I call it "Gun and Done". If I'm in a business and see a gun, I'm out of there. I don't care if I

[brewens]

ordered an expensive meal. Businesses can ban guns on their premises. If they don't want to, I suggest we make them want to.

[Applan]

1. I'm the same

Just not worth the risk

[lindysalsagal]

2. Agreed. Problem is, they're so easy to conceal.

I will not be traveling out in the boondocks of any hyper-carry gun states at all.

[Peacetrain]

3. I am right behind you!!

[Scrivener7]

4. I do too.

[KarenS]

5. I left a grocery store once,,,,

because of a man with a gun in a holster,,,, I went to customer service and told them I was leaving and why,,,,

[markodochartaigh]

17. I would put my shopping basket down,

leave through the nearest door, and call customer service from the parking lot.

[drmeow]

55. emailed instead of called

But pretty much the same - stopped shopping and walked out

[allegorical oracle]

160. Plan to do the same. But believe complaints should go above the store management level. If it's a

big box store or franchise, phone or message them at the owner/corporate level from home. Could make a difference if enough of us regularly did that.

[markodochartaigh]

162. Very good point. As we move more toward corporatocracy

it will be more and more important for consumers, formerly citizens, to hold corporations accountable and let them know that we will not buy from corporations "who" support authoritarian policies. In my opinion we, as a nation, missed a golden opportunity when many corporations said after the January 6 coup attempt that they would no longer support politicians who attempted to overthrow democracy in the US and then the corporations went back on their support for democracy. When the corporations went back on their promises we should have had mass protesters in front of their headquarters telling them that if they want us to buy their products they can't support insurrectionist politicians.

[marybourg]

33. I did the exact same 2 things.

[rownesheck]

128. A customer did the same at my store once.

All i would ask is that when you do that, call the corporate customer service line or email them, because store level employees can't do anything. Corporate won't listen to their employees either, but they will listen to customers if enough of them call.

[KarenS]

135. excellent point,,,, n/t

[lamp_shade]

6. Same here, brewens.

[leftyladyfrommo]

7. I would be gone. nt

[SouthernDem4ever]

8. Same here

And you should see the morons carrying guns around here. I wouldn't even trust them with a pocket knife.

[wnylib]

9. For sure. I will not stay where there is a gun.

[AndyS]

10. I've done this at a restaurant. Left my meal half eaten and said "GUN!" to the hostess

over my shoulder.

[ShazzieB]

11. I have literally never seen anyone openly carrying a gun in a place of business.

If I ever do, it'll probably be while traveling, because my state does not allow open carry, with or without a permit. And I will definitely leave the premises if it ever happens, no matter what state I'm in.

[tavernier]

43. Big Lots.

He was 50-ish, quite large, with his mom. She wasn’t particularly elderly or helpless. Made me feel uncomfortable enough to leave, even though he didn’t give off threatening vibe.

Rural Indiana.

[drmeow]

59. Arizona (the gun irony state!)

One of the dollar stores - I have idea which one. Middle aged man - don't recall anything else, I just saw handgun in holster and male and put down my basket and left

[tavernier]

65. Color me uncertain

But my money says customers would rather leave than shop with him there.

[Squaredeal]

51. I live in a progressive state. No open carry or concealed carry without cause here.

Even the hunters don’t openly display their guns as they wait to enter the woods where I live.

[Luciferous]

54. I did when I lived in Mississippi

[Kaleva]

67. Open carry is legal in MI and I have yet to see anyone do so

Other then hunters

[napi21]

81. Ipm noit trying to be a smartass here, but it depends oin where you are. I loived in Tx for 9 yrs.

and I saw open carry there quite often. I remember the first guy I saw who was wearing a gun belt with a revolver on each hip. Most people aren't that showy. After a few weeks I g9ot used to it & didn'ot paqy much attention. I will say though, you'll never find those folks shooting up a school! The majority of ther people I met who were openly armed feel they live in Texas & thats whast real Texans do.

BTW, I lived in San Antonio, so it wasn't some littloe town in West Tx. where thererr are only farms & open prarie.

[edisdead]

126. I have.

[orleans]

140. same (illinois)

and i have zero intention of *ever* going to a red state; nope nope nope nope

[DENVERPOPS]

12. Same here,

but I always ask the person if they are in law enforcement. Police are not only ALLOWED to concealed carry when they are off duty, but actually REQUIRED to carry a weapon when they are off duty. along with Department ID, and also a pen and paper................

If they aren't a LEO, I am out of there..............

[NullTuples]

13. You trust cops not to shoot innocent people, then? Not me...

[DENVERPOPS]

58. I would trust most off duty cops,

carrying a concealed weapon, far more than I would trust most civilians...............

