the right as well as by those that grant it.

          Who is granting the right?

          If you mis-worded it then there’s nothing to figure out and just say so. I’m not here to bust chops and I mis-word concepts all of the time.

        • That’s your choice to not answer and I respect it.

          Since you insist that it’s not mis-worded then I can only conclude that you believe rights come from government or from groups of people.

          Hey, I threw you whatever lifesaver was about to backtrack on that granting rights thing… 😉

          Carry on.

  32. Texas handgun open carry is already banned, by the looks of it they are trying to get the same thing to happen to rifles as well. Keep walking into family restaurants brandishing your AK like a goon and you’ll accomplish just that.

    • Actually both the Republican and Democratic Texas gubernatorial candidates are in favor of open carry of handguns. Open carry should finally make it into law during next Texas legislation session, hopefully.

    • This is technically an update as there have been further PR releases AFTER that last post. This is a pretty big deal also because it shows the potential spectrum of things that OC’ing can bring.

    • If the posts about Moms bother you, why do you continue to post in them? You’re complaint is that TTAG gives them too much exposure, yet you’re exacerbating your claim by posting in every single article.

  33. Antibiotics being over prescribed are not as effective fighting bacteria. At some point, the use of “children” to push an unpopular agenda will cease to have any affect.
    “…it shows that you can support the Second Amendment while also taking reasonable measures to ensure that Americans are safe and secure in the places we take our children.”
    Translation: “Look at this baby!”
    My reply from now on to anyone bringing up children to supposedly strengthen their argument will be: “Why do you always bring up children when you think you are wrong?”

  34. I wouldn’t be surprised if this duo had been hired by Bloomberg/MDA. These are two dweebs right out of Central Casting…an anti-gunner’s stereotype of a typical gun owner. It’s all political theater.

  35. They don’t have the choice to open-carry handguns in Texas, so they open-carry long guns in order to win the right to open-carry handguns. Except, those long guns only belong at organized outdoor rallies or walks, anything else and they hurt the goal of winning open carry for handguns.

    • Kane needs to be stopped. I can’t imagine it will get better if we elect a Democrat for Governor.

  36. Someone tell these two idiots that they are doing more harm than good to gun-rights activities. There is no need for this kind of demonstration. Just stop it!!

  37. I ate at Chipotle with my older daughter on Sunday. I had a .38 in a pocket holster. Enjoyed our food, no fuss. We’ll do it again in a couple of weeks. And I’m sure that, even if the management of Chipotle knew, they wouldn’t care. How about that, Shannon?

  38. I know I shouldn’t be, but I am sooooo disappointed. Yet another thing for MDA to gloat about. I think that at least one chain HAS to stand up to the MDA eventually. They may not be doing much about guns on the street, but they sure are increasing the amount of Bloomberg endorsed eateries. Who the hell is left?

  39. Oh look everyone, a pasty neckbeard who’d probably be winded trying to hoist one of Chipotle’s burritos into his gaping maw, and a rap video extra who has spent more money on Tapco accessories for his SKS than the SKS itself. This is the face of the Open Carry movement, whether anyone likes it or not. The fact that disgusting weirdos and aspiring thug types haven’t been actively ostracized and publicly humiliated by the “normal” people who open carry speaks volumes about the movement.

    • and that I think is the point, some of us who do care and can communicate the message correctly need to step up.

    • They look like normal people to me. If they weren’t carrying rifles they wouldn’t stick out of the usual Chipotle lunch crowd. What would be a more pleasing stereotype for a person open carrying a rifle?

      • IMHO it has 0% to do with their physical features, boonie hat, clothing whatever.

        Its how they choose to conduct themselves and carry their rifles.

        • +1, I agree with your post above. Keeping their rifles slung would have gone far to diffuse this controversy at least as far as the one picture went. I bet the gun banners would still go crazy even if the OCers were ex-astronauts in tuxedos though.

  40. ate at Chipotle on Sunday night with my p380 concealed. Nobody cared because nobody knew. In Illinois one can carry in an establishment that sells liquor that isn’t posted. (owner is required to post if >50% of sales come from alcohol). These two idiots should have known that in Texas they cannot legally enter an establishment with an alcohol license while OC a long gun. Facts as they are, these two were in the wrong. I couldn’t care less about the public affairs machinations of Chipotle… Unless they put up no carry signs in stores, I’ll continue to go from time to time. Should they choose to put up signs they loose my business for good.

    If the situation were different and the two were allowed to be there, had the rifle slung over their shoulder, were respectful and went about there business we wouldn’t be talking about this issue.

