On The One Hand…

…if I did have a gun and a carry permit, I’d never carry openly.  Part of it is that is that it’s the sort of thing you want to keep under wraps if you ever need it.

Part of it is that the anti-gun movement has trained the weak-minded to be such incredible ninnies.

And part of it is that it is, to some people, a scary imposition.  And while I disagree with them, there’s no point in picking fights I don’t need to.

Indeed, there is a definite point to meeting people halfway in terms of perceptions.  When the group that eventually became GOCRA got organized almost twenty years ago, one of its ironclad rules was “No Camo”; nobody was to wear camouflage to any of the group’s events.  The point?  Help people see that shooters were like them, not like their stereotypes. 

So while I understand and respect the opinions of many of my open-carry activist friends – “a right un-used is a right easily abridged” – I’ll demur on carrying openly, since while there are as many good reasons to carry openly as there are to wear camouflage, there are exactly the same reasons not to. 

Don’t get me wrong; I disagree with Chipotle’s decision to ask shooters not to bring guns into its stores.  They’ve got a lot of customers to keep happy, and the bobbleheads who decided to use a Chipotle to stage their pro-open-carry protests ruffled some feathers. 

The Denver-based company notes that it has traditionally complied with local laws regarding open and concealed firearms.

But in a statement Monday, the company said that “the display of firearms in our restaurants has now created an environment that is potentially intimidating or uncomfortable for many of our customers.”

 Of course, it’s not really about complaints from real people.  There are professional ninnies involved:

The announcement came after a petition by Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, which has called on other companies to ban firearms in their stores as well.

 Of course, there are two dumb calls here; the “protesters” picked a fight they really didn’t need to – and Chipotle caved in to an astroturf group’s toothless yapping. 

That said?  I’m not boycotting Chipotle, for the same reason as David Harsanyi:

As a 2nd Amendment fan, I believe Chipotle is making a mistake. Yet, it isn’t exactly undermining our Constitutional rights by asking consumers to keep their guns out of their businesses. (Please read Charles Cooke’s dismantling of the perpetually confused Sally Kohn’s attempt to conflate two very distinct ideas.) Though Chipotle acted for the wrong reasons, it has every right to create an experience for its consumers that it finds safe and inviting.

Fact is, if the CEO of Qdoba’s was a libertarian plutocrat who supported all my favorite organizations, I’d still choose Chipotle because when it comes to food I owe more to a good product than a philosophically sound owner. Chipotle was founded on an exemplary idea and its execution and consistency have won my business — even when I disagree with its choices.

And here’s the key distinction, with emphasis added:

Now, if this company was forking over millions to some finger-wagging Michael Bloomberg-funded gaggle of authoritarians I’d would probably have to reconsider. But, as far as I know, that’s not the case.

 That’s the line, right there.

I didn’t patronize Minnesota businesses that posted “No Firearms” signs in the wake of the Shall Issue law passing in 2003.  Neither did so many others that the vast majority of those signs have disappeared. 

And I personally didn’t patronize Hewlett-Packard, Pepsi, Pizza Hut, KFC or Taco Bell when they donated big bucks to the Brady Campaign.  Either did hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of others – which is why those donations have evaporated.  Working to show up Moms Want Action’s! message as the vapid lies they are, and destroy their credibility with thinking people?  Goes without saying. 

But asking people to keep their guns out of plain sight in deference to the customers who may be hoplophobic ninnies, but whose money hits Chipotle’s bottom line with the same satisfying “ching” yours does? 

I’m not thrilled, but I get it.

25 thoughts on “On The One Hand…

  1. Working with about 20 libidiots that, next to their Dear Leaders in the Democrap party, worship Chipotle just as much, I would say that the customers in Dallas that did cry foul, were most likely supporters of the anti-gun meme.

  2. Starbucks asked customers not to bring guns last Fall. Now Chipotle. But they’re not posting signs, they’re just asking nicely, in response to media pressure. They say they’re not taking a stand but that’s the problem.

    As a business owner, they have the right to nicely ask me not to distress their other customers when I pray over my food, wear a Star of David, bring a Black friend, read my Constitution, ride a Harley or carry a concealed weapon. But asking me not to do those perfectly legal acts – in response to pressure from a special interest group – doesn’t eliminate the harm.

    Pass-through bigotry is still bigotry. I have far more inclination to eat at Chick-fil-A, which stood up to the bigots, than to eat at places that caved in to it. By the way, what’s the latest on Culvers? The Rice Street store had a non-compliant No Guns sign a while back – what’s the company policy?
    .

  3. The Hennipen County deputy that did my conceal carry class at Bill’s gave us two little extras lessons beyond what was required for the course. One was “What the cop sees” where we went through various scenarios of when you might have to use your gun. And, ” legal vs. good idea”. This is where the walking into a store with your modern sporting rifle may be legal, but, is it a good idea.

  4. The Rice Street store had a non-compliant No Guns sign a while back – what’s the company policy?

    Meanwhile, the University Avenue store was happy to host an open carry event on a Saturday.

    I get the impression Culvers doesn’t have a company-wide policy.

  5. There is no indication that the Chipotle unhappiness with the ammosexuals was astro-turfed, unliked the well-documented information that the Tea Party was and is astro-turfed. And there is far more reason to believe the ammosexuals are astroturfed as well in a nation where crime is down and where there is a steady decrease in the number of gun owners.

