Guns in restaurants draw stares but little outcry

[DS1]

(This is some creepy shit)


RESTON, Va. (AP) - The patrons at Champps, an upscale restaurant and bar chain, were eating ribs and drinking beer on a recent Saturday when customer Bruce Jackson stood up and made an announcement: He was armed, and so were dozens of other patrons.

The armed customers stood up in unison, showing off their holstered pistols and revolvers. Jackson said a word or two about the rights of gun owners to carry firearms in Virginia, then thanked everyone for their attention and sat down.

The diners returned to their burgers and Budweisers.

The Virginia Citizens Defense League organized the gathering at Champps to prove a point: that the presence of armed customers in northern Virginia restaurants would elicit little more than shrugs.

snip

In fact, with a few exceptions, the gun owners got their meals. The group went to eight different restaurants in April _ including the Fuddruckers burger chain and the McLean Family Restaurant _ and more often than not their presence failed to generate a stir. At two eateries, they were asked to leave.

All the restaurants were in Fairfax County, a bastion of suburbia and soccer moms outside Washington that is the wealthiest county in America, according to the most recent Census data.


http://www.wtop.com/?nid=600&sid=1403608

<<< giant dork

[NightWatcher]

1. the reason the diners didnt make a stink: they too were packing and had just ID'd the others

the best thing about when I carry (licensed, concealed) is that no one else knows it but me. "Outting" yourself as a gun toter is stupid because it puts a target on your back and people will watch you. I prefer the benefit of surprise.


.....back to your burgers

[mikeytherat]

5. Correct. Do they not understand the "concealed" part of the CCW license?

When I'm strapped, no one knows it but me.

mikey_the_rat

[krispos42]

66. No license need to open carry in Virginia

They do this there on a periodic basis.

[mikeytherat]

70. Oh, I know. I'm in Richmond.

Home of the Braves (until 2009), "The Rivah," and a Second Place Trophy on every roundabout.

mikey_the_rat

[Guaranteed]

268. A "brilliant" philosophy that entirely defeats the purpose of what you're doing.

That reduces the effect of deterrence because all those "criminals" you're trying to threaten can't tell how many people really are carrying guns around. You could argue that it's better if they don't know at all, but if you let them assume it's a small number of people, you've fucked up.



Dr. Strangelove: Mr. President, it is not only possible, it is essential. That is the whole idea of this machine, you know. Deterrence is the art of producing in the mind of the enemy... the FEAR to attack. And so, because of the automated and irrevocable decision-making process which rules out human meddling, the Doomsday machine is terrifying and simple to understand... and completely credible and convincing.

Dr. Strangelove: Of course, the whole point of a Doomsday Machine is lost, if you *keep* it a *secret*! Why didn't you tell the world, EH?

Ambassador de Sadesky: It was to be announced at the Party Congress on Monday. As you know, the Premier loves surprises.

[Guaranteed]

269. Oh, and by the way?

I'm actually PRO-2nd Amendment. I'm a Constitutionalist, and a member of the ACLU.

And you carrying a gun around in public? Totally fucking inappropriate.

We live in a CIVILIZED SOCIETY. Leave your goddamned gun at home. Your behavior shows nothing but total disrespect for the power of your weapon and sets a bad example for everyone.

Plus, you're going to end up doing something stupid with it. Just the fact that you want to carry it with you shows that you want to use it.

Leave it the fuck home.

[Kolesar]

2. The Ohio gun activists leaned on the banks & forced them to remove the signs banning concealed guns

One bank in my neighborhood actually took down the sign. Presumably, the gun activists would have boycotted the bank had they not complied.

A bank

[krispos42]

69. Putting up a sign is a dumb idea to begin with.

If they're carrying concealed, nobody is going to know if the rule is being followed or not. And a sign is certainly not going to stop a bank robbery.

[ananda]

3. Well.. there certainly seems to be a STRONG association..

.. between fear and wealth.

[shanti]

4. yeah, it's creepy

why do they need to do this??????

[Merlot]

7. Nothing better to do with their time would be my guess

[KG]

9. 'cause their gun ownership has nothing to do with the 2A, but mostly with assuaging their deepseated

insecurities.

[krispos42]

67. Because people freak out that the idea of legalizing or expanding...

concealed carry.

The fact is that only the most law-abiding citizens can get concealed-pistol permits. Therefore, the simple fact that a person can get a concealed-pistol permit means that they are dozens of times less likely than the general public to commit a violent crime.

[shanti]

128. no, my question was

WHY do these people feel the need to carry a gun in public like this? in a restaurant??? it's nuts!

[krispos42]

154. I thought "this" was the way they were making their political statement

However, people carry pistols for personal protection. Obviously, if you aren't carrying a pistol, you can't use it in self-defense. And if a person has made the decision that they will not be an unarmed victim, then obviously a person would need an arm to bear. There are reliable studies that indicate that guns are used defensively well over a million times a year, so there is your "why".

The stereotype of a gun-totin' pompus ass just looking for a change to whip out his Shiny Metal Penis of Vengence and legally pump some .45-caliber street justice into a couple of thugs really is just so much BS.

Look at the trauma our trained troops go through in Iraq, with post-traumatic stress disorder and all that. Gun-owners know this. And those that keep guns for self-defense, whether on them or in their homes, always hope to God they never have to reach for them.

[zanne]

167. They have a need to be intimidating.

That's why they carry guns in the first place. In other words; "I'm not much of a man, but I carry a gun to make up for it; fear me"!

[beevul]

220. And the women?

"That's why they carry guns in the first place. In other words; "I'm not much of a man, but I carry a gun to make up for it; fear me"!"


Sexist much?

[sniffa]

235. Because whipping out a penis is illegal

[KG]

6. typical of every gun nut i've ever met - macho insecure dweebs.

[Duke Newcombe]

23. A: Like the Chihuahua-B: Did we need two posts slamming gun owners? eom

Duke

[KG]

29. A: that's not a stinking chihuahua B: two posts slamming gun waving dweebs is a good start.

[beevul]

42. Waving a gun would be brandishing, and unlawful.

Why do you attribute "waving a gun" to someone when there is no evidence of them having done so?

[LSK]

49. yes, more actually n/t

[Duke Newcombe]

52. Unfortunately, you will get your wish--

no shortage of "low-information" gun haters here to cater to that mindset.

Duke

[derby378]

8. I'm not all that comfortable with firearms in places that serve alcohol...

...but as for guns in restaurants, I'm not opposed to it on general priciples.

In Dallas, we have this one burger joint called Goff's. Its previous owner was rather cantankerous, but he allowed his own employees to bring their guns to work, so he must have done something right if nobody ever drew their gun on him.

Also, we still remember the Luby's massacre down in Killeen. It was very tragic, but also largely preventable even in the absence of police officers.

[1620rock]

11. This shit is unbelievable. Only in Amerika.

[napi21]

10. Wearing an UNCONCEALED gun in public has been legal in TX

for a very long time. In fact, I don't know if it was EVER illegal there. I remember when we first moved there, I was surprised the first time I saw a couple of guys walking around the mall wearing revolvers in each hip, but you get used to seeing it and it's no big deal. BTW, we lived there for 6 years and the only "shootings" I hever heard about were by the rival gangs.

[1620rock]

14. Doesn't the Texas travel adds say: "Texas, it's a whole 'nother country"...how sadly true.

[rainbow4321]

284. The county hospital I work at in TX

recently had their police force (don't dare call them "security", they give you the evil eye--they are real county/city cops w/ real guns)
come and give our area of the facility a video/lecture on how to survive a mass shooting. They showed outclips of the inside of Columbine during the shootings.
One of the pictures that they showed was what weapons they had recently confinscated from our hospital campus "visitors".

OMFG! Shotguns, rifles, automatics..one rifle was the length of the conference table (we were like "OK, how the fuck do you walk onto our hospital grounds with THAT??"). The picture literally looked like one of those that the news shows when a home is raided and a massive weapon arsenal is found.

And what solution do they give us?? Make yourself a "go bag" with rope, pliars, duct tape, door jammers, and other "items you can buy at Hope Depot" that will keep the shooter out of your unit/room.
Um, yeah, thanks. Oh, and BTW, they tell us, don't look for the local SWAT team to get here for about 45 minutes, so you will be on your own for at least that length of time. But the hospital campus police will enter the building. Except, if you are injured, they "WILL STEP OVER" you to go find the shooter..so remember that, don't try to holler at them for help no matter how badly you are bleeding/injured/dying on the ground. You will be shit out of luck.

Needless to say, all of us felt worse AFTER the presentation than before. Least the ER dept gets metal detectors and a full time group of on duty officers. The rest of the hospital workers are left to fend for themselves unless their dept spends their unit budget money for an officer to be present. Fat chance for that to happen!

[Ian David]

19. Remember this lady?

Old Lady in Texas Nearly Shoots A Danish Reporter!

CRAWFORD, Texas (CNN) — A Danish journalist came this close to getting shot Saturday by an elderly woman packing a pistol near President Bush’s ranch here in what was easily the strangest incident I’ve ever witnessed covering the White House.

It all started so innocently as I sat with a group of Danish journalists just down the street from Bush’s ranch during a visit by Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen. The two leaders were having lunch on the ranch, so I was waiting at a nearby historic one-room schoolhouse with White House staff to interview Rasmussen after the meal. Then the prime minister was going to do a brief press conference with the Danish press corps.

Terkel Svensson, a writer for the Danish News Agency, could not get wireless Internet access at the schoolhouse to file a story. But Svensson could get his cell phone working so he called his editor in Copenhagen and started wandering across a quiet country road as he chatted away.

“I was just so occupied dictating my story that I didn’t really see where I went,” Svensson told me later. “I was just walking and talking.”

More:
http://muslimchronicles.com/blog/thoughts/old-lady-in-texas-nearly-shoots-a-danish-reporter

[DS1]

22. Stupid old woman

You can clearly see the sidewalk there. Put her in a home. Without her weapons.

[Ian David]

24. The reporter was from Denmark. Maybe she thought she was being over-run by Vikings.

"Bloody Vikings! Get off my lawn! I fought you off our land before, I'll do it again!"

[depakid]

197. The only shootings in Texas are by rival gangs?

:crazy:

[Guaranteed]

272. I do seem to remember two unarmed burglars being shot

in the back and killed by some idiotic vigilante not too long ago.