  41. Just tried calling chipotle of course you can’t talk to the CEO to telling him you will never eat there again but that’s the problem moms have the connections they have his number but we don’t I have a idea let’s ban billionaires you don’t need more than one million dollars and think about the people they could help in this country with fifty million dollars instead of wasting it trying to take away the rights of Americans Mr. Bloomberg needs to open his eyes there are people begging on almost every street corner in this country from where I am standing no entry into to heaven for you.

  42. Twice I have OCd here in TX. Once in downtown Ft Worth after buying a rifle at the gun show and walking back to my car. Second time while walking on the side of the road with a shotgun from one part of the dove lease to another.
    Other than that I CC becuase there really is no reason to OC a long rifle. It is bulky, uncomfortable, and the sight of it makes others uncomfortable.
    When I see LEOs with long guns I get jumpy since a long gun to me signals something is amiss and requires more firepower than a pistol.
    When people see these tards wth their long guns they are forced to acknowledge them just as when gays walk in the St Pattys day parade Catholics are forced to acknowledge them. This acknowledgement is not going to win the other side over. Instead it will antagonize the other party and provide ammo for your enemy.
    While I would love to have the option to OC a pistol this is the wrong strategy.
    Oh and while in your face demonstration may work for gays, they have the liberal media who will ignore the assless chaps and paint a rosy picture. We don’t have that luxury.

    • A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

      If the People were to only bear arms at the very moment they were going to defend against tyranny then that wouldn’t assist in them being well regulated and would signal their intentions to the tyrants. The carry of long guns must be commonplace to better serve the intent described in the Second Amendment. That’s why.

  43. The cold hard fact is that while the 2A is a right enshrined in the Constitution, our ability to exercise that right is totally controlled by the political environment. Who’s elected, who’s appointed to the judiciary, what is public opinion on the issue.

    Politics is all about image and perception. More than ever, in a digital instant communication age, image is everything. People can print scandalous lies, spin a story any way they want to, and it’s given, instantly, the same weight, the same believability, as the actual truth. We shouldn’t have to fight a political battle to guarantee our right to exercise a constitutional right, but we do. And if we continue to lose the image and perception game, the average low-info voter will always side with the people that “seem reasonable.” You know – common sense approaches. These are the same people that vote for someone because they have nice hair. Smiles a lot. Successful in business. Seems like a nice person to have a beer with. Why do you think that the faces of the antis right now are an uber-rich businessman turned mayor and a PR/advertising professional?

    The POTG have got to become more savvy politically. Open carry as a right is terrific but without discretion in the when/where/how of open carry, without discretion in the message we send, all of our 2A rights are at risk.

    I love winning a battle as much as the next person. But losing the war sucks.

    • While I don’t endorse the actions of the two OCers (and I don’t blame Chipotle’s decision on the OCers); we won’t win a PR war. The balance has tipped too far and not enough of us will live long enough to see something like that through.

      • There are better ways like working to get the laws changed or overturned. But in the mean time committing a felony will make you loose your constitutional rights forever and that just doesn’t do you or anyone else any good.

        If these guys want to make their statement with open carry, great. Hell I might even join them. But when you organize such a movement, READ THE LAWS so you don’t get yourself snagged by some obscure law that can land your butt in jail for a long time, hurt your movement and your ability to change any law or make it worse for the rest of us. Texas carry laws are not so simple and that needs to be changed. Breaking them will not change anything.

        • There may be better ways to change the laws but we won’t know until the day after. In the mean time I don’t want to restrict any tactic used by our side as long as the laws broken are victimless crimes.
          Imagine if the black folks before civil rights laws had taken your advice. Imagine if the founding fathers refused to break any laws. Maybe they knew they were in violation and decided to do it anyway for your and my benefit. Who are the heros in this case?

        • You have a point, but now days your not as likely to be a hero but a martyr instead. With all the hand wringing by the antis and their power to have the ear of the public and public servants do much more to damage the pro gun side using scenes just like this one. We are fighting to be heard and seen as well, but I don’t want to be represented like this. And with the constant ignoring us by the media and other sources puts us at a disadvantage. As a result we have to bend the ears of our reps in person, is this the kind of representation your looking for? Really?

          I have talked to our reps here in Texas personally and on more than one occasion. And with positive outcomes as well. Power of persuasion thru facts and cordial discussion with them in person works well. But in the process we are fighting the antis that call them and complain about these people walking around looking like they wanting to start a war or something. We have to out number the antis and in a big way. We can do that but at the same time we don’t want to give them any ammunition. The squeaky wheel gets the grease so to speak. I want to win back our civil rights, ALL of them. In case you haven’t noticed, our second civil right is not the only one being eroded.

