Guns in Restaurants Bill
Submitted by LauraE on Tue, 03/03/2009 - 12:23pm
The proposal to ban smoking in restaurants has sparked heated responses from both its supporters and detractors over the past several years. So how about a smoking gun?
Senate Bill 235, entitled "Personal Protection in Restaurants", would allow "persons with concealed handgun permits to protect themselves and their families in restaurants", in the event that an armed madman should open fire on a crowded Applebee’s, or some such eating establishment. So let’s get this straight: the same people who want to relax (or abolish) restrictions on gun ownership also want to ensure that any Joe the Plumber with his easy-to-obtain permit can feel free to pack heat in their favorite pizza place? Michael Corleone, eat your heart out.
This is obviously under the assumption that all permitted handgun owners are responsible with their firearms. The problem with "responsible ownership" is that it is only "responsible" until Mr. Responsible Gun Owner has a bad day and/or forgets to take his medication and does something not-so-responsible. Refer to the case of James Oliver Huberty, who fit that mold until he entered a San Diego McDonald’s on July 18, 1984 with a 12-gauge Winchester, 9 mm Browning HP, and a Uzi, and left 22 dead. Considering it took a SWAT team to bring Huberty down in the end, it’s unlikely that a handgun would have done a fat lot of good. What that incident should tell us is that guns in restaurants equal a hazard.
Furthermore, gun lovers often forget that the person who feels safest with concealed weaponry is usually the person holding the gun, and only if they’re the only in the room with one.
Lastly, the likelihood of getting mowed down at Olive Garden is, to say the least, very, very slim. If the bill passes- and let’s hope sensibility prevails- who’s going to fully enjoy a nice quiet meal if one feels the need to look over their shoulder? Because the reality is, the most paranoid guy in the room is the one most likely to have his handgun nearby.
To learn more and/or sign the petition against this bill, go to http://www.ncgv.org
Good post. Thanks for doing this.
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Do good. Be nice. Have fun.
They call it a RESTaurant for a reason
Give it a rest, gun nuts! If I can't relax and forget the hazards of the world when I'm out in public, I'll just stay at home, thank you.
Progressives are the true conservatives.
Forget Hazards?
Out in public is the #1 place you shouldn't forget the hazards of the world. Eve Carson and Abhijit Mahato would tell you that if they were still alive. I do service work in the area where 1 of the murderers lived. People there have 5 locks on doors, lock/unlock each time I step to the truck, and tell me to leave the area before dark. These thugs have terrorized their own neighborhoods for years. Some folks aren't even safe at home. CRIMINALS are the hazard, not ccw holders. Ask among friends/family, you may be surprised who legally carries a weapon. You may thank him/her 1 day.
B I Ha
You may be surprised, too
Private firearms instructors in Tennessee and Kentucky have been indicted for selling training certificates through the mail, and now we've got it happening here:
CCW carriers are not heroes in waiting, they're just people. People make mistakes.
I'm confused.
If someone has a concealed carry permit, can't they take their guns into restaurants anyhow? What is the difference here?
No...there are certain areas where the C/C
permits don't give them access - schools, ABC stores (I think) and I'm not exactly sure what else. Just know it isn't a completely open license to carry your gun just anyoldwhere.
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Vote Democratic, the ass you save may be your own.
I'm Confused
Hi Linda, it is a bit confusing. Current law does not forbid ccw in restaurants as a whole, only ones that serve alcohol. CCW also forbids one to drink while carrying.
B I Ha
I appreciate the answers, Betsy and ncpatriot
Learn something every day.
Poor logic
Actually, the incident tells us that crazy people with guns equals a hazard. Interstingly enough, there are already laws against crazy people having guns. If you are crazy and carry a gun into a restaurant, you are breaking the law even if concealed carry is allowed. In large part, gun laws affect the law-abiding, not the law breakers.
Concealed Carry, Restaurants
So, we have to go back to 1984 California to find a legal carrier who went crazy? How many NC ccw holders have any violations? CCW holders have the lowest crime rate of any citizens, any record of violent crime disqualifies one. This bill only changes to allow carry in restaurants where on premise alcohol is served, still does not allow one to drink while carrying.
B I Ha
Everyone calm down,
after all some of you may be carrying. Not like this is an emotional topic with strongly held opinions or anything like that, also.
Remember;
True...
..
It's equally true if you substitute one of the following for guns:
rocks, knives, bazookas, nails, hammers, arrows, 500lb bombs.
And so on.
I have a restaurant and I use the fact that some of my patrons may be armed as an incentive to improve customer service.
-b
There cannot fail to be more kinds of things, as nature grows further disclosed. - Sir Francis Bacon
Sharks...
kill people too
Guns don't kill people...
...bullets do.