[Ian David]

12. I'm all in favor of guns in any workplace, so long as they're also allowed in the government offices

... of the people who passed the law allowing the guns in everyone else's workplaces.

Did they remove the metal detectors at the Virgina State House yet?


Edited to add: Okay, not EVERY workplace. Airports, munitions factories, schools... probably not a good idea.

[PeaceNikki]

13. Champps is upscale?

I have a hard time getting past that line.

[Ian David]

30. It's upscale because they require a shirt AND shoes. n/t

[mikeytherat]

32. I'm still laughing at that!

Never seen so many upscale faded shorts and T-shirts. If anyone in that restaurant was wearing Dockers and a sweater, would that be considered "formal wear"?

mikey_the_rat

[PeaceNikki]

37. I've been to Champps. It's a burger/beer/sports bar/restaurant. "Upscale" is not a word I'd ever

fathom using to describe it in any way. It's as "upscale" as Chili's or Applebees. :crazy:

[mikeytherat]

40. Oh, I've been to a Champps (more than once, unfortunately).

And the depiction of it as "upscale" still makes me laugh. I can only surmise the author deemed it "upscale" because of the absence of a drive-through. Other than that, I'm at loss on the "upscale" aspects of that place.

mikey_the_rat

[zbdent]

15. hmm ... knowing that you have a bunch of (armed) gun freaks sitting around you ...

are you going to say anything?

I mean, this is like John McCain going to Iraq ... ya walk up to a person with a bunch of heavily armed soldiers around you, and assault helicopters flying overhead and tanks parked with their turrets pointed at you, are you going to charge more for a rug than they "customer" is asking?

I'm sure that the average person, faced with a similar situation as the Iraqi merchant, would tell the person leading the armed hoarde, "Sure, come on in. Take my house ... free ..."

(edited to add armed to the subject line)

[Tesha]

16. America -- a rapidly-failing society.

If these walking Viagra ads did this in a restaurant
I was in, I'd immediately call the manager over,
explain why I was leaving, explain how I wouldn't
be back as long as the store permitted firearms on
the premises, and then leave.

Tesha

[1620rock]

20. Yes, and leave the state in the same fashon.

[Tesha]

27. Perhaps. But the rise in guns remain proof America is failing.

Soon, we'll all be behaving like they do in
Beirut, Darfur, or the failed Yugoslav sub-
states.

Tesha

[krispos42]

73. Oh, the states with lots of disarmed civilians?

Those states?

[Tesha]

106. THere are still places in America where we really don't need firearms "to feel safe".

Or "to feel like a man" or whatever it is that makes
these cocks strut the walk displaying their metallic
phalluses.

Tesha

[Duke Newcombe]

111. Wow. Your fixation on phalluses in this thread is...well, it's damned interesting. n/t

Duke

[coriolis]

116. If it weren't for the hated penises, gun-grabbers wouldn't have anything to talk about.

;-)

[Tesha]

120. It's just something I've picked up from "Gun Nuts". (ANd SUV drivers.)

A lot of males seem to spend a lot of time attempting
to compensate for something.

Tesha

[derby378]

149. That sounds rather sexist...

:shrug:

[Tesha]

161. Life sucks like that, y'know?

Check out the stats on which gender gets killed
in domestic abuse sometime. Check out the stats
on "murder-suicides", especially those committed
with guns. Those are rather "sexist" as well.

Men who "need" guns are rather tragic creatures.

Tesha

[derby378]

176. Check your dictionary...

sexism: 1. attitudes or behavior based on traditional stereotypes of sexual roles. 2. discrimination or devaluation based on a person's sex, as in restricted job opportunities; esp., such discrimination directed against women.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sexism

You are devaluing men based on their gender using traditional stereotypes. Therefore, I suggest you take a deep breath and pour yourself some coffee before saying anything further.

[Tesha]

177. See, I would say that *MEN SHOOTING WOMEN TO DEATH* is a worse "devaluation".

But you may have a different value system.

So I guess you'll just have to "be a man" and
suck it up. Maybe you can go fondle your gun
for solace?

Tesha

[derby378]

179. With each word, you only prove my point further...

I am all too familiar with violence against women. You don't know my situation, and yet you continue to make stereotypical judgements about me.

Denial ain't just a river in Egypt, hun.

[michreject]

189. The women should arm themself

My wife has her CCW. I bought her a new gun for Christmas.

[krispos42]

158. And yet you live in New Hampshire

a pretty pro-gun state. Day in and day out, you enjoy the lower crime rate because a goodly proportion of New Hampshireites own guns, all without having to own a single gun or even lift a finger yourself.

Your rate of home burglary is low specifically because burglars fear confronting an armed homeowner defending his or her family. Something they are very likely to encounter in New Hampshire, but not so much in Massachusettes.

Enjoy it. You're lucky enough to live in a safe enough part of the world where even if you take absolutely no precautions for your own safety, you are very unlikely to ever be robbed or assaulted.

[northzax]

115. Beirut has lots of diarmed civilians?

Darfur does? you're joking right? lemme guess, so does Baghdad?

[krispos42]

124. In theory, I believe

Of course, the situation in Beirut and Baghdad is one of civil war. Complicated by rival tribes and religious factions.





Now if only one side had guns, it wouldn't be a civil war.


It would be a genocide. Like the Yugoslav states and Darfur.

[Diclotican]

239. krispos42

krispos42

Then you are telling us, who live in Europe that we are in danger in any way?... Then you are telling myself, that I need a gun to be protected?

I'm living in a country where he gun law is maybe one of the most strict in the whole world, Just been beating by Japan where gun are illegal for civilian to use all together.. In our Country who do hunt, we do use guns for practice and so on. But you would never se civilian with a gun, concealed or otherwise in a restaurant... Why, because we in our country have managed to get every one to agree (at some point in history) that using gun to kill others is a bad idea... And in the few instances the gun is Used, it is usually the criminals who are there, an it is very much "inside the club" and not getting out of hands...

Even our police, have no gun in their uniform. Yes they do have a shotgun in the back of the car. But in every case they have to report to HQ to get permission to use the shotgun.. In most cases the police manage to get thing under control, without the use of gun or its like...

I am always believed that US was little some us, civilized, democratic, and free.. I got that deadly wrong.. America (USA) are still a young, violent nation with the need to show off.. Even if it means people getting killed in the proses.. And to get weapon into a restaurant where people is eating their meals.. I just mindbongelig to say it at least... I can't understand why someone need to have a weapon when she og he should get out to eat and go to the movie later on... Yes if it was like in Beirut or Baghdad, then I might understand why you need a gun or more.. But in "peacefully" US?

Maybe it is just me who don't understand United States.. That more I learn about you, the less I understand of you.. You are worse than the Klingon's in the Star Trek universe..Maybe little as the Romulans.... The Klingon are a least honorable fellows...

Diclotican

Sorry my bad english, not my native language

Sorry

[N4457S]

34. And...

...if you lived in the south, no one would care.

It's not the United States of northern California and Massachusetts. It's the United States of America.

[Tesha]

35. And *THAT* is a damned shame; perhaps it can be rectified? (NT)

[N4457S]

45. Won't Be...

...so you may as well get used to it. It's not gonna change.

I've been saying for awhile that the hot trend for progressives would be going ex-pat. I still feel that way.

Five hundred people per day move to Arizona. One thousand people per day move to Florida. They can't pour the concrete fast enough in Austin.

Ohio and Pennsylvania have been losing young professionals to the sunbelt for many years. I am one of them. The SF east bay region is loaded with people from Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan. My real estate agent is from West Virginia. The other sysadmin I work with here at the university is from Cincinnati. His parents are still back in Ohio, sitting in front of Fox News and believing whatever they're told.

The country is getting older. When people get older, they become less flexible. For that reason alone, I don't expect things to change. There's no groundswell of support for it and no one wants to pay for it....and trust me, real change while very necessary would be very expensive. Too expensive for most people.

Take care of yourself and your family and the people you care about as best you can. That's what my wife and I are doing. You should do the same.

[DS1]

46. What the hell was that last part all about?

:crazy:

[N4457S]

50. I Put That In There...

...because I thought you could benefit from it.

[N4457S]

53. Check This Out...

http://www.nypost.com/seven/05142008/news/columnists/plotting_her_path_for_2012_110796.htm

What was that you said about a renewed support for progressivism?

I told you it wouldn't happen. I was right.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

250. Oh, the New York Post. How precious. -nt

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

248. Shorter you:

"Rah rah liberals suck conservatives rule! We win! Pwned!1111!!!11cos(0)1!!"

[BigDaddy44]

60. Its a damn shame we're the United States of America?

Sorry, I kind of like it that way. I like the diversity that comes with going from state to state.

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

71. Seems to me they tried to leave and make it the united states of MA

but the Union did not take too kindly to that ;)

[Tesha]

82. Next time, we'll definitely let the South go. Why not give it another try? (NT)

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

86. Im not from the south

Im from, now, the only state which has not voted republican for more than 24 years, so put that in your pipe and smoke it..

[fascisthunter]

96. Tesha Only Smokes the Real Stuff

[Tesha]

103. Well, except for that ongoing Norm Coleman thing, right?

And that little flirtation with no-quite-Republican
but sure likes 'em Jesse Ventura.

Tesha

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

118. Presidental elections

How has your state vs my state done?

Hey Ill tell you what lets look at NH:

Judd Gregg (R)
John Sununu (R)

Hmm 2K bush, 88 bush, 80/84 reagan,

Oh yea you have a *ton* of reason to look down on other states...

[krispos42]

72. Your prejudice is showing

Because, God forbid, we allow everybody to come into a restaraunt, right?



Do you realize that unless it specifically states otherwise, ALL restaraunts permit firearms on the premises?

[Tesha]

85. As a private premises, a restauranteur can probably regulate firearms on their premises.

If not, you've just deprived *THEM* of a major right.

Or were you planning on taking legal action against all those
"No shoes, no shirt, no service" signs?

Tesha

[krispos42]

90. As a private enterprise opened to the public?

That would seem to me to be a little different.


I can deny anybody I want to access to my home. I can be as arbitrary as I want to be. No blacks, no Asians, no foreigners, no fat women, no old men, no left-handers, no midgets, no Clintonistas, no Ron Paulites, no dentists, no redheads, no purple socks, no mullets, etc.