        • TCC, read this and understand. No gun laws have ever been and never will be created to curb non violent open carry, base solely on open carry displays. I repeat, all gun laws are sparked by mass shootings. Liberals play upon the emotions of the public after a tragedy otherwise, they would not have the support to infringe the way they want to. The leftist agenda is never changing. They just wait for the right moment. That moment is when innocent lives are slaughtered. This event at Chipotle and others like it coming up do not play into the agenda. They pick their battles and they pick the ones they are guaranteed to win. They will only win if blood is shed. A group of people with “assault” weapons in a restaurant where no one even gets a bloody nose goes against their rhetoric. I might not call it a win for our side but at the worst, it is a draw.

        • Oh yeah? You need to read about the complete ban on Open Carry in California fomented by a bunch of “grass roots” open carry gun owner advocates doing what these persons in Texas are doing. No one was killed, or even wounded, nor was a shot ever fired, but ALL Californians lost because of their well-intended, but bungled efforts. Search “California Open Carry”, read and learn.

          Bloodshed is not a necessary precursor to more gun laws and infringements upon our RKBA and it’s important to be calculating when developing tactics to end oppressive anti-gun laws. Just because it happened in California, the gun haters capital of the U.S. does not mean it could not happen elsewhere. Be careful and do not make any assumptions. Seriously!

    • LOL, if you read your own reference, you would see it is perfectly legal if you are carrying a “long gun” and not a handgun.

      • Re-read line four, business licensed to sell alcohol, no CHL, Felony for long gun and handgun. CHL long gun and hand gun legal. Don’t ask me why, but that is how the laws read.

  44. Boy do I have egg on my face! How could I have been so wrong? Die Mutti von Monsanto is generating hysteria! Right here on this website! A few stupid people did a stupid thing in Texas and now the struggle for gun rights is damaged, maybe beyond repair. All is lost, alas and alackaday.

    If you carefully examine Little Miss Hysteria’s rhetoric, “it shows that you can support the Second Amendment while also taking reasonable measures”, and compare it to gun grabber quotes from the past, “Mr. and Mrs. America turn them all in” you will note a stark difference. The phrase “lowered expectations” comes to mind. The civilian disarmament complex of today is crippled by Heller. Take a deep breath and repeat after me, “the right to keep and bear arms is an individual right”. MDA is reduced to reacting to Americans exercising their right to keep and bear arms. They are forced to retreat while they attack.

    The movement to assert our civil rights, our right to keep and bear, is national. We are many, we are strong and there are idiots among us. More idiots will do more idiotic things in the future. I will not divide a piece of paper in two columns marked “Feathers in my cap” and “Black eyes” and obsess over it. I will continue to donate to ILA and others, I will email and call my legislators and I will be a single issue voter.

  45. The only time I open carry is when I am camping. That comes from years of tent camping where you have no physical barrier protection at night when asleep. Anyone scoping me out during the day will know that there are easier, less dangerous targets than me. I don’t want to surprise them as they cut into my tent, I want them to already know it is an unwise move to begin with. Although now we have the hard shell RV so sometimes CC mostly still OC if out of habit and it’s more outdoorsy.

  46. I don’t eat there anyway. Too hard to get the blood stains out of your underwear.

  47. The kids in the picture look like they just finished up a marathon Call of Duty session, grabbed their rifles with their single-point patrol slings and went out looking for trouble. This is not the way to make open carry acceptable in society, especially rifle open carry. They do look incompetent and sloppy, like they don’t care about themselves so why should they care about the other people around them? Dress nicely, or at least neatly. Use a two-point sling, there’s no reason for a single-point in the middle of town, especially because they are unwieldy to walk around with. Show some self-respect, some confidence and some respect for others and open carry will be respected.

  48. I have a suggestion, though it would be unenforceable. If you have a business put a sign at the front door stating that members of Moms Demand Action, CSGV, MAIG, Brady Campaign or any other gun control group are not welcome. You can just hear the squealing and whining how “their” rights are being violated.

  49. MDA didn’t win anything. Those two idiots lost for our team.

    It’s like scoring on your own team in soccer.

    Couple of idiots if you ask me.

  50. What these morons are doing is akin to standing in a restaurant with a baseball bat at the ready, or a lead pipe, screwdriver, etc. Those items are all legal to carry, but in that context they are going to incite discomfort, panic, etc.

    I don’t know why the absolutists among us don’t see this. As others have pointed out, these characters are helping the antis.