[NullTuples]

77. Including rural sheriff's deputies?

Your faith in their training, their abilities and their subculture is much higher than mine.

[DENVERPOPS]

87. Nope, I said Police

Sheriff deputies are in an entire different group................

The law enforcement officers that I by far trust the most? Colorado State Patrol officers. I have had the opportunity to talk to them on many occasions during my lifetime. There wasn't a single time that I wasn't amazed at how courteous they were, how polite, how professional and also fair.......

I wouldn't drive down south, from Florida to Texas even thru major cities with their flavor of Policing. Arizona is also one of the worst.
Arizona cops tried to pull a fast one on my ex wife a couple of years ago.............Big Mistake, BIG. They should know better than to corruptly screw with an Attorney, but they don't. They sure learned the hard way.

[sarisataka]

41. You are so concerned

About an armed person that you will leave the business, but first you will engage the armed person in conversation. That seems illogical.

[old as dirt]

89. I sure as hell ain't gonna have a chat with him first.

Nobody's paying me to police the place.

[thatdemguy]

53. You need to look up the numbers on crimes committed by cops

Depending on which state and study you look at cops are between 4 and 12 times more likely to commit a crime with a gun then a legal permitted gun carrier. They are also more likely to commit felonies than permitted carriers.

I used to be pretty much of the school no one needs a gun, and people did not need assault weapons or to carry guns, but posts here made me change my mind. I did some self reflecting on that and it was rough.

[LisaM]

117. Does that stat hold up for crimes committed in businesses?

I think the OP was saying they'd leave a business if they saw someone with a gun and the seemingly random mass shootings we worry about don't seem to be committed by off-duty cops.

I don't dispute your findings, I just wonder if it applies to mass shootings in public places of business.

[thatdemguy]

130. its gun crimes and crimes in general

I have never seen it broken down by in our outside a business. My other response is if you see a gun there is a good chance its an off duty cop, most non cops try to hide em pretty well.

Now as a side note I used to know the owner of a 7-11 in baltimore city, he closed the store because he was getting robbed blind by the cops. He used to try to figure out how he 10-12 cartoons of cigs a week short. He caught two cops taking cigs, he would go to the bathroom when cops came in thinking he was safe doing so. He started faking trips to the bathroom and watching his cameras, almost every cop that came in grabbed 2-3 packs from him if given a chance. He said this was happening 5 or 6 times a day on average over 24 hours. Do the math two cops come in, take 4 or 5 packs and have that happen 5 times a day. He also started catching them putting 2 or 3 candy bars in their pockets, esp the late night cops.

He went to IA for baltimore city police, they just told the cops doing it to stop, and the cops told him " hope you never get robbed, we wont be coming"

[orleans]

143. wow -- what a bunch of douchebags. nt

[themaguffin]

14. I've never encountered it, but I would too & I would tell management why.

[SYFROYH]

15. Not me. Why would I leave?

[Skittles]

18. to let businesses know gun humping cowards should not be welcomed?

JUST A THOUGHT

[SYFROYH]

22. Just the ones you see, though.

I don’t worry about a civilian open carrying a holstered handgun any more than I do with cops who open carry.

Of course people are free protest as they like, but I don’t care if a business bans guns or not.

[Skittles]

35. well alrighty then

[tavernier]

38. I don't stay in a store where someone is dangling his penis.

Might be legal but I don’t want to see it.

[oldsoftie]

88. I wasnt aware that it was was legal to do that in ANY state.

[SYFROYH]

114. Everybody has their non-kink. You're entitled.

[EarnestPutz]

20. This suggests the quandry that I have regarding "open" versus "concealed" carry. I've thought....

....that concealed carry should be illegal because if someone has a gun in public, I feel that I should have the right to know that they have a gun. The gun nuts argument against this is that their concealed gun is for for their protection and they do not want to create fear in others by openly displaying it. If one leaves the store because a customer has an open carry gun, it begs the question about staying in a store that may have unbalanced folks with hidden guns.

[SYFROYH]

23. Yep

[uponit7771]

24. How do you 100% know that idiot with the gun isn't wanting to blow people away? thx in advance

[SYFROYH]

27. The same way I don't know when someone is ...

…legally or illegally carrying concealed.

The answer is I don’t, but that doesn’t change if I leave and go to another store.

[uponit7771]

28. But in the case someone shows you a gun then you know they're carrying, my question relates ...

... to the open idiots vs the concealed.