But I can't do that if I owned, say, a deli. Or a liquor store. Or a gas station.


"No shirt, no shoes, no service" is a health-code issue, just like the "no pets" rule.

[Tesha]

102. Gun owners are not yet "a protected class" as far as I am aware.

Anti-discrimination laws (vis-a-vis public places) usually
apply to legally-recognized protected classes.

Tesha

[coriolis]

105. Fat people arenn't a protected class either...why don't you open up a burger joint and put up a sign

"no fat asses allowed here"

I dare ya.
Hell, I double-dog dare ya.

[Tesha]

107. Non-sequitur. But nice attempt, points for style. (NT)

[coriolis]

119. I hate to point out the obvious, but YOU are the one who brought them up.

I guess you're a "salad-bar" Democrat, much the same way as there are many "salad-bar" 'christians.'

Big surprise.

[Duke Newcombe]

113. Game. Set. Match. n/t

Duke

[krispos42]

117. So it's okay to irrationally discriminate until and unless the law says otherwise?

Perhaps it is legal. Is it right?

You do understand that the events described in the OP's article are grassroots political action, right? This is not commonplace there. Which means that of the millions of Virginians that own handguns, nearly all of them choose NOT to exercise there right to open-carry of pistols.

I don't think that what they did was particularly good idea, but I would not have freaked out to the manager, nor left in a huff.

Like it or not, political change happens when people go out and do stuff. DUers continually bemoan the lack of political action and ignorance by the general public. "Don't they realize what Bush is going? WHERE ARE THE PROTESTS???"

Just sitting back is an invitation to get walked over, right? Well, gun owners don't want to get walked over. And they are getting active


It is sad that the Democratic party had decided to force that kind of activism over to the Republicans, though.

[depakid]

198. "a health-code issue"

EXACTLY.

Having guns around is damn unhealthy- as have been shown time and time again.

[krispos42]

213. Tell that to the 1.2+ million people a year that use guns for self-defense

What is "unhealthy" is career, habitual criminals with guns.

[depakid]

244. Having a gun in the home makes the owner or family MUCH more likely to be involved in a tragedy

than people whose homes are gun free.

And by astounding proportions, guns are more likely to harm the owner or the family than to ever be used in self defense.

One needn't make a distinction between legal and illegal firearms- because easy access is the fundamental issue, and unlike other nations, one that America will never come around to dealing with.

[krispos42]

251. Those statistics have been debunked

Because they only count a defensive gun use when the gun is actually fired. An armed citizen only kills one attacker for every 6,000 or so defensive gun uses.

Tell me, do you have stairs in your house? How about a pool?

[depakid]

252. They haven't been debunked at all!

Just rationalized by the NRA et al.

That particular peer reviewed finding still stands on its own merits even with that criticism included (and also makes good, logical common sense when you think about it).

I'm thinking more in terms of handguns and short, pump action shotguns here- but there was a case about a month ago in New South Wales where some kids killed their father with what I recall was a hunting rifle. Of course, they bashed him with a cricket bat, too- but I'm guessing that's a lot less likely.

(handgun ownership is licensed and restricted in Australia, and ownership of pump action shotguns- and assault weapons is illegal among the general public).

[krispos42]

264. Oh for God's sake...

those numbers include SUICIDES! Which are over 60% of all firearms deaths in this country!

And in case you're wondering, there hasn't been any miraculous change in Oz's homicide or assault rates since those bans were enacted, either.












And does the place you live in have a pool and/or a staircase?

[beevul]

221. If thats true...

If thats true, I'm sure you'll have no trouble coming up with cites of places like retail firarms stores and gun shows - you know, the places that have the most firearms around - that show how disproportionately unhealthy they are compared to other places.



We'll wait right here.

[depakid]

245. Actually, you're right- I'll have no problem

A study from the Harvard School of Public Health published in the February 2002 issue of The Journal of Trauma, found that in states and regions with higher levels of household firearm ownership, many more children are dying from homicide, suicide and gun accidents. Large differences exist in rates of violent death of children between states that have permissive gun control laws versus those with strict ones. The report further states that the elevated rates cannot be explained by differences in levels of poverty, education, or urbanization. This study focused on children aged 5 to 14, and compared data across all 50 states over a 10-year period (1988-1997).

Matthew Miller, M.D., ScD, leading author of the study, said: "In states with more guns, more children are dying. They are dying in suicides, in homicides, and in gun accidents. This finding is completely contrary to the notion that guns are protecting our children."

U.S. children aged 5 to 14 are far more likely to be murdered, commit suicide, and die from gun accidents than children in other developed countries. This grim fact is consistent with the association between gun ownership and children's violent death and the higher U.S. level of private firearm ownership than in other developed nations. In the U.S. for that age group, death from firearms is the third leading cause of mortality following motor vehicle crashes and cancer.

http://www.sbcoalition.org/articles/article.asp?Article=15

In New South Wales, gun tragedies are rare enough to be front page news for days. Here in the states, they rarely merit more than perfunctory coverage- if they're covered at all.

[beevul]

256. Nice try.

But thats not what I asked.

"I'm sure you'll have no trouble coming up with cites of places like retail firarms stores and gun shows - you know, the places that have the most firearms around - that show how disproportionately unhealthy they are compared to other places."

Thats what I asked.


Gun stores and gun shows have THOUSANDS of guns.

If they are such a "public health" problem, the places with the high concentration of guns should have a high concentration of "public health" problems.


So cite them.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

249. No, wait, wait a sec. Wait a fucking sec.

You're actually suggesting that a restaurant not allowing firearms in the premises is a violation of rights?

What next, I am a genocidal baby-killer because I don't own guns?

Oh God, make the hyperbole STOP!

[Fox Mulder]

182. Why would you need to carry a firearm into a fucking restaurant?

Especially a restaurant with children?

[beevul]

192. On the other hand...

On the other why is carry a firearm into a restaurant a problem?

[Fox Mulder]

204. Why do they need to?

[beevul]

217. That question has no relivance unless theres a problem with it.

Can you show one?

Not a potential problem mind you, but a real bonafide problem.

[michreject]

193. You expect them to take it off?

I carry a gun every place I go. Don't like it, leave. Cause I won't.

[Fox Mulder]

205. Yes, I do expect them to take it off.

If I ever saw someone armed walked into a restaurant, and the manager didn't tell him/her to leave, I'd walk out.

Why the hell do you need to carry a gun anywhere? Is your life threatened? In danger? If not, I think it's pretty fucking stupid.

[michreject]

231. I don't feel threatened

because I carry a gun.

The diner isn't loosing any money because you leave. You still have to pay your bill.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

88. Likewise....

I would be outta there in a flash. These guys clearly have something to prove about guns, and I am not interested in being around that kind of person.

America's fascination with firearms is something I will never understand. :shrug:

[RamboLiberal]

139. They are not going to harm you

The last thing they'd want is some outrage from pulling that weapon from the holster. They want to demonstrate they have a right to open carry b/c that is the law in Virginia.

I'm a CCW holder and don't agree on this. I'm thinking they may actually force a different outcome with business owners deciding to post no gun policies or even eventually their state outlawing it. Probably won't happen soon in VA, or my home state of PA.

You've been around people with guns (CCW) in other instances and never even knew it.

[Meiko]

99. See ya

Have a nice day...it's funny how some people excercising their rights offends others.

[Tesha]

104. It's not the exercise of their rights that offends me.

It's the increased likelihood of harm coming to me
(or my loved ones) and the fact that by remaining,
I'm associating with self-proclaiming assholes.

Tesha

[coriolis]

122. By that logic, you really need to scrupulously avoid contact with policemen.

They are (obviously) armed and as a unique class are more likely to do you harm than the typical licensed gun-carrying citizen.

Or are you one of those who hates the government but thinks the are the only ones who should be allowed to carry guns?
:eyes:

[old mark]

228. I try to avoid contact with policemen in any case.

[Guaranteed]

271. They are conspicuously armed, trained, paid professionals

whose job it is, specifically, to protect the public, while having a presumed understanding of the level of that responsibility.


Enormously huge difference. Thanks.

[Fox Mulder]

181. I would do exactly the same thing.

[RebelOne]

17. There is a bill up for Gov. Purdue here in Georgia

to sign allowing patrons to carry guns in restaurants.

[Larkspur]

18. I would have laughed at his penis extender

Guys like this idiot obviously have inferiority issues else, he would not have told everyone he had a gun.

[krispos42]

77. Ah, the mandatory shiny metal penis joke

Now I'll be in the corner, practicing with my Mannlicher






I mean, because GOD FORBID people do things IN PUBLIC to try to change perceptions and policies, right?

[beevul]

84. The inevitable "penis" reference...

Why is it you anti's always throw out the penis reference...I mean...is that ALL you have...your "A" game?

"At one restaurant _ Mike's American Grill _ the group had gone essentially unnoticed until a woman in her 20s with a satin-finished, stainless-steel revolver got up from her table."


And what about the woman described in the above paragraph from the OP?


She need the penis extender too?

[Larkspur]

91. Braggadocio proved that the man's gun was a penis extender

He bragged about it publicly. It's obvious he was looking for attention and that's what is so adolescent about these arrogant gun owners -- gun = extension of self-centered id.

[beevul]

108. Really?

Do you have any evidence that he did? I am sure not seeing it in the OP.

"RESTON, Va. (AP) - The patrons at Champps, an upscale restaurant and bar chain, were eating ribs and drinking beer on a recent Saturday when customer Bruce Jackson stood up and made an announcement: He was armed, and so were dozens of other patrons."

"The armed customers stood up in unison, showing off their holstered pistols and revolvers. Jackson said a word or two about the rights of gun owners to carry firearms in Virginia, then thanked everyone for their attention and sat down."


I don't see anywhere in the OP any Braggadocio. Perhaps you can point it out for everyone.

Me, I see a protest, and a response to the statements of an anti-gun politician.

[Larkspur]

168. Your quote proves he had braggadocio

"The armed customers stood up in unison, showing off their holstered pistols and revolvers. Jackson said a word or two about the rights of gun owners to carry firearms in Virginia, then thanked everyone for their attention and sat down."

He was NOT provoked to make his little speech and other patrons were carrying guns and they didn't make a big deal out of it.

This guy deserved to be ridiculed and yes, his gun is his penis extender.