  51. “Although an individual may have the legal authority to openly carry certain firearms in public, a business that is licensed to sell or serve alcoholic beverages is prohibited by state law from allowing rifles or shotguns in the building.” Selective quoting is alive and well, since the entire statement is the exact opposite of what they are saying. The rest of the statement says the business must make 51% or more of their income from the sale of alcohol which is consumed on the premises. That, of course, does not apply to Chipolte.

  52. To solve any perceived problem it had, Chipotle merely needed to ban long gun carry. However, they chose to ban all carry. I won’t give Chipotle a dime of my money or an ounce of good advertisement.

    • Right. And the very next day, attention whoring OC idiots would be posting gun selfies on Chipotle’s website showing them pistol OCing from all over the country.

      You give these idiots too much credit. Basically, the worse it is for the gun rights movement, the more likely they’ll do it.

      • True. I chose the wrong word. For those like me, when a business says that my friends and I aren’t welcome, it acts like a ban since I don’t patronize businesses where my friends or I’m not welcome. It would be impolite of me to ever spend a cent in Chipotle again.

  53. Well, well. Looks like Chipotle has advertised to the world the fact no one in their restaurant will be armed. That’s like putting a welcome mat at the front door to armed robbers.

  54. Geez, who could have ever predicted that this would happen – aside from everybody who predicted that this would happen, again and again.

    Way to go, you just made pistol OC less likely to become a reality in Texas.

    And what’s worse, they have a whole list of other national chains they plan to target in the same way:
    http://www.opencarrytexas.org/1_7_Local-Groups-Calendar.html

    It’s like they’re trying desperately to hand Shannon Watts easy victories or something. Oh, and get national chains to change their gun policies for the worse.

    These people need to crawl back under the rock they came from.

  55. I understand where these guys hearts are, and agree that carrying, whether concealed or open, is an important right to fight for. But seems to me these guys are going to bring more backlash than good to their cause. Holstered handgun would be great, but if you have a dozen or more coming in with rifles, ARs, AKs, etc, my opinion, you’re hurting your cause, and in the long run, hurting all of us.

  56. Does anyone personally know these asshats?

    Maybe it’s time to start shunning these people. Don’t shoot with them, don’t hang with them… until they stop fvcking us over.

  57. My first post attempt was too long so I’ll attempt to condense it …

    Open carry is NOT about political activism. I open carry most of the time I’m out in public. My gun stays in its holster. I don’t do photo ops. Most of the time, nobody cares. Occasionally I’ll get comments, but generally they’re just friendly or curious.

    Political discussion with others, if there is any at all, is a side effect of open carry, not a primary purpose. The primary purpose is self-defense.

    POLITICAL carry, on the other hand, is about attracting attention. There are right ways and wrong ways to do it.

    The two guys in the picture at the top are not open carrying, and if they’re political carrying, they’re doing it stupidly. Open carry does NOT involve handling one’s weapon, and for %@$#’s sake, does not involve being in a low-ready position. What they’re doing is ridiculous and irresponsible. If I was a business owner and saw ’em doing that I’d throw ’em out.

    While I really don’t like the idea of open carrying a rifle (unless in a rural area and/or an area with a known wild animal problem), if it’s done, it should be done the SAME WAY as open carry of a pistol. That would mean that it’s in a holster, or the equivalent, which would probably be a scabbard that one is wearing on one’s back. Something like this picture.

    Nobody I know who open carries a pistol does so without it being secured in a retention holster. It’s not hard to get one. In the same way, it’s not hard to get a scabbard for a long gun.

    Real open carry is just like concealed carry without the “concealed” bit. It’s about situational awareness and being prepared. It’s not about handling one’s gun or demonstrating. The only major difference is where your shirt / jacket / etc. happens to sit.

    In short:
    (1) To all gun owners: don’t smear all open carriers because of a few fools who don’t know what they’re doing. That’s as bad as the anti-gun folks thinking that all gun owners are lunatics.
    (2) If you’re open carrying a rifle, get a %@#$ing scabbard for it and keep your hands off of it while carrying, the same way that people who open carry pistols keep their guns secured in a holster. But if you can legally OC a pistol, do that instead.

    • Actually I’ve seen refreshingly little in this thread of the usual mass of posts conflating dipsticks like these with proper open carriers.

    • I agree with the main thrust of your post. Most of my open carry is ordinary everyday carry. I don’t often carry a long gun these days unless there is a need… it’s too much of a PITA for me. When we have protests/rallies/etc I’m more likely to carry a rifle. It’s still a PITA but it is of short duration and has a defined purpose (which is not aimed to piss a business off 😉 ),

      Sadly, I cannot afford a rifle scabbard. I can barely afford the fuel and time to attend gatherings. Also, no retention for my EDC holster except a leather thong on my Tom Threepersons holster. Ideally, yeah, everyone would have a scabbard and use upper level retention handgun holsters. Realistically, no scabbard in my budget and my EDC holster is as it works best for me daily.