    Civilization is the absence of violence and the means to do violence, replacing violence with other means of resolving conflict.

    Carrying guns is a loss for civilization, and the rejection of gun carrying jerks is a win for civilization.

  6. DG,

    Wrong, as always;

    There is no indication that the Chipotle unhappiness with the ammosexuals was astro-turfed

    Ammosexuals?

    You really wanna go there?

    And yes – Moms Want Action launched one of its astroturf pressure campaigns to pressure Chipotle.

  7. Sorry, DG – it’s gotten to the point where responding is a waste of time.

  8. Doggy, as has been pointed out here before, your parents wasted their money sending you to college, because you clearly did not benefit from it! Or, were you like the girl in NJ that took all the money that your parents gave you, then ditch school?

  9. ammosexuals

    remember this is a female who votes with her “lady parts” (an act that should seriously concern local health inspectors) which parts seem, in her case, to be responsible for other cognitive activities.

  10. DG, if you ever have the honor to meet me and wonder if I’m happy to see you or carrying a gun in my pocket, choose the latter; just on principal. Then get the fuck away from me.

  11. That’s great news, Mitch. I like Culvers. I’ll have to make a point of dining there tonight.

    Seriously, if certain businesses would be happier without my money, I’m happy to accommodate them.

  12. Open carry…pro: derterrence. con: becoming a primary target.

    That said, and I’m not attempting to argue a case for open carry, but if you walk into a place of business with an exterior holstered Glock, how would the patrons and employees know that you’re not an off duty cop or detective?

  13. You may note that DG spends a terrific amount of effort trying to disarm CC and gun rights advocates, who tend to vote GOP, and virtually no effort trying to disarm the people who actually use guns to commit crimes, who tend to be Democrats.

  14. I just wonder what her deal with guns is? Is she a hoplophobe? Does she have a deep seated fear (or self-realization of complete incapability) of trying to be self sufficient, and depends on government with all her heart and mind for every aspect of her life? Or does she hold the misguided and naive hope that when the iron hammer falls and tyranny takes over, she can stand up and scream, “I’M ONE OF YOU! I’M ON YOUR SIDE!”

  15. Penigma’s Chihuahua comes in the room, yip-yaps annoyingly, piddles on the floor and runs off.

  16. Ate dinner at the Culver’s on Uni – no signs about gun ban, outstanding bacon burger, glad I went.

    I am beginning to worry about Dog Gone, though. Her non-factual posts are worse than a parody of herself (fewer gun owners???) and if she actually believes the nonsense she writes, she might be having mental health issues.

    I know, as conservatives, we hate to butt into other people’s lives; but for her own safety and well-being, should someone ask the county to look in on her?
    .
    .

  17. For clarity – the above was intended as irony (Heartless Conservatives sending the county social worker to check on a Liberal’s mental health).

    Also for clarity – Dog Gone’s fewer gun owners claim is a misreading of statistics. The studies say that since No Fault Divorce began in the mid-70’s, the number of HOUSEHOLDS owning guns has declined. Yes, because of all the new single-mother-head-of-households we’ve created. The number of Gun Owners is nowhere documented.

  18. where there is a steady decrease in the number of gun owners

    Further proof, DG, that you are writing from an undisclosed planet where the sky is pink, unicorns bring money and facts down from the skies, and up is down.

  19. JD; Culver’s, IMO, has the best fast food in town. I’m a big pork tenderloin fan and their version is the best that I’ve had outside of Iowa. Their cod sandwich is good, too!

    As far as having the county check in on Doggy, that may not be a bad idea. She can then get a dose of the big government that she so desperately defends. Kind of like my neighbor who has ten or more lefty candidate’s signs in his yard every election cycle. He has a cabin in Wisconsin, so he registered all of his cars using that address, until about a year ago when I complained to the police department that he was violating Minnesota registration laws. When he started bitching that someone turned him in, I told him that I just wanted him to pay his fair share for the crap that his chosen candidates are ramming down our throats. He hasn’t spoken to me since, but his wife actually thought it was pretty funny. I guess that she told him repeatedly that he would eventually get caught.

  20. I’m a fan of Culvers sandwich menu also. They wouldn’t know whether I was packing or not.

  21. I’m a big pork tenderloin fan and their version is the best that I’ve had outside of Iowa.

    I love the Pork Tenderloin at Culver’s. I only eat like one a year, but I love it.

    I’ve had one, and only one, better; there used to be a place in South Minneapolis (Bloomington at 38th) called “Doyle’s”. They used a batter that reminded me of tempura (on the onion rings, too), and I’ve never had anything like it. Both stores (there was one near Lake and Lyndale) closed by 1989, unfortunately.

  22. It occurs to me that Second Amendment activists get slandered all the time so we should fight back whenever possible.

    Dog Gone asserts Civilization is the absence of violence and the means to do violence, replacing violence with other means of resolving conflict.

    The majority of Minneapolis shootings are Black-on-Black killing each other in retaliation for prior slights. So Blacks fail to use other means of resolving conflict therefore are uncivilized savages who should not own guns? Congratulations, Dog Gone, you’ve just joined the KKK. Clayton Cramer addressed your concerns in “The Racist Roots of Gun Control” (1995). Maybe you should read it?

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.