[beevul]

188. See the term "political activism", because you appear to be confused.

They were making a political point, in response to a statement by an anti-gun politician.


And what of the women with the group? Penis extenders for them also?


Your prejudice is showing.

[Larkspur]

233. Was the politician in the restaurant?

They could have made a statement in front of the politician's office. That is what is political activism. Showing off guns in a restaurant is not political activism. It's annoying the patrons of the restaurant.

Also, those of us who support the "well regulated militia" part of the 2nd Amendment have rights too.

Regarding gun toting women, it was Dr. Freud who said women suffer from penis envy. Guess I would say that gun toting women who make a specticle of themselves in a restaurant like this guy did are suffering from some sort of penis envy and the barrel of their gun is their compensation.

[beevul]

254. Did you read the OP?

"Was the politician in the restaurant?"



"The Champps appearance _ and several other restaurant visits throughout northern Virginia last month _ were a response to comments from the majority leader in the state Senate, Democrat Richard Saslaw, who said armed patrons would be unwelcome in northern Virginia restaurants."



"Also, those of us who support the "well regulated militia" part of the 2nd Amendment have rights too."


Those of you that support the "well regulated militia" part of the 2nd Amendment, have quite obviously never read the preamble to the bill of rights, or ignoring it.

"THE Conventions of a number of the States having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government, will best insure the beneficent ends of its institution"

http://billofrights.org/

That is the beginning of the preamble to the bill of rights. It spells out the intent, purpose, and fun ction of, the bill of rights. The second amendment read as such, is simply a restriction on governmental power. Nothing more, nothing less. In modern language, it would read The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed, because a well regulated militia is necessary to the security of a free state.

[Larkspur]

266. So the politician was NOT in the restaurant

therefore it's not political activism. It's annoying behavior worthy of public scorn and ridicule.

The Founding Fathers feared both a tyranny by the minority and by the majority. That is why the built in a checks and balance system to our government. When an individual or a group of people have enought fire power to infringe upon the rights of other, how do we distinguish between a legitamate rebellion and an act of terrorism against others, including unarmed people? Is Eric Rudolph a hero or a criminal? He used a gun to kill a doctor who performed abortions because he believed that abortion was murder and the government was complicit in those baby murders. Even if the doctor had a gun, it would have done him no good against Rudolph. Same goes for abused spouses, most of whom are women. What about her right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness if her abusive mate threatens her with a gun or uses it on her?

The Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups used guns to terrorize African Americans and other non-WASPs. They thought it was their divine right to intimidate and terrorize African Americans.

The right wing militia groups out West would love to impose their fascist believes upon the rest of us via the gun. They have insufficient numbers to do so at this point, but I would not want to be their neighbor.

The government doesn't have the right to deny us guns, but the goverment has a right to regulate how we purchase and use guns, which can be a threat to another person's right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It's a controversial balancing act and one that the Founding Fathers intentionally made with the 2nd Amendment because they too feared centralized power in the state and/or federal government but they also feared power in the hands of the mob. The Founding Fathers also believed that the Constitution they crafted was not a static framework. It could be amended to handle situations they never thought of or no longer existed in the future. They also supported or borrowed from English Common law and it's from this tradition that gun regulation and control laws are made.

[beevul]

270. You have to be joking...

"So the politician was NOT in the restaurant therefore it's not political activism. It's annoying behavior worthy of public scorn and ridicule."

Who ever said that for something to be political activism that a politician must be present...I mean except you of course?


"The Founding Fathers feared both a tyranny by the minority and by the majority. That is why the built in a checks and balance system to our government. When an individual or a group of people have enought fire power to infringe upon the rights of other, how do we distinguish between a legitamate rebellion and an act of terrorism against others, including unarmed people?"

Are you really implying that theres no difference between having firepower of any amount, and actually using said firepower?


"Is Eric Rudolph a hero or a criminal? He used a gun to kill a doctor who performed abortions because he believed that abortion was murder and the government was complicit in those baby murders. Even if the doctor had a gun, it would have done him no good against Rudolph. Same goes for abused spouses, most of whom are women. What about her right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness if her abusive mate threatens her with a gun or uses it on her?"

What exactly does eric rudolph or abused spouses have to do with the people in the OP?

"The Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups used guns to terrorize African Americans and other non-WASPs. They thought it was their divine right to intimidate and terrorize African Americans."

Again, this has exactly what to do with the people in the OP?


"The right wing militia groups out West would love to impose their fascist believes upon the rest of us via the gun. They have insufficient numbers to do so at this point, but I would not want to be their neighbor."

um...the people in the OP are out east.

"The government doesn't have the right to deny us guns, but the goverment has a right to regulate how we purchase and use guns, which can be a threat to another person's right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It's a controversial balancing act and one that the Founding Fathers intentionally made with the 2nd Amendment because they too feared centralized power in the state and/or federal government but they also feared power in the hands of the mob. The Founding Fathers also believed that the Constitution they crafted was not a static framework. It could be amended to handle situations they never thought of or no longer existed in the future. They also supported or borrowed from English Common law and it's from this tradition that gun regulation and control laws are made."


Ok, and? In the OP, the guns aren't actually being USED. They're being CARRIED openly? See the difference?


You've gotten really off track.

[Larkspur]

283. You gun toters just can't take criticism, can you

go curl up with your penis extender.

[beevul]

285. The things I wrote in the post you replied to are quite open to ctiticism...

The things I wrote in the post you replied to are quite open to ctiticism, in fact, I encourage it.



The problem is, you didn't actually address any of those things. Why is that?


You made a 5th grade comment instead. A 5th grade snide comment does not constitute criticism in this universe. Does it in yours?



On edit: For what its worth, I am not a "gun toter". I neither carry concealed, nor do I open carry. Other than the occasional walk to the back of the property to shoot or scare away a coyote that might think my precious babies (my pomeranians) might be a nice easy snack, I don't carry at all.

[Sydnie]

21. Sad thing is .... he's dressed like that .... and THAT is considered

and UPSCALE restaurant? White socks, black shoes, and cargo shorts = dress for an UPSCALE place?

Even the mob in the 40's knew that a good suit made the man. ;) Silly me, I thought you were never fully dressed without a smile ... guess I was wrong. :rofl:

[Duke Newcombe]

25. Stop...yer killing me!

A fashion violation indeed.

Duke

[Ian David]

28. When you carry a gun, you can dress however you like.

[pinniped]

142. It might be upscale in VA.

Over here, it sounds like Applebees.

[Junkdrawer]

164. Self Delete - Posted wrong spot.

[Fox Mulder]

183. At least he wasn't wearing sandals.

[Perry Logan]

26. Genetic engineering is the only solution.

We'll just have to get rid of the "gun gene," found almost exclusively in white males.

[Duke Newcombe]

56. "Mengele party...table for two!" eom

Duke

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

74. Channeling the eugenecists of the past..

Nice.. Thats not scary at all :sarcasm:

[krispos42]

125. Oops

Not only racist, but incorrect. But it's racist against white people, so that's okay.



Murderers who use guns are much more likely to be black than white.

[texasleo]

147. How dare you inject facts into an irrational and hysterical discussion?

[krispos42]

153. Oh, damn, I forgot

It's not GD:P, but it's a gun discussion in GD, which is almost as bad!

:rofl:

[benEzra]

148. Except a third of U.S. gun owners are women. (n/t)

[Sydnie]

31. I just caught the guy sitting behind the guy walking - he has his gun

in his waist band, at the back. Why is that necessary? I just don't get it at all.

[DS1]

33. It's a holster that rides up higher

that's all

[Tesha]

36. It provides the means by which...

> I just caught the guy sitting behind the guy walking - he has his gun
> in his waist band, at the back. Why is that necessary?

It provides the means by which we'll someday read an
hilarious news story about a yahoo in a restaurant
who sat down and shot his ass off.

Tesha

[Sydnie]

39. You owe me a new keyboard!

:rofl: Best. Response. EVER! :rofl:

[RamboLiberal]

140. You know nothing about holsters obviously

Good holsters have the trigger covered and the gun is tight in the holster. Won't happen.

[Tesha]

162. Yeah, *NOBODY* ever shoots their foot/leg/balls drawing, do they?

We *NEVER* read about such things, do we?

Tesha

[ManiacJoe]

263. It is usually the reholstering that is the problem. (n/t)

[Neshanic]

38. That baby in pink to the left is packing heat but can't stand up.

[beevul]

41. Those pesky details...

"The Champps appearance and several other restaurant visits throughout northern Virginia last month were a response to comments from the majority leader in the state Senate, Democrat Richard Saslaw, who said armed patrons would be unwelcome in northern Virginia restaurants ."

"In most urban areas, you walk into a restaurant with a gun on your hip, they're going to tell you to get out," Saslaw said.

In fact, with a few exceptions, the gun owners got their meals. The group went to eight different restaurants in April _ including the Fuddruckers burger chain and the McLean Family Restaurant and more often than not their presence failed to generate a stir. At two eateries, they were asked to leave.

That would be the same 'Saslaw' that said:

"I see we're debating a gun bill today. Half of the cast of Deliverance is in town."

http://progunprogressive.com/?p=836


I see no problem with the actions of the people in the OP.

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

75. Thanks for filling in the rest

Seems to be a very non violent form of protest...

[scrinmaster]

43. I don't see any problems here.

I wish I had the option of open carry here in Florida.

[noonwitch]

44. Guns in restaurants, dogs in malls

I was shocked by the dogs in Parisian, at the new mall in the Detroit area (Partridge Creek). You can bring your dogs into the stores.

I'd rather shop at the mall with the dogs than eat at the restaurant with the armed, though.

[RedCappedBandit]

47. Cowards. nt.

[proud2BlibKansan]

48. Yes that is creepy

Why did they need to announce it?

And if I had been there, I would have left. CCW if you want but I don't care to hang out where you do.

[Mojorabbit]

57. It appears it was a protest.

Good for them. I like to see Americans standing up for what they believe in whether I agree or not.

[proud2BlibKansan]

58. I don't deny their right to protest

I would just choose to not be around them.

[Larkspur]

169. And if I was there I would have a right to mock them and call their guns penis extenders

First Amendment comes before the 2nd.

[beevul]

191. It would be funny...

It would be funny to see someone accusing women carrying firearms of needing penis extenders.