    • I like the distinction you’ve made and hope that your term “political carry” catches on here. It presents a nice delineation between normal, open-carrying people and these characters.

      I’m going to start using your new term, regardless.

      • It’s been used before (not sure if here or elsewhere) and in other permutations. Hopefully it does catch on. Political carry and everyday or ordinary carry are the ones that often come to my mind. The distinction exists in action so it makes sense for the terminology to follow.

    • You might want to check your state laws to see if so concealing a rifle is legal. We must make sure we have permission. And then apply to TTAG to see if it’s OK. Whatever.

  58. This is the stupidest thing I have every heared of. Moms are fucking reatards when it comes to firearms. Guns don’t kill people Bad guys with guns do. so Chipote doesn’t allow guns anymore? so chipotle bans firearms and so lets say some gunman comes into a chipotle, and starts shooting everyone. There could be a man in their who usually carries his glock but since he went into chipotle he had to leave it at home. And if that man was carrying gun he could’ve stoped the shooting. Thakfuly for the 2nd amendment no one GUNS no matter how may stupid fucking bitches sign some fucking dumb petition to ban guns Those moms who made up this organzition “moms against gun violence” can suck a dick and die. we have several guns in our house and im prud to have firearms. I SUPPORT The2ND AMENDment

  59. This is ridiculous. Why would these people show up with that stuff? Most of them look like yutes’ who want to be “cool”. They need to back to playing airsoft and leave the Sheep Dog responsibility to the adults.

  60. Hmm, to include lawfully permitted carriers on their list puts them on my list of anti-2nd amendment establishments. And if I happen to walk by one of their restaurants during an altercation (active shooter, murder, assault, or whatever) I will honor their policy and continue walking. I would argue that if a company has such a policy, the company officers should be subject to prosecution for manslaughter if somebody is murdered in their establishment and they did not provide adequate security.

    • Why should Chipotle be held responsible for the actions of others? Patrons are there on their own volition.

      • I think it should be actionable in a civil suit but not criminal. Not unlike negligently failing to correct an obvious hazard, they chose to create a dangerous environment for their patrons.

        • If they are made aware of the policy. Apparently, Chipotle needs to put up a big old sign to avoid liability. Should someone write them a letter and suggest it?

        • That doesn’t make any sense whatsoever. If a patron is aware of the policy and they eat there anyway, they acknowledge the terms of using the property and leaves their firearm elsewhere.

          If a patron is unaware of the policy and they eat expecting to be protected by other patrons, they are inappropriately putting the responsibility for their safety in the hands of the other patrons.

          Either way, the armed shooter who comes into Chipotle is responsible for harming others, not Chipotle. It isn’t responsible for your safety.

        • I was just messing with you on those last two sentences. 😀

          Seriously though, Chipotle is creating a hazard which may be unknown to patrons unless there is some form of notice for the casual patron. As such, it ought to be actionable.

        • Somehow, your reply shows before my last one even though I posted before you. Freaky.

          The point was that if the patron was unaware of the dangerous situation that Chipotle chose to create and then negligently did not make due diligent effort to notify the average patron about; it ought to be actionable if the patron is substantially harmed.For example: coffee is usually hot but McDonald’s was successfully sued. There’s a warning now (or at least there was for a long time).

          Can every adult that might eat at Chipotle be lawfully armed? No? Then shouldn’t at least they have standing? Also, is someone in a restaurant less or more likely to be attacked by a criminal than someone in a restaurant where nobody is allowed to be armed? Again, the average patron isn’t notified that nobody (except cops) are allowed to be armed. That patron might choose a less hazardous place to eat had that patron not been denied the knowledge of the restaurant owner’s choice in creating the more dangerous environment. The moral: If you don’t want firearms in your establishment then post that. Those who want to abide by your wishes will do so. Those who do not, criminal or otherwise, won’t. Regardless, those who play by the rules will be aware of your decision and can choose a potentially less dangerous place to eat.

          Chipotle can choose to ban firearms from its restaurant. People can choose not to eat there. But, those people must be informed in order to make that risk assessment. If Chipotle doesn’t make a reasonable effort to inform patrons entering the restaurant then, in today’s litigious society, the patron ought to be able to bring suit because Chipotle failed to reasonably notify.