[SYFROYH]

31. Either way it doesn't bother me.

Odds are that no shooting will occur

[old as dirt]

32. We're running.

I'm not going to risk my own life and the lives of my family.



Fuck the NRA.

[SheltieLover]

16. I do this as well!

[moreland01]

19. Same here.

Hubby and I made that pact a few years ago. We live in Northern Colorado. Had to leave a plumbing store and the line at the Costco gas station so far.

And now we have a gun humper running for City Council in our very liberal city. I don't believe he'll win. Find out in November.

[3catwoman3]

79. It's very last minute, but you get my last heart.

I love Colorado. Went to grad school in Denver.

I hate guns.

[moreland01]

116. Why, thank you.

[2naSalit]

21. Unless there's a badge with that gun...

I'm gone.

[fescuerescue]

25. There are so many concealed vs the exposed ones

I don't think this increases our safety much at all.

Pretty much any building with customers has concealed carry holders, or off duty cops.

Every once in awhile, I'll see one carrying non-concealed. I figure if it was a mass shooter, they would either be hiding the gun, or shooting it.

[Straw Man]

34. This.

I figure if it was a mass shooter, they would either be hiding the gun, or shooting it.

[llmart]

37. It's not only about the safety...

it's also about sending a message loud and clear to the establishment that they will lose business.

[SouthernDem4ever]

42. The only place carrying a gun into a business looks half normal

is john wayne in a saloon in the 1800s waiting for miss kitty.

[fescuerescue]

98. I don't care about the business balance sheet or P&L

I care about the safety.

If it's not about safety, then it's just about imposing our will for ego purposes.

[republianmushroom]

26. agree

[fierywoman]

29. I played in the orchestra in Mexico City that was founded by the First Lady of Mexico. She

often came to our rehearsals and concerts (sometimes with her husband, the President.) Wherever she went, she was surrounded by a few dozen guys with sub-machine guns across their chests. Nothing quite like playing Beethoven's Eroica symphony with a few dozen guys with serious guns ready to pounce at any moment ...

[róisín_dubh]

107. I was at an eco village in very remote Michoacan back in 2008.

We were sitting around a fire and I got up to step away from the group to smoke. I found myself face to face with a couple of extremely well-armed men. I nearly shat myself. Turns out, one of the women there (late 20s, about my age) was the daughter of a perennial left-wing candidate for governor in the state. So she had protection.
I got the hell out of there and decided to take my chance with the spiders in my cabin (I have severe arachnophobia) rather than sit out there with armed men or there charge, who was one of those leftists who could not conceive of US leftist activism (we're not "left" enough for her apparently).
I hate guns.

[Mr.Bill]

30. Hardly ever see it here in California.

I don't know if the law has changed, but it used to be legal for the proprietor of a business to be armed. You sometimes saw them in pawn shops or check cashing services where there is a lot of cash on the premises.

[TNNurse]

36. Unless it is an officer in a recognizable uniform,

that is my plan. With an explanation to management why.

[Iggo]

75. Even if it's cops.

I just make less of a scene about leaving if it’s cops…lol.

[wildcats75]

39. I'm Outta There, Too!

The whole open carry thing is absolutely crazy and all these right-wing officials in these states that pushed for this should have their heads examined. I know the whole thing is to appeal to all the gun worshipers in their states, but do they realize people's thoughts if they are out with their families or friends when some Billy Bob walks in with a gun strapped to his waist. It's ludicrous that these laws keep getting passed with more frequency when people are gunned down weekly. I always laugh when I see people screaming about the Constitution and the second amendment. Hey, that was over 200 years ago and we aren't arming a state or national militia anymore. This is 2023 not 1797 or 1939.

[vanlassie]

40. I taught this to my young kids.

“If you are ever at a friends house, and you see a gun, you LEAVE RIGHT AWAY! Just LEAVE RIGHT AWAY! I was a bit dramatic on purpose. I only mentioned it if the subject came up, peripherally.

[oldsoftie]

90. Well, thats a TOTALLY different situation. Too many times a kid will want to "show" everyone.

And too many times someone will pull the trigger looking at it.

[vanlassie]

131. Yep. And when you live in Red Land...

Hint: Several Trump flags still fly in my neighborhood…. You know these dumb shits have guns in their houses. Terrifying.

[keithbvadu2]

44. Survived a trip to the grocery store

[Skittles]

47. what a fucking coward

PATHETIC

[live love laugh]

71. Or the dairy aisle survived him.

[3catwoman3]

80. Sticking a gun down your pants seems like...

…courting trouble. Maybe he’ll shoot his ass off.