Though I suppose if you started heckling a group peacefully eating dinner, you might be asked to leave by management.

[Larkspur]

232. I said that I'd heckle the bozo who stood up and made a public announcement

in a restaurant the he was carrying a gun. This guy made an a@@ out of himself and deserved to be ridiculed.

As far as women and penis extenders, it was Dr. Freud who said that women suffer from penis envy. So I guess I would call gun toting women who make a public speckle of themselves as suffering from penis envy and the barrel of the gun is their compensation.

[beevul]

274. Unless...

"I said that I'd heckle the bozo who stood up and made a public announcement in a restaurant the he was carrying a gun. This guy made an a@@ out of himself and deserved to be ridiculed."

One can only assume he would be sitting down peacefully eating after making that brief statement, since thats what indeed happened. I assume you would have heard the statement and reacted to it with heckling, rather than heckliing him before making the statement.


Iether way, you would be heckling someone peacefully eating.

[last_texas_dem]

212. That is my opinion on this as well

If the law permits them to carry concealed weapons, that's fine and dandy, but doesn't standing up and announcing that you're packing defeat the purpose of your weapon being "concealed"?

[beevul]

222. They were not carrying concealed.

They were open carrying, and thier "standing up and announcing" was in response to an anti-gun politicians statement.

[last_texas_dem]

226. Oh, OK

Then I guess the only thing they're guilty of is being creepy, but there's certainly no law against that.

[beevul]

227. One person/places creepy is anothers "commonplace".

This isn't directed at you (you seem to understand) , but I think people in general would be much better off if everyone were to remember that.

Whether its guns, gays,religion, etc.

[NNN0LHI]

51. I have been in a few business over the years that the employees all carried sidearms

A high end stereo store comes to mind and some others.

I never went back to any of them.

Don

[Duke Newcombe]

54. Not quite understanding the "why"? Not a good robbery target?

Afraid to get a cap busted in you if you asked for a discount?

You were there in a store, doing nothing wrong, I assume. Why did you leave, exactly. Just asking.

Duke

[NNN0LHI]

59. Because people I don't know carrying guns around makes me nervous

I had no idea how qualified these people were at handling weapons.

Just because someone buys a pistol and straps it on doesn't automatically make that person qualified.

Guy might be a complete bonehead like some of the people I hunted with who shot at anything that moved.

How do I know how these people in public places would react in a crisis situation? I don't. Every gun nut I have known thought he was Wyatt Earp. Thats the problem.

Don

[devilgrrl]

55. I bet the barrel of his gun is bigger than his dick

:popcorn:

[Mojorabbit]

63. This is something a 12 year old would say

for cripes sake.

[devilgrrl]

65. And only a twelve year old would feel the need to make that comment

:hi:

[Mojorabbit]

76. Whatever

I like adult conversation not juvenile insults about body parts. But ymmv.

[Name removed]

87. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[mnhtnbb]

61. The wild, wild west returns. It won't be long until shoot-outs start in public places.

[beevul]

78. That claim again...

"The wild, wild west returns. It won't be long until shoot-outs start in public places." (note that the context of this statement was during discussion of lawful carry, not criminal enterprise)




That claim has been made and made and made again, since the beginning of concealed carry, and that was a couple decades ago.

I just want to know...why will that claim come true this time, when it hasn't for the past 20 years or so, with such ample opportunity?

[krispos42]

80. *snort*

Doubtless some would think that the gun-nut hot-thread alert system went into effect a few minutes ago...

:-)

[beevul]

89. LOL. Of course...

"Doubtless some would think that the gun-nut hot-thread alert system went into effect a few minutes ago..."


Of course that claim will likely be made, rather than just accepting it for what it is, and what a ton of evidence shows:

We pay attention where this issue is concerned.

[krispos42]

94. "Look, Beevul, the GunLight!"

"Quick! To the GunCave!"




NA-NA-Na-Na-na-na-Na-Na-NA-NA-Na-Na-na-na-Na-Na GUN-MAN!"

:-)

[beevul]

100. If I had been drinking my soda when I read that...

My keyboard would be all wet. LOL

Thanks for the laugh man.

Peace.

[coriolis]

101. They are like the "JEEZUS IS COMING BACK SOON" nutcase gang.

:eyes:

[krispos42]

79. Yeah, people keep saying that

They said it when Florida permitted concealed carry. And Texas. And lots of other states.

Yet...

[JeanGrey]

219. Maybe the next time some sociopath comes into a public

place to blow away thirty people, his ass will get capped before he can do much damage.

[jpljr77]

62. Fortunately, that group provides a valuable resource for people who disagree with it

Virginia Citizens Defense League posts on their web site a page "exposing" gun-unfriendly businesses in Virginia: http://www.vcdl.org/static/gue.html

If you are in the DC area, specifically in Virgina, how about going out of your way every so often to patronize the businesses listed on that page? This is, of course, if you want to reward businesses who won't allow retarded lunatics to make a scene of waiving their guns around just because they can.

The page also provides some great unintentional comedy. Under the explanation for why the jewelry store Jared sucks so much: "They have taken the position that they want their stores to be CRIMINAL SAFE CRIME ZONES. I have to give them credit though, they have thought it out. They intend to be robbed."

[CK_John]

64. I wonder what the reaction would be like if they were black in that restaurant?

[Larkspur]

93. I'm sure the white racists would pull their guns and shoot 'em

[krispos42]

159. A gaggle of clean-cut, polite, nicely dressed African-Americans?

Probably nothing. Just like the white folk.

[Paladin]

194. Oh---You Mean "Negroes Who Don't Scare White People"

Pretty amazing statement,considering how often you gun militants bleat about how gun restrictions are supposedly racist in origin.

Always nice to have an opponent fuck up and reveal the truth. Thank you kindly.....

[krispos42]

211. You words, not mine

And I'd thank you kindly to remember it.


My point was and is that the people carrying pistols in the restraunt were dressed in suburban casual, not urban gangsta. Attire not typically associated with violent holdups or turf wars.

Please note that I specified the dress of the hypothetical black people to be the same as that of the actual white people. The OP didn't, so I can't say whether the OP was referring to simply a change of ethnicity in the same clothes, or with a change of dress with the change of skin. So maybe you should ask the OP for some clarification, hmmmmm?

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

68. Im all for second amendment rights

but also for private property rights. If the owners of these establishments have a *no fire arms* policy it should be obeyed..

[gulfcoastliberal]

81. If the stores serve cops wearing their service guns, why not also allow legally armed civilians?

I think it's silly for them to go around showing off their sidearms - but if it makes them happy, more power to them.

Take a look at what's happening in Oakland and Berkeley with gun-toting criminals robbing restaurant patrons:

East Bay restaurant robberies sow fear, anger

EMERYVILLE -- Cynthia Fung sank nearly everything into opening her own restaurant two years ago, an Asian tapas place in Emeryville where she hoped to "make customers smile."

Her dream took a beating Wednesday evening when two men stormed into the dining room with a semiautomatic gun and demanded money from the 20 or so customers and staff.

"We all feel very violated," Fung said Thursday as she prepared to open her place, Restaurant Furenzu on Adeline Street. "We've all worked so hard to build something here. It makes me mad but it also makes me feel very vulnerable."

Fung's restaurant became the eighth in the East Bay to be terrorized in a takeover robbery in the last three weeks. Police in Oakland, Emeryville and Berkeley and trying to determine whether the heists are related.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/17/BABV1079ST.DTL&tsp=1

I doubt these robberies would happen if the robbers knew lots of customers might be packing.

[SidDithers]

83. Which 2 eateries asked them to leave?...

'Cause those are the ones that get my business next time I'm driving through Virginia.

Sid

[jpljr77]

92. The group that sponsored the little "show of force" provides a list

of businesses that are "gun unfriendly". Very helpful if you want to reward certain places for standing up to them: http://www.vcdl.org/static/gue.html

[coriolis]

112. Thank you, that is useful for those of us who wish to avoid them.

:-)

[fascisthunter]

95. Great... Another Scared Dork with Something to Prove

I'm sure society feels safer already.

[devilgrrl]

114. GAWD forbid that he finds a fly in his soup.

I wonder how he reacts when other diners don't say grace before their meals.

:scared:

[fascisthunter]

131. Lol... I'm Sure He'll Be Polite

but man... did he really feel the need to wear is gun out in the open? Lol..... Was it to make him feel tougher, more manly, more dangerous or what?

Goofey..... yeah.

He's the perfect candidate for a "freakout"... but hey... that never happens to those who feel they need to carry a gun into a resturant. You never know when a danger will present itself. :crazy:

[krispos42]

126. Well, which is it?

Either violence crime is such a problem WE HAVE TO BAN GUNS, or there is so little violent crime that anybody that buys a gun to protect themselves is a PARANOID LUNATIC!!! And we have to BAN GUNS to keep the PARANOID LUNATICS from getting them!!!


Pick a side. Because I guarantee you that the people in this article, with the guns strapped to their hips, have a combined squeakly-clean criminal record.

[fascisthunter]

130. Lol.... yah. Funny thing is, I made Up my Mind

You just wish I didn't. Anybody wearing a gun so that all can see is either looking for attention or wants people to know they have a gun because they are scared of others. The person is a paranoid dork who needs a gun with him while he eats in a resturante.

I think his phot0 will make a great Poster


PS - try not defining my stance on an issue without knowing me. Thanks... nice try.

[krispos42]

152. In this case, it was a political statement.

You know, getting up and speaking out?

I doubt very much they do it on a regular basis, just like I doubt Code Pink paint their hands red every morning.

[fascisthunter]

173. Pretty Dorky way of Making a Statement

fess up... you know this is over the top. "wearing a gun in a restaurant" lol

What was his political statement really? Exactly... it's what makes him look like a huge dork and a coward who thinks carrying a gun is a righteous thing when in fact it's part of the problem. Self-perpetuation of militarizing society because of...because he should?..... um, because he can?.... or is it just because of fear and a great case of personal insecurity. Make up your minds as to why you need or want guns, because the political statement isn't working for him and isn't fooling anyone else.

Guy looks worse than a dork... he looks like a nut case whop feels the need to carry a gun in a restaurant.

[krispos42]

178. Please tell me how NOT wearing a gun is something brave and noble

You keep using that word, "coward", as if you expect a real man to simply do a Chuck Norris-style martial-arts asswhuppin' when they or theirs are attacked by human predators.