  61. As I have noted before, part of the problem is that Texas prohibits open carry of pistols. Not everyone has a CCW, and in warm weather with a full sized semi-auto pistol its nigh impossible to conceal. Thus, to open carry it has to be a long gun, however in most cases its not practical to carry one going about day to day business. If its not around a hunting area, if there isn’t a riot in progress that one would need to have it about, I think even most gun owners would give a second look to people carrying rifles or shotguns like that.

    Also, the one photo with the guy actually holding the gun shows some problems with this type of “demo”. I open carry my handgun often if its warm weather, but it stays in it’s holster ALWAYS unless its a defensive situation. That photo does appear to draw the label brandishing or flourishing, something I was falsely accused of a couple years back even though my pistol was holstered (didn’t go so well for the cops who made that call in the long run).

    If you are going to carry your long guns, best leave them on your back or whatever carrying restraint you have. In terms of handguns removing it from the holster invites a problem unless you are in a place where handling firearms is a norm (gun shop, range etc). That should hold true for a long gun as well, though you may carry it held by the hands perhaps shouldered or low ready (well, that’s more a combat patrol position so perhaps in a riot zone), that does put you in a fine line when shifting your grip etc to invite a “brandish” charge.

  62. It is nice to see so many people objecting to these two persons and their supposed “Open Carry Demonstration”. This is exactly the kind of thing that was done in California a couple years back that goaded the Democratic Socialist State Legislature to outlaw any form of OC in California. First they “demonstrated” for OC of pistols and got that outlawed, then they “demonstrated” for OC of long arms and got that outlawed, too.
    Prior to this it was legal to Open Carry a holstered pistol, but it had to be unloaded. You could have ammunition on your person, but just not in the pistol, same thing for long guns.

    The so-called “grass roots” Open Carry movement in California held “meetings” in coffee shops and restaurants, public parks and other public places, stirred up the public and the Brady Bunch joined in to stir-up the Legislators, while the Media had great fun putting TV news reports on air that made the OC Advocates look as attractive as the two goofballs shown above. Worse yet the Media televised “interviews” with the OC Advocates that made them sound like a bunch of people you would not want to have carrying guns around openly at all, much less loaded.

    End Result. Both OC of pistols and long guns now banned in California except inside your home, when it used to be legal (made less useful by the ‘must be unloaded” provision, but legal, nonetheless).

    This is why it is so important to really think about the tactics to be used in any campaigning done to “normalize” OC. Tactics such as these guys in Texas and those in California can produce the “Mother of all Unintended Consequences”

    • Tactics such as these guys in Texas and those in California have produced the “Mother of all Unintended Consequences”

      Fixed it for you.

      • Yes they “have produced” in California, I don’t think anything has changed in Texas, yet…anyway, it does imply something has happened in Texas, as well as California. So your “fix” is appreciated.

      • actually, the Open Carry protests forced the State to address CCW. If they ban open carry, they CANNOT ban CCW as it’s a clear violation of the 2nd Amendment. So thanks to the protests, we are on the way to a “shall issue” statewide.

        Do all you anti-open carry people tell gays to get off the streets and to take their marriage quests back into the closet too?

        It’s through OPENness that society gets “normalized”. Weed and gay rights advocates have known this for years and been blatantly shoving their thing in the public’s face for over a decade. And now look where they’re at.

        2A either plays the same game by the same rules, or we LOSE.

        • “actually, the Open Carry protests forced the State to address CCW. If they ban open carry, they CANNOT ban CCW as it’s a clear violation of the 2nd Amendment. So thanks to the protests, we are on the way to a “shall issue” statewide.”

          Are you trying to claim that was their plan all along? Gee let’s get open carry banned, so that they will have to go shall issue–because some judges will surprise us by ruling in a sem-rational manner?

          If you *aren’t* making that claim, your point is irrelevant–these dufuses fvcked Cali out of Open Carry for no foreseeable gain. If you *are* making that claim–that they were prescient about the Peruta ruling–I need to be sure I am standing on carpet when I fall to the floor laughing.

  63. Bunch of morons making it worst. These are probably the idiots that sat alone in the cafeteria and now think they’re cool cause they can bring long guns to a restaurant. Sorry, but these guys are clowns and they look like clowns. There’s no need to carry AK’s and AR’s to grab a burrito. A concealed glock 19 would be perfectly fine. If you two idiots are reading this, you’re making it worst, you’re not fighting for our rights you dumb attention whores.

  64. Did y’all in favor of Pointless Open Carry Demonstrations With Scary Black Assault Weapons ever consider that the participants are being suckered into demonstrating by MDA/AIG [“The Bloomberg Enterprises”] infiltrators not for expressing a Civil Right, but to create photo opportunities for the antis?

