Maine restaurant owner tells assault rifle supporters: Take your business elsewhere

[jpak]

Source: Portland Press Herald

For 12 years, Anne Verrill kept her politics out of her business.

But after this weekend’s massacre at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, Verrill could no longer stay silent. Late Tuesday, she went where most people now go to voice their opinions – Facebook – to share her thoughts on the latest mass shooting and the role of guns in American culture.

The backlash was swift – and angry – both on Facebook and Yelp, where many people post their opinions of restaurants.

On the Facebook pages of her two restaurants, Grace in Portland and Foreside Tavern in Falmouth, Verrill wrote, in part: “If you own this gun, or you condone the ownership of this gun for private use, you may no longer enter either of my restaurants, because the only thing I want to teach my children is love.”

<more>

Read more: http://www.pressherald.com/2016/06/15/maine-restaurant-owner-to-assault-rifle-supporters-take-your-business-elsewhere/

[PJMcK]

1. That's the free market at work

If the food and service are good, her businesses will thrive.

[Cosmocat]

8. It is the stupid at work

She could be serving 5 star quality food on a value menu price and gun worshipers will never step foot in her establishment again, while crawling over broken class to eat cow $hit for $100 a plate as a joint named gun heaven ...

[ChairmanAgnostic]

13. i have read your post three times. I still don't get your point.

[MidwestTech]

16. punctuation is everyone's friend

i believe the point is gun humpers would rather crawl over broken glass to a joint called gun haven serving bovine refuse for $100 a plate, than eat 5 star food for bargain basement prices if they aren't allowed to bring their grilfr...er... guns.

[rurallib]

17. I think that would be just what she wants

based on my reading of your post

[LoverOfLiberty]

18. I don't own guns

nor do I support our crazy unfettered access to them, but I agree with you.

Keep business and politics separate.

[Major Nikon]

2. Dogs and gunnuts not welcome here

[Duckhunter935]

3. Her choice

Just curious how she will enforce it

[drm604]

5. She can't enforce it, it's mostly a symbolic statement.

But most people who own such weapons will boycott her restaurant so the statement will largely achieve its purpose.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

11. The gun nuts will self-enforce by boycotting. . . . nt

[bigbrother05]

12. Maybe it's a strong personal religious belief?

Many states have passed laws that would support her, even though this isn't what they meant.

[catnhatnh]

22. It's mainly cheap self-promotion

ripped off the bodies of 49 dead victims. She is not in fact hurting a single gun owner or in any way reducing the chances of another atrocity. In polite and thinking company she would be shunned...

[drm604]

26. That's not a very nice thing to say.

We don't know her and we don't know her intentions. It's entirely possible that she's sincerely trying to make a statement.

[onehandle]

7. She's just preparing for the eventual strict restrictions/bans on these Weapons Of War.

The 2016 GE is going to be a rout for the party of children's blood on their hands.

[friendly_iconoclast]

21. That's the same empty promise you've been making for years:

Note the date...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022155570#post3

Nothing is going to stop gun control from advancing. Not this time. nt

[IronLionZion]

4. She'll probably get more business from supporters

gun humpers are a minority in most areas

[TipTok]

6. Maybe most areas you run around in...

[IronLionZion]

9. liberal areas

[TipTok]

10. ...

[Politicub]

14. The proportion of the population that owns guns is shrinking

The increased sales of firearms is driven mainly by people who are adding more metal dicks to their arsenal.

Don't take my word for it. The facts:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/03/05/america-has-more-guns-in-fewer-hands-than-ever-before%E2%80%8B/

It's only a matter of time.

[TipTok]

20. The fact you can't hold a conversation about the 2nd Amendment...

... without referring to male genitalia is probably in the top 5 reasons gun rights continue to expand.

[Politicub]

23. I'm done talking about the second amendment.

I couldn't give two shits about what you or anyone else thinks of my language.

I and many others are finished with indulging the tender sensibilities of the shrinking pool of gun fanatics.

[TipTok]

24. Please keep doing exactly this...

We appreciate it...

[Spitfire of ATJ]

15. Imagine if pundits and politicians who support guns couldn't get service anywhere.

[mainer]

19. I think her business will be booming

I think that NRA types are more likely to go to Olive Garden or TGIF.

Her restaurant "Grace" has a reputation as a fine dining establishment -- and it's liberals who tend to be patrons of fine dining. And Portland Maine is about as blue an area as you can find.

[Rocknrule]

25. Predicted response:

"She thinks children are more precious than guns?! Unamerican commie! Traitor! Go back to France! 2nd Amendment Uber Allies!"

[NobodyHere]

27. Wonderful

Because it's great for a restaurant to discriminate against people because of what they do in their private lives.

[Blandocyte]

28. Because owning the most popular rifle in the country

means you support mentally ill people who shoot others. Yeah, that makes sense. But she's logical enough to run a business?

[Blandocyte]

29. The backlash will show her

she should've kept her politics out of her business. Thanks for making me feel like I should apologize for my legal hobby, busybody. My guitar has killed no one, just like my rifle has killed no one. If some lunatic kills someone using a guitar, will she make guitarists unwelcome, too?

Maybe she can make pitbull owners unwelcome. I hear pitbulls kill kids. Who knows what sorts of people with varying interests, races, religions, etc., she might find offensive and make unwelcome.