"Self-perpetutaiton of a militarizing society..." yeah, that's the root cause of our problems. Fuck fighting poverty or social injustice, right? Fuck unions or good American jobs. Fuck the single-income middle class or excellent educational systems. No, no, no, the real reason we have the crime and homicide rates that we have is because people with squeakly-clean criminal records want the right to carry concealed in public.

Expain to me how it's okay to have a nation full of poverty-stricken, poorly-educated, overstressed, underpaid, insecure families just as long as they aren't using guns to commit crimes.

"Cowards". Give me a break.

Here's a clue: when it comes to defending me and mine from an intruder or an attacker, I will use whatever tools give me the greatest advantage over the predator(s). This isn't a game. I don't give a mouse fart about "fairness".

If you want to give your attacker a hug and try to make them feel good about themselves, you go right ahead. I'm sure they'd really appreciate an in-depth psychoanalysis and some counseling to realize their true potential, and won't beat you into a bloody pulp just to work off some rage.

I'll handle things my own way.

[fascisthunter]

187. "brave and noble"... I Don't Know, But Maybe you can tell him

and others so they don't waste their time. Your words, not mine. Maybe he should stick to playing D&D.... or Wild Bill. He can then buy a big cowboy hat while he's at it.

Society is fine, gun nuts aren't and no amount of dorky behavior is going to change that. I know ya want the old days of the wild west when folks walked around with guns, but it aint gonna work. Enjoy the dorky efforts, I know I will.

[krispos42]

210. Yup, prejudiced and hate-filled

You are the type of person the NRA makes millions of dollars off of. Keep at it; Democrats are doing just fine with a bare squeaker of a majority in the House and Senate, aren't they?

[beevul]

223. Funny ain't it, Krispos?

The kind of bigotry you run into with these rabid fringe gun haters.

[krispos42]

242. It's truly amazing

All of a sudden, when it's guns, they have no problems at all with applying the same "One-Percent Doctrine" thinking that BushCheney apply to foreign countries.

Nor do they have any problem with BushCheney-style arguments and restrictions and disregard of the Constitution and common sence regarding guns. All of a sudden, "if it saves one life" is a working philosophy, even as they rage against warrantless wiretapping and denial of 5th and 6th amendment rights.

[LeftHander]

97. The unarmed diners int he resturant were jsut subjected to....

A dramatically increased risk of being shot by one of the many guns. I don;t think those little kids signed onto that risk.

[RamboLiberal]

141. And how would the diners be more exposed to being shot

Are the guns suddenly going to jump out of their holsters and start shooting?

That would be the last thing these people carrying would want. They sure aren't going to bring that kind of negative publicity down on themselves.

[LeftHander]

278. Raw statistical probability...

If a gun is in a room there is a increased chance of someone being injured by either accidental or intentional firing of the gun.

Studies showed that bringing a gun into a home with children increases the risk of one of those children dying in a gun related accident.

Despite all the best intentions...a gun in the first act goes off in the third...

I would rather face the odds of a gunman walking into a restaurant and randomly start shooting than to have a a dozen ass hats packing heat "because they can"" sitting around me.

I grew up with more guns on a daily than most and one thing is for sure. NO ONE in thier right mind would walk into a restaurant wearing a sidearm except the police.

Those fuckheads endangered all thew patrons n that restaurant needlessly.

[beevul]

279. If thats true...

If thats true:

"If a gun is in a room there is a increased chance of someone being injured by either accidental or intentional firing of the gun."

If thats true then gun shows and retail stores that sell guns SHOULD have a proportionate number of injuries because guns went off.


Do they?

[Harry Monroe]

286. But do they serve alcohol at gun shows and retail stores??

If some yahoo wants to carry his gun around, I think they should limit or forbid alcoholic beverages to him. I'm not up on this law, but it seems to be common sense that alcohol should be curtailed to someone carrying a firearm.

Alcohol and firearms, now there's a great mix!!:sarcasm:

[beevul]

288. That is the law, as I understand it.

"If some yahoo wants to carry his gun around, I think they should limit or forbid alcoholic beverages to him. I'm not up on this law, but it seems to be common sense that alcohol should be curtailed to someone carrying a firearm."

If someone is carrying openly or concealed, my understanding of the matter is that in any case, the person carrying the weapon may not be served alcohol.

I personally have no problem with that at all, and in places where this is not law, I would support such a law.

[slutticus]

98. Meh...

You want to freak out about something...freak out about this:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/17/BABV1079ST.DTL


I know which situation I'd rather be in.

And gun laws are quite tough in the Bay Area. People talk about the Wild West....well....it's still going strong in Oakland/SF. I hear more gunshots here in SF than I did when I lived in TX (and I lived in a not-so-good area).

[Duke Newcombe]

121. Shhhhh! You'll ruin the meme here...

..with, you know, FACTS and stuff.... :shrug:

Duke

[SidDithers]

109. Will guns be allowed on the convention floor...

at the Democratic convention in Denver?

Sid

[Blue_Tires]

110. i hope no one dropped a fork

the clang on the floor could unleash a hail of bullets, lol...

and as a poster upthread mentioned; if these law abiding gentlemen were not white, everyone in the place would have been silently dialing 911 on their cells...Just as a social experiment, I'd like to see how the restaurant would react.

[LanternWaste]

123. If it's legal-- more power to them.

If it's legal-- more power to them.

BUT...

These guys are precisely the reason I'm uncomfortable to be around civilian gun owners. You fellas go ahead and exercise your rights to carry around your weapons.

Meanwhile I'll exercise my rights to stay as far away from you as I can-- much like I exercise my rights to stay as far away as possible from Freepers, neo-cons, hunters, and those with no sense of humor.




(Insert obligatory, "It must suck to live in fear" reply here. Retort with obligatory, "I wouldn't know too much about that, but it's great to live with a modicum of prudence...")

[alarimer]

127. I prefer guns in the open so I know which paranoid assholes to avoid.

I would have left the restaurant if a bunch of gun-toting assholes did that while I was eating.

[devilgrrl]

129. I would have shouted "FREEZE!" just to see what would happen.

:popcorn:

[coriolis]

144. They obviously WERE in the open. Are you confused again?

:eyes:

[varkam]

132. Giant dork is right!

:rofl: Love the picture

[yellowcanine]

133. I am sure the ladies were happy to find out which men had small dicks.

Anyone man who finds it necessary to stand up in a restaurant and announce they are carrying a gun must have a small dick.

[beevul]

134. What about the women?

"Anyone man who finds it necessary to stand up in a restaurant and announce they are carrying a gun must have a small dick."

You are aware of the women who also stood up and were carrying?

Must they have small peni also?

[yellowcanine]

135. I don't know why a woman would participate in such an activity.

Not being a woman.

[supernova]

136. I wouldn't live anywhere that carrying weapons was the norm

Yeech.

What has NOVA turned into?

[coriolis]

145. North Carolina is a "shall issue" state, sweetpea

Shall-issue

A shall-issue jurisdiction, within the context of gun law, is one that requires a permit to carry a concealed handgun, but where the granting of such permits is subject only to meeting certain criteria laid out in the law; the granting authority has no discretion in the awarding of the permits. Such laws typically state that a granting authority shall-issue a permit if the criteria are met, as opposed to laws where the authority may-issue a permit at their discretion.

Typical permit requirements include residency, minimum age, submitting fingerprints, passing a background check, attending a certified handgun/firearms safety class, participating in a range check/qualification before a certified trainer (for demonstrating safe firearms handling and practical proficiency), and paying the required fee (if any). Minnesota is a classic "shall issue" state. <33>

Requirements also include certification that a person has never been diagnosed with a "mental illness," which include any condition which interferes with "normal life--" including trauma from being victim of prior crimes, or for which the person was diagnosed prior to the passage of the law.

These requirements vary by jurisdiction; for example, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Washington (with well over a million permit holders among them) have no safety certification requirement or range check.

The following are undisputed shall-issue states: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming. <34>

[supernova]

160. First of all: I'm not your god damn "sweetpea"; it's MS SUPERNOVA to you

Using terms of endearment to perfect strangers is a tactic to belittle and I won't put up with it.

I don't really care what the rest of the state does.

I don't want to live and do not live in an area where the majority of people carry weapons on their persons to restaurants and shopping malls, nor anywhere near the public square. Rifles and other sporting weapons belong out in the woods.

If you have a problem with anything I just said, you're the one with a problem.

[michreject]

195. I live in Greeneville, Tn

I come over to NC every Sat to shoot. I have a Tn. CCW that's honored in NC. I go to all the places you mentioned while armed. It's concealed though.

[krispos42]

157. It's not the norm, it was a political statement

A "stunt", perhaps. But it was an organized political event.

[coriolis]

143. Small-dicked men are those who won't defend themselves or their family/friends.

There are quite a few of them around here.
:grr:

edit: of course, some of them are women...

[Larkspur]

170. Actually small dicked men are the ones like this bozo who have to use braggadocio

and a weapon to prove their manhood.

[Fox Mulder]

185. Defend themselves from what?

The kids in the restaurant?

[last_texas_dem]

214. Deleted

ON EDIT: I made a crack about the dude in the khaki shorts looking like a threat to me, thinking he was a waiter and not realizing he was actually the guy who stood up and made the statement! I'm kind of surprised he's old enough to own a gun. He looks about fifteen...

[yellowcanine]

202. Uh huh. And who are they defending against in a family restaurant? The cook?

I call bullshit on that statement.

[beevul]

224. Nobody said they were...

Nobody said they were defending themselves against anything "in a family restaurant".

Straw man.


In case you didn't read the article, the open carrying in the OP and the standing and making a statement, were in direct response to the statement of an anti-gun politician.

[yellowcanine]

262. My response was not to the OP - your strawman tag is misdirected.

[beevul]

273. "And who are they defending against in a family restaurant?"

"And who are they defending against in a family restaurant?"

Your words.

Who is the "they" you refer to within them?

[Harry Monroe]

287. "Goddamn it, I said I wanted this steak medium rare!!"

"Now cook me one medium rare before I pop a cap in your ass!!"