    Think about it. Incidents like this serve Shannon’s and Mikey’s ends much more than the POTGs’.

    Chipotle Corporate was forced into a battle not of their making against their will. Were the Menopause Marauders on-scene by accident, or has Shannon recruited the NSA to monitor Texas Open Carry? Or does PMS also confer clairvoyance?

  65. What a couple of piss heads in this picture! I am a class 7 manufacturer and I know just by common sense, that open carry would make this world a safer place for all. What the extremist won’t use enough common sense to see is , you don’t get your way with demands. You get your way by usingdissgression and example! These stupid losers are attention whores! I would almost bet they took there Daddy’s guns without asking to do this stupid publicity stunt! It’s a shame all of the chl license instructors can’t give license on common sense!

  66. Such is the original purview of the parent(s). After that, life is supposed to do much of that sort of teaching.

    *** This should’ve posted as a reply to Bruce Broughton (above). 🙁 ***

  67. anybody know if chipotle is planning on putting up 30.06 signs (the only binding sign in texas on concealed carriers)?

  68. If a group of young or old men or women came into the eating establishment that my child and I were eating at I would (and have) start a conversation with the open carriers and then introduce my daughter and show her that guns are not something to be feared but respected. Our society has becme so fearful of guns that even a mention of them in some areas creates such debate when really it needs to be discussed that putting such fear into an object creates more ignorance than the discussion of teaching respect for said object. Did I grow up around guns? No. But I was taught to respect them and not to touch. Do I have a gun in my own home? Yes. I have 3. The fact that open carry is even an issue is ignorant. I would much prefer to patron a restaurant or coffee house that allows open carry as well as concealed licensed owners because if something were to happen I would get behind the person with a gun. (9 times out of 10 I am and will be that person. )

  69. Yawn.

    Two morons, doing stupid things, making it very easy for the other side to win the argument in the mind of the public.

    And then morons posting here defending them.

    Same old, same old.

    • Paul, check out the upcoming events the Open Carry Texas folks have planned:
      http://www.opencarrytexas.org/1_7_Local-Groups-Calendar.html

      More morons will be doing more stupid things, and more morons will be posting here defending them. See the calendar above. The next target for the Open Carry Idiot Brigade is Pizza Hut.

      See:
      https://www.google.com/calendar/event?eid=bjM3cWgzZG80NHFpMGQ5ODlxaTM3Yzg5cTAganRxbm11NHRtZXU0M21sM3BpdG5rcjBpaDBAZw

      OCT: Tom Green County Open Carry Walk
      We will be meeting in the parking lot at 6 p.m. on the corner of Sunset and Knickerbocker where Pizza Hut, Double Dave’s and many other businesses share the same lot. We will begin walking up Knickerbocker around 6:20 P.M. towards the intersection of Johnson St. and Knickerbocker.

      All rifles and shotguns MUST be carried using a sling. Children are welcome as long as they are with a guardian who is watching them closely due to the high traffic streets we will be crossing.

      Hope to see everyone there!

      When
      Fri May 23 11pm – Sat May 24, 2014 1am GMT (no daylight saving)
      Where
      3510 Knickerbocker Rd, San Angelo, TX (map)

  70. Some more info on our heroic defender of liberty, who goes by “Flakoo Delcampo” / “Flakoo Del Campo”:
    https://imgur.com/a/7X1Wu

    Hopefully he and his tubby boyfriend get a knock on the door soon asking what threat caused him to bring that rifle to a low ready position in a Chipotle Mexican Grill.

    • Hopefully he and his tubby boyfriend get a knock on the door soon

      I haven’t defended these guys but you are starting to disgust me. Wishing someone ill like that for such petty reasons… really, anon? Posting the FB stuff and all, fine. However, salivating that two gun owners might have legal trouble… WTF? Give that a rest, please.

      • As the saying goes, if they’ve done nothing wrong then they have nothing to worry about. Based on stuff other people have dug up elsewhere, one of them might have something to worry about. If anything comes of it, I’ll be sure to reply with more info.

  71. why is it that we ‘accept” every leftist cause that is, even when illegal, blatantly demonstrated in public in an attempt to normalize. But when OUR causes come up, it’s “keep quiet and get back in the closet!”?

  72. Look I am all for the legalization of more gun rights, but a guy walking into a business with a MSR is the reason I stepped up from a .380 to my .40 Kahr as my carry piece.

