A Moscow, Idaho restaurant is offering a discount to customers who openly carry firearms while scarfing their ribs. In the vast majority of states, openly carried firearms are legal. The right to open carry has been used in a number of states to push for the passage of “shall issue” laws to allow people to legally carry firearms concealed. Virginia, Ohio, and Wisconsin are states that come to mind. Texans are currently using the legal open carry of rifles, guaranteed in their state constitution . . .
to push for the legal open carry of handguns. Arizonans used the right to open carry to remove illegal regulation. Guam had open carry before they passed a “shall issue” law this year. The strategy has generally worked.
Forty-one states and one territory have “shall issue” statutes, eight states have “may issue” laws, which allow local authorities to deny carry permits without clearly stated reasons. One state, Vermont, does not require a permit to carry a gun and does not issue one. Four of the “shall issue” states do not require permits, but issue them for reasons of reciprocity and special circumstances.
Private establishments have always had the right to bar customers from carrying arms on their property, a right that was usurped by the government in many states. When the general right to bear arms is restored, many store owners are exhorted by the media to ban the carry of arms on their premises. In some locations, the local governments applied some persuasion to this end, even buying “no guns” signs to “give” to store owners to “assist” them in making the decision. After the stores start losing customers, and are told why, the signs come down.
Some establishments have discovered what has long been established by various studies: gun owners tend to be better educated and more prosperous than the general public. Crime rates tend to drop with an increase in citizens carrying legal guns. Some of these establishments have put these facts together and come to the obvious conclusion: It is a good idea to attract gun carriers as customers. The value is clear. Not only does the store or restaurant gain business, it gains a considerable increase in security for almost no cost. Everyone understands why police bars, donut shops, and gun shops are seldom the targets of armed robberies: criminals do not wish to be shot.
Here is the notice from the restaurant’s web site, cdssmokepit.com:
Do you offer an open carry discount?
Yes. Since opening in 2010 we have offered a 10% discount if you open carry a handgun. Before we opened up, we knew we wanted to offer this as an incentive to folks who carry guns. We wanted to offer this friendly invitation to fellow members of the firearms community since not all businesses are always ‘carry friendly’. While it may turn some heads and has sparked some interesting conversations, it has also brought CD’s a variety of very cool, very friendly regular customers. Don’t worry – all of our gun-toting fans display responsibility and safety! If you’re ever in & would like to know more about this policy or firearms related information in general, feel free to ask!
CD’s Smoke Pit has hit on a business model that appears to be working well. Other establishments have welcomed legal firearms owners, CD’s goes further by working to attract them. I suspect that we will see more of this strategy in the future.
©2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
Gun Watch