[varkam]

215. That appetizer plate is coming right for us!

;)

[RamboLiberal]

137. A bunch of open carry advocates in PA had a dinner recently

at a Country Buffet in Dickson, PA and had 8 police cars show up. From reading the blogs I know 1 of them almost got arrested and had his backup (bug) gun confiscated cause it didn't show up in the PA State Police database (that's another issue with them that the state cops have that).

Story from a blog:

The facts are simple and not in dispute – a few folks, including families with small children, met up for dinner at the Old Country Buffet on Friday, May 9. Apparently a customer called the police to report that some of these people were openly carrying handguns. Next thing you know, Dickson City Patrolman Tony Mariano and female Officer Gallagher rolled up and proceeded to roust everyone away from their dinners, demanded identity documents from anyone they saw openly carrying guns, and seized the guns for some sort of Orwellian “serial number check.”

When Luzerne County resident Rich Banks and his wife Judy went over to the police and asked them what was going on, the police threatened to arrest Judy unless she turned off her camcorder, and then unlawfully arrested Rich when he declined to show identification<5> – Rich was then searched and placed in cuffs in a squad car. Rich’s 6 year old son was upset and crying and several of the women in the party became nearly hysterical.

For some time thereafter, squad cars full of police from the city of Scranton and Lackawanna County rolled up to assist in the illegal detention, ID checks, and serial number gun checks of these law abiding citizens just trying to eat dinner together.

Police start to get nervous

But something was wrong – Banks could see officers from the various jurisdictions franticly making cell phone calls and talking to each other – after a while, Officer Gallagher, the mean spirited officer in charge, who told Rich’s wife she did not want to be filmed because she might want to go back to “under cover work some day,” came over to Rich and said they were going to go easy on him and release him. But . . . Gallagher said he could not get his gun back until he “proved ownership” because there was no record of his gun in police records. Mr. Banks – a “gun smith” with a federal gun dealer license – explained to Gallagher that her seizure, arrest, and search of his person was unlawful and demanded his property be returned immediately because there was no more reason he had to prove he owned the gun than to prove he owned the TV in his house. Retorted an angry Gallagher, “I heard enough from you tonight!,” slamming the squad door in a huff.

Incredibly, officer Gallagher then claimed to have contacted unknown elements of the Lackawanna District Attorney’s office which allegedly ordered her not to return Banks’ gun until he “proved ownership.” Banks demanded a receipt from the police – so they wrote a note
So that’s the story – a bunch of police, acting like thugs, unlawfully roust and harass gun owners and their families for the crime of obeying the law – and then drive away after stealing a gun.

Police look for cover from restaurant management

As the police began winding down their Kafkaesque theater act, one of the officers asked the Old Country Buffett manager on duty if he “had any problems” with the group remaining at the restaurant. The manager responded laconically that “we had no problems ‘till you showed up.”

The law:

It’s pretty simple actually. Pennsylvania is like most states. There is no gun registration, and, generally, anyone 18 years of age or over can openly carry a handgun on foot without any license to do so, even while eating dinner. As a constitutional matter, a mere 911 call reporting a “man with a gun” does not allow the police to detain or search anyone. And while it is true that the Pennsylvania State Police maintain a handgun sales database consisting of information reported to them by Pennsylvania gun dealers, it is not a crime to own or carry a gun not listed in the database which only consists of guns transferred through Pennsylvania gun dealers anyway. And the police have no power to confiscate personal property for failure to carry proof of ownership.

What’s next?

Habeas Arma!

OpenCarry.org calls on the Lackawanna County District Attorney to order Mr. Banks gun returned to him immediately without any further demands for “proof of ownership,” whatever that is supposed to mean.

Further, we call for the suspension and prosecution of Patrolman Mariano and Officer Gallagher and any member of the Lackawanna District Attorney’s office involved in this travesty for violations of civil rights under federal and Pennsylvania law, including Pennsylvania’s “Official Oppression statute.”

Finally, Dickson City Police Chief William Stadnitski had better get his Department under control such that no officer ever treat guns like “contraband” or gun owners like second class citizens. And it looks like the Chief knows his officers’ were out of control – this incident has not been posted to his Daily Activity report at Police.

http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/second-amendment-discussion-news/49239-disckson-city-pa-steal-gun-violate-2nd-amendment-well-other-laws.html

[avenger64]

138. Awesome day for the constitution ...

... and the 'giant dork' has got a Beretta, looks like. If you outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns - like in Chicago. Just ask Senator Obama.

[LanternWaste]

236. God-- I love bumper-sticker philosophies...

"If you outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns"
Police won't have weapons? The Military won't have weapons?

If you outlaw guns, only outlaws will accidentally shoot their children..."
God-- I love bumper-sticker philosophies... they're like mad libs in an otherwise respectable book collection...

Not that I'm saying whether I'm a supporter or not of CCW laws, only that you really should check out a book on critical thinking from the library to replace those hand-me-down, stale T-shirt slogans.

[avenger64]

243. What's amazing is when the bumper-sticker philosophies prove true....

... as the have in Chicago.

But if you'd care to discuss Heidegger's views on humanism, or Derrida on differance, let it rip. I actually know a thing or two about formal philosophy as well.

[Paladin]

146. Anybody Who Elects To Openly Carry A Firearm In Public.....

....is leaving behind any notion of reasonable self defence and is involved in overt, deliberate intimidation of those they come in contact with. They're displaying their weaponry in the devout hope that they'll get to use it, and they are exhibiting the exact sort of twisted, bully-boy attitudes that ought to prohibit them from getting anywhere near a gun.

And bravo to those two restaurants who told these vigilante-wannabe jerkoffs to get lost. May more and more establishments make the same wise decision, as is their right.

[beevul]

151. Come on now...

You can't possibly believe the things you just posted.

[Paladin]

196. I Stand By My Comments

Said comments being the product of better than four decades of associating with the gun culture in this country, watching shooting sports get trashier and more low-rent with every passing year, and finanally finding something else to do with my time.

Tell you what, sport: howzabout providing us all with some entertainment? Give us your description of the thought process (if "thought" is really the proper term)involved in an individual foregoing concealed carry and instead openly toting a handgun in public? What's the best spin you can put on such a move? And no "because the law says he can" or "that's the way the founding fathers wanted it" cop-outs, OK? Looking forward to a good laugh.....

[beevul]

218. Ok then...

"Tell you what, sport: howzabout providing us all with some entertainment? Give us your description of the thought process (if "thought" is really the proper term)involved in an individual foregoing concealed carry and instead openly toting a handgun in public? What's the best spin you can put on such a move? And no "because the law says he can" or "that's the way the founding fathers wanted it" cop-outs, OK? Looking forward to a good laugh....."


Hows about I give you the thought process of this exact event...Will that be good enough for you? Your questions could be answered by *gasp* reading the article, and having any interest at all in finding out for yourself, but that might break your bigoted little bubble I reckon. Here ya go:

""The Champps appearance and several other restaurant visits throughout northern Virginia last month were a response to comments from the majority leader in the state Senate, Democrat Richard Saslaw, who said armed patrons would be unwelcome in northern Virginia restaurants ."

"In most urban areas, you walk into a restaurant with a gun on your hip, they're going to tell you to get out," Saslaw said.

In fact, with a few exceptions, the gun owners got their meals. The group went to eight different restaurants in April _ including the Fuddruckers burger chain and the McLean Family Restaurant and more often than not their presence failed to generate a stir. At two eateries, they were asked to leave.

That would be the same 'Saslaw' that said:

"I see we're debating a gun bill today. Half of the cast of Deliverance is in town."

http://progunprogressive.com/?p=836


So there you have it Champ. No "because the law says he can" or "that's the way the founding fathers wanted it" cop-outs.


Don't run short on breath laughing now.

[mvccd1000]

241. Re: howzabout providing us all with some entertainment?

Paladin wrote: "Tell you what, sport: howzabout providing us all with some entertainment? Give us your description of the thought process (if "thought" is really the proper term)involved in an individual foregoing concealed carry and instead openly toting a handgun in public?"

That's simple enough, and you can probably read about it at VCDL's website. Those diners simply wanted everyone else to see that a large group of normal people can eat dinner - wearing guns - without getting in a shootout if the waiter brings cold soup, or the cashier rings up the bill wrong, or the bathroom is out of toilet paper.

Surely there were SOME people present who are not so prejudiced against gun-owners that they may have realized, "Hey, maybe all those stereotypes are wrong. 20 people with guns in here tonight, and there wasn't a single shootout."

Seems simple enough to grasp.

[Larkspur]

171. Well said

These pro-gun nuts who want guns everywhere are bullies. Someday Karma may make them regret it.

[fascisthunter]

175. You Nailed It (nt)

[Fox Mulder]

184. Agreed.

[beevul]

190. I can not help...

I can not help noticing how parallel your stance is to the bigots that say "gays kissing or holding hands in public are just trying to be in everyones face about it".


Bigotry is bigotry, and it has no place on DU.

big·ot·ry

1. stubborn and complete intolerance of any creed, belief, or opinion that differs from one's own.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bigotry

[Paladin]

200. That's Just Sad

Come to think of it though, maybe I am a bit bigoted---against little douchebags tromping into a public place brandishing firearms, and then willfully disrupting other peoples' activities with an unwanted political diatribe, all as part of a pathetic little publicity stunt they actually think might make them look Really Cool. Yeah, I gotta admit, there may be some bigotry at work there.

Of course, I'm fairly bigoted against gun-wielding maniacs turning schools, office buildings and restaurants into slaughterhouses on such a frequent basis in this country. I guess that kind of bigotry just doesn't have any place here at DU as far as you're concerned, right? Nice touch with the gay comparison, though--tell you what, the next time a gay kiss turns a public place into a blood-soaked nightmare, I promise to stop laughing long enough to give your comparison the attention it deserves....

ass.hole

(Oh hell, look it up yourself)

[beevul]

216. Insults...how quaint. And predictable.

"Come to think of it though, maybe I am a bit bigoted---against little douchebags tromping into a public place brandishing firearms, and then willfully disrupting other peoples' activities with an unwanted political diatribe, all as part of a pathetic little publicity stunt they actually think might make them look Really Cool. Yeah, I gotta admit, there may be some bigotry at work there."


I see. I suppose some could say Rosa parks "willfully disrupted other peoples' activities" too, but I bet you have no problem with that. Yep, bigotry.

