The news just gets better and better for action-demanding moms. First, the ostensibly anti-gun Everytown for Gun Safety video they recently released had the beneficial knock-on effect of beautifully illustrating the the advisability of gun ownership and armed self defense for tens of thousands of women around the country. Then Moms Demand Action had an overwhelming turnout of almost two hundred fired-up attendees at this past weekend’s Denver bootcamp and sleepover. Now, as the Wall Street Journal is reporting, it turns out the problem’s bigger than they imagined. There are actually plenty of smaller, local establishments across the country that are only too happy to welcome customers who come in strapped . . .
It’s refreshing that the WSJ managed to get the facts straight about what Moms Demand Action actually accomplished — or didn’t — in getting a few national retailers to issue non-ban gun bans.
Last year, Starbucks asked its customers not to bring guns into its more than 12,000 cafes in the U.S. In May, Sonic, Chipotle, and Chili’s Grill & Bar made similar requests after participants at gun-rights demonstrations brought rifles and semi-automatic weapons into their outlets to advocate for the right to display weapons in public. The chains didn’t institute outright bans, only requested that patrons leave them behind.
Shannon’s also given a sporting chance to spout some of her rote inanities.
“Restaurants routinely protect their patrons from second-hand smoke, so it makes sense they would go out of their way to protect them from bullets as well,” said Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, which has pressured larger companies to adopt more-restrictive policies on guns.
But to hear the WSJ tell it, there’s no shortage of local joints out there that welcome an armed clientele. Which should also be good news for Shannon and her dozens of MDA members! This means they should be able to quit their gym memberships and save money on all those Zumba classes since they’re going to be awfully busy trying to picket the ever-growing number of gun-friendly bidnesses out there. Especially when other retailers learn how non-problematic gun-toters are.
“Most that come in are responsible and have their guns holstered,” said Jay Laze, owner of All Around Pizza and Deli. Last year, Mr. Laze began giving 15% discounts to diners who either were carrying openly or had concealed-carry permits. “It was good for business, and I’ve hopefully educated some folks on the Second Amendment and the right to carry.”
Bryan Crosswhite, owner of a The Cajun Experience, which gives 10% discounts on Wednesdays to those with guns, said he, too, had experienced no serious problems with his program, adding that he won’t serve alcohol to patrons openly carrying. On occasion, he said, people used his restaurant to showcase some of their more serious firearms. “I had a guy show up with an AR-15,” he said. “I told him to go home.”
Imagine that. Business owners who know how to take a common sense, responsible approach to customers who choose to carry firearms — as well as those who sometimes choose to do it in a way that may make other patrons uncomfortable. It’s almost like respecting people’s Second Amendment rights is actually good for business.