    These 2 are not seting anyones’ minds at ease about open carriers, they are creating alarm by posting this pic online and making us 2A supporters LOOK exactly how the anti-activists want the uninformed public to believe we should, nutballs just waiting for a reason to spray and pray.

    If the open-carry bill had already been signed into law and people started carrying a holstered pistol there wouldn’t be nearly the alarms raised as this duo is causing. Adam Lanza, James Holmes, Aaron Alexis, Harris and Klebold, and the like have put a stink on walking into places of business with long guns at the (apparent) ready. There is a BIG difference between that and a holstered weapon. Additionally, those that did not realize a “demonstration” was going on are just seeing 2 nuts with long guns, and I promise had I not known it (a demonstration) was happening I would have had my hand on my piece as well, just waiting for something to “go down.”

    I’m considered the “gun nut” in my circles. I’m a die-hard NRA member and supporter, and 2A issues are at the forefront of my voting selections, but setting peoples’ houses on fire to demonstrate to the owners the skill of the fire department in no way to win support. Frankly these guys have done far more harm than good and I am ashamed to call them representative of the 2A cause.

  73. I have a news Flash for most of you dumb asses. Its called “Right Of Exclusion” and “Right to Control”. The constitution nor the State has the right to violate either. These are rights of the property owner. The only place a carry permit is on public property “Property owned by the government or government agency.” The Rest you sh– for brains idiots, is private property and yes you “F”ing morons, public access does not public property. You bunch of Dumb Asses are hurting my Gun rights with your stupidity.

  74. So bakeries are legally forced to go against their religions and make wedding cakes for gay couples, but Chipotle can discriminate against gun owners.

    I eagerly wait for them to say “No gays allowed” when one gay couple kissing causes customers to be uncomfortable. Yeah, that’ll happen.

    For the record, I’m fine with gay people and gay marriage. No exclusions libertarian. But I think laws and lack thereof should be applied equally.

    But, that’s our lot in life. Gun owners are the only people who can still be actively discriminated against, and in fact, are encouraged to be by the government.

    If you really want to put a sign up, say “No Leftists,” since every spree shooter in the last 3 decades and 95 percent of violent crime perpetrators are left voting Democrats.

    • “Gun owners are the only people who can still be actively discriminated against, and in fact, are encouraged to be by the government.”

      Christians? Men? White people?

  75. The resulting effects of open carry demonstrators pro-gun-motivated actions are more successfully anti-gun then the resulting effects of anti-gun-motivated actions perpetrated by anti-gun people.

    Therefore, in a real and practical sense they are a bigger threat to the pro-gun cause than anti-gun people.

    Good tactics win battles, bad tactics lose them. It doesn’t matter how good the motivation is and it doesn’t even matter if you are right.

    Any anti-gun PR organization out there can take notes, hire a few “activists” to legally open carry somewhere, scare a few people, and that’s one more business taking a stand on their side. I don’t know if these “activists” are clever lambs in wolves clothing, or just dumb wolves who end up doing more to benefit the lambs than the lambs ever could themselves.

  76. It looks like these morons are at it again, and targeted Chili’s.

    Chili’s Considers New Gun Policy

    Chili’s is reviewing its policy on guns in its restaurants after a pro-gun group upset diners by bringing rifles to one of its Texas locations.

    The restaurant chain’s statement comes just days after another cadre of Texas activists, also carrying guns, prompted Chipotle to issue a statement telling customers that guns aren’t welcome at any of its locations.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/22/chilis-gun_n_5374826.html

    Good job, assholes. I know that Texas doesn’t allow pistol OC. Well maybe gun owners in Texas aren’t responsible enough to have long gun OC either. What the hell is wrong with you people???

  77. I have been carrying concealed (with a license) since 1982. People like this ruin it for everyone and in MY opinon should be jailed for brandishing. Guns should be carried CONCEALED, that’s why it’s called a Concealed Carry License. These morons are the ONLY reason No Guns signs pop up. I am glad I live in a state where this is NOT going on, and no gun signs have no weight of law (penalties for violating). Most CCW carriers are level headed and law abiding and can be an asset during a violent armed attack in public places. Like the rest of society there are ALWAYS a few IDIOTS – and these are idiots on a grand scale! If you want to change the law so you can open carry a holstered pistol carrying an assault weapon in public is NOT the way to go about getting that accomplished.

    • You don’t understand the right to keep and bear arms. Unfortunately, you apparently want everyone to trade a right for a licensed government privilege. That’s not going to happen, my friend, and the quicker statists figure that out, the quicker this nation can restore true Liberty.

      People who cry out “they ruin it for everyone” in MY opinon should ridiculed for public whining and all around whimpery.

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