"Of course, I'm fairly bigoted against gun-wielding maniacs turning schools, office buildings and restaurants into slaughterhouses on such a frequent basis in this country. I guess that kind of bigotry just doesn't have any place here at DU as far as you're concerned, right? Nice touch with the gay comparison, though--tell you what, the next time a gay kiss turns a public place into a blood-soaked nightmare, I promise to stop laughing long enough to give your comparison the attention it deserves...."


Of course, yet the people who are the subject of this thread just weren't doing any of that...and yet you reguard them as if they did or were going to. Tell you what. Next time you read about a bunch of open carry proponents "turning schools, office buildings and restaurants into slaughterhouses" you go ahead and let everyone know. At least then there will be a shred of truth and credibility to what you have to say on this matter.

Currently...Not so much.

[beevul]

225. Oh, and by the way...

"Come to think of it though, maybe I am a bit bigoted---against little douchebags tromping into a public place brandishing firearms..."

For someone who claims to have been involved in shooting sports, you sure do seem to have trouble telling the difference between guns that stayed holstered like the ones in the OP, and brandishing a firearm, which is a crime.


That was just an accident, right?

[Paladin]

261. "Brandish" Was Properly Used (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

You know, I had two or three responses I was going to send your way, but given Mike Huckabee's little "joke" at the NRA convention today (and our resident DU gun militants' predictable silence about it), I've lost all enthusiasm for dealing with gun nuts. Catch me later when I don't feel so much like puking....

[beevul]

275. Only if your being disingenuous. N/T

[LanternWaste]

237. Does that apply to both side of the argument

"stubborn and complete intolerance of any creed, belief, or opinion that differs from one's own. "

Does your application of bigotry apply to both side of the argument, or only the one that opposes your opinion?

Because (and let's be honest here) there are lines drawn in the sand, intractable positions, and intolerance emanating from both sides of this most genteel debate...

[beevul]

255. You tell me.

""stubborn and complete intolerance of any creed, belief, or opinion that differs from one's own. "

Does your application of bigotry apply to both side of the argument, or only the one that opposes your opinion?

Because (and let's be honest here) there are lines drawn in the sand, intractable positions, and intolerance emanating from both sides of this most genteel debate... "



Is it the people who have no problem with those open carrying making all the "its a penis extender comments?

Is it the people who have no problem with those open carrying making all the "its because of some inadeqacy" comments?

Is it the people who have no problem with those open carrying making all "they just want to look tough" comments?

Is it the people who have no problem with those open carrying spewing even half the venom in this thread?

[Redneck Socialist]

150. Shrug

Open carry is legal in VA, just as in many other states, mine included. I occasionally see someone lugging a sidearm around. It strikes me that you would be inviting a hassle from the cops with open carry, but it's not much to get exercised over.

[ruby slippers]

155. I think the look on the little blond boy's face behind him tells it all....

[DFW]

156. I've been in that McLean Family Restaurant lots of times

There are all kinds that go there to eat. It's run by a nice immigrant family who probably
freaked when these armed nuts showed up, but were too scared to say anything. This place
caters to all kinds, office workers, Agency types (Langley is just down the road), working
class folks, diplomats, other immigrants, etc.

The law is what it is, but having to make a point of showing up in force like that is sick.
What is the matter with these guys? Is their inferiority complex so enormous that they have
to go make a point of competing with the Dalton Gang? I have to wonder what would make them
happier--nothing ever happening, or some gang of drug runners opening fire on them in a
restaurant, starting a famous headline-grabbing battle with a couple of dozen casualties?
I suspect the latter. If you're not looking for trouble, don't go around acting like you are.

[ChazII]

163. Little to stare at or make a fuss about

imho. However, I live in a state that has both conceal and open carry.:evilgrin:

[Junkdrawer]

165. They're bring the war, back home...and without ever being there in the first place...

a little bit of Baghdad for your dining pleasure.

[RebelOne]

166. Georgia -- Governor Perdue Permits Guns In Restaurants, MARTA

www.wsbtv.com/news/16263192/detail.html

[aikoaiko]

174. This is great news.

I didn't think Sonny would sign it -- the Restaurant association was really putting the heat on him.

[Junkdrawer]

172. Not content in spraying their paranoia all over Internet discussion boards...

The gun nuts move to destroy dining night out for families across the land.

Good work, Bozos, good work.

[Fox Mulder]

180. I'm willing to bet the guy in that photo has a very tiny penis.

[Buns_of_Fire]

186. I'm glad to see he opted for a simple, basic black holster to go with the beige shorts.

I find it VERY hard to properly accessorize when I'm wearing earth tones and a 9mm semiautomatic.

[Dukkha]

199. note to self: don't eat at Champps anymore

though I typically don't dine in fattening dives for armchair jocks like that anyway.

[rocktivity]

201. He stood and announced that he and others were armed?

He's lucky he and his pals were mistaken for a robbery gang! He could have started a stampede!

:headbang:
rocknation

[GoneOffShore]

203. I'd have thrown them out if it was my restaurant.

This is not the wild west.

There is no need to carry a weapon when going to a restaurant.

These guys obviously have "issues". And I'm not talking about the 2nd Amendment.

[Fox Mulder]

206. I would've done the same thing.

[Elidor]

207. "failed to generate a stir"

What are they gonna do? Stand up and start start some shit with guys with guns? "Hey, fuck you guys!"

[KeithO]

208. Governor of GA passed a similar bill

Even though the Mayor or Atlanta protested the governor or GA signed a similar bill into law, GOOD for Him! I was held up there once and would have one less scar if I had been allowed to carry.

[L. Coyote]

209. It's a tradition. HTF do you suppose the Indians were killed? Not with rocks.

[lanlady]

229. I'd like to see them try this provocative shit--

--at a restaurant on the Virginia Tech campus.

Carrying guns into a private business which serves families with young children. How manly man that must make them feel.

[pinniped]

230. I wouldn't put anything past these whackjobs.

These tough guys would probably carry their piece at a kid's birthday party.

There's a group of nuts in CA that pull these restaurant stunts.

[Jack_DeLeon]

276. If you owned a gun and regularily carried it...

wouldnt you?

I'm licensed to carry and choose to do so on a regularly, primarily to protect my self, family, friends, and property in the unlikely event that the need should arise. I dont have any kids but I wouldnt see any good reason why I wouldnt continue to carry at their birthday seeing how I carry most every other place. What more important place is there to protect that the area my family is currently at?

Carrying a firearm is a serious responsibility I can understand how some people can feel that they dont want that responsibility and thus choose not to exercise that particular right. For myself I'd rather not leave my safety complete in the hands of strangers.

[MrScorpio]

234. I left all the gun nuts behind

Good riddance

[EstimatedProphet]

238. Some of the responses on this thread are hilarious!

I don't particularly care for the protest these guys did. It's grandstanding IMO. But the people that jump to the conclusion that everyone was automatically in so much more danger, that the gun owners all have itchy trigger fingers just waiting for an excuse to plug someone for bumping into them or coughing a little too loudly, are really cracking me up. According to the article, this group has done this 8 times now, and amazingly not one single person has been shot yet! How could that possibly be?

[Junkdrawer]

240. As a Brady supporter, I kinda hope this is repeated across the country...

I GUARANTEE you that most of the patrons didn't go away thinking "Gee, isn't it great that guns can be brandished openly now."

[EstimatedProphet]

246. I don't care whether they did or not

I don't carry openly or concealed, and although this is a protest, and maybe even a valid one, I still think there's an element of grandstanding. I just note that some people have a built-in reaction that they assume wherever a gun is present, it will automatically be used - as if, because these people went to this restaurant carrying a gun, they were automatically intending to use it, and looking for an excuse. Apparently people are surprised that no one was shot by these people in similar trips to 8 restaurants. There's 80 million gun owners in this country, and the vast majority of them don't shoot people, and never will!

[beevul]

257. That saw again...

If you can't tell the difference between peacefully carrying a holstered weapon, versus actually brandishing a weapon which is a crime - or choose to make no distinction - why should anyone listen to a word you say on the topic?


Oh, and you do realise that the bradys are led by a repuke dont you?

[Junkdrawer]

259. Please...more protests like this...pretty please....

I'd say you'd be shooting yourself in the foot, but that's too obvious a pun...

[sofa king]

247. Ah, good old Chumpps.

When I lived up that way that place was well known as the local meat market. Its previous incarnation (or a close cousin, a sports bar called Champions), a couple of miles down 606, had something of a reputation for cocaine and fights breaking out--but that was back in the days of Bush the Smarter. Paradoxically, it was also the preferred place for off-duty cops to hang out (the ones I knew were not coke-heads). The point being that guns in the bar is hardly a new phenomenon in Reston.

Generally, I view the concealed carry laws here in Virginia with indifference. On the one hand, I hope that carrying a weapon instills a greater sense of responsibility in those who do so. On the other, I know that serving alcohol to people with guns in bound to end up in tragedy sooner or later.

[NNN0LHI]

253. If these guys with guns had been Muslims or black people SWAT would have been called immediately

No questions asked. These diners in the photo would be huddling with their kids under their tables rather than munching on a chicken leg in that situation. All the news organizations and Fatherland Security would have been called also. It would have gotten ugly real quick and everyone knows this too.

Don

[Jack_DeLeon]

258. I support gun rights activism even though I prefer to carry concealed.

I carry most places.

[One_Life_To_Give]

260. No outcry during the DNC

And those restaurants were loaded with gun toting people.

[cornermouse]

265. I'd be asking for a doggie bag or a refund.

[and-justice-for-all]

267. My partner is always packing heat..

never leaves home without it.

[cornermouse]

277. A question for all the pro-gun people posting here.

When you go somewhere that they have a "guns not allowed" sign posted in outside or in the window do you go back to your car and put your gun away or do you ignore the sign and go in with your gun anyway?

[beevul]

280. I don't actually carry a gun...

But if I did, I would respect the wished of the property owner in your example.


Do you think others would do differently?

[cornermouse]

282. Not exactly the same thing, certainly,

but I can't tell you how many times I have seen people smoking on property that is clearly posted "no smoking" (sometimes next to the no smoking on property sign) and was wondering after the story about a bunch of people carrying guns into the restaurant if the gun owners were any different. That's all.

[BlooInBloo]

281. Because cigarettes are a bigger health risk than guns.

:eyes:

Just sayin.