[keithbvadu2]

82. I just f'ing shot myself

I just f'ing shot myself

[keithbvadu2]

84. Trumpster shoots his own crotch to impress the libs.

https://www.comicsands.com/trump-supporter-gun-crotch-liberals-2647034315.html

Trump Supporter Trying To 'Trigger Liberals' By Aiming Gun At His Crotch Ends Up Shooting Himself In The Groin

https://www.google.com/search?q=Points+Loaded+Gun+At+Genitals+To+%E2%80%98Own+Libs%E2%80%99+Accidentally+Shoots+His+Crotch&sxsrf=AJOqlzWByjenoFrLmEG6LnvADMz3pK-dlQ%3A1676522194381&source=hp&ei=0rLtY4X6FMat5NoP9rmBmAM&iflsig=AK50M_UAAAAAY-3A4vBoHuoRG3YiUXGfHHa9Ry15x2Yd&ved=0ahUKEwiFq-jum5n9AhXGFlkFHfZcADMQ4dUDCBM&oq=Points+Loaded+Gun+At+Genitals+To+%E2%80%98Own+Libs%E2%80%99+Accidentally+Shoots+His+Crotch&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAxQAFgAYMQSaABwAHgAgAGfAYgBnwGSAQMwLjGYAQCgAQKgAQE&sclient=gws-wiz

[3catwoman3]

86. I have seen this many, many times, and I ROFL...

...every time. Maybe it shouldn't be funny, but it is - the way it is set to music is perfect.

[oldsoftie]

91. This pic is a perfect example of open carry being for SUCKERS & FOOLS

If anyone wanted to mess with that person, the gun in his rear is EASILY taken from him before he even knows he's being attacked. And the second gun isn't much safer either.
The only gun he's carrying safely is the one on his shirt.
What an idiot.

[appleannie1]

123. I would not have waited to find out if he survived the dairy aisle or not.

By the time he was leaving the store, I would have been 20 miles away shopping somewhere else while my frozen food dripped all over the floor under the cart I had left in the middle of the store he was in.

[hunter]

141. A real life Elmer Fudd

wikipedia

It's a good thing I live in California where that sort of behavior is illegal and socially unacceptable.

I tend to be a bit outspoken about this sort of thing.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

45. OK but do you pay for your meal before you leave

[old as dirt]

64. Before???!!! We'll just run.

Our lives are much more important than mere money.

OK but do you pay for your meal before you leave

The check can be settled any time.

There's no hurry.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

69. So do you like leap up and tear out of there, or just casually get up and walk out in a way that

doesn't attract the attention of the person carrying?

[old as dirt]

70. Run like hell (nt)

[Lancero]

110. Well, that's a interesting defense for a dine and dash.

[old as dirt]

120. I've said nothing resembling "dine and dash".

Well, that's a interesting defense for a dine and dash.

Don’t fall for NRA propaganda designed to justify the shooting of people who run away by defining us as criminals.

Running away is NOT a crime.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

137. If you run away without paying from a perceived threat without any evidence of an actual crime,

that's considered a crime, it's called defrauding an innkeeper.

But, if you feel that's the best course of action, then be prepared to face the consequences of your decision.

[old as dirt]

138. Tough guy, huh?

If you run away without paying from a perceived threat without any evidence of an actual crime,

that's considered a crime, it's called defrauding an innkeeper.

But, if you feel that's the best course of action, then be prepared to face the consequences of your decision

All you got is NRA threats.

You think you can scare us all into submission with threats of false criminal accusations and prison.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

139. LOL,

remember, as you're running away, don't trip on any stone that may be in your space, it may impede your flight to safety.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

142. Hmmm,

no reply? No accusations of NRA talking points?
Did I strike a nerve?

Remember, be careful where you run, there might be a stone in the space you're running in.

[old as dirt]

158. What sort of reply do you want?

You aren't going to scare me into submission with legal threats.

Hmmm,

no reply? No accusations of NRA talking points?
Did I strike a nerve?

When I just sit there and let murderous open carry gunhumper like this shoot me and my family just to please some internet lawyer, then you'll know you struck a nerve.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

111. Whatever you do,

don't trip over any stone that might be in your space while running away, you might fall and injure yourself.

[old as dirt]

121. I'll do my best, BlueManDude (nt)

[appleannie1]

124. I would not take the time to stop to do that. I would be gone.

[WarGamer]

46. I suggest everyone follow their instinct...

Let the system adjust.

[Bo Zarts]

48. 100% with you

[Elessar Zappa]

49. I don't see open carry often but

when I do, I don’t let it bother me. It does identify them as an idiot and a cowards so there’s that.

[Red Mountain]

50. I quit a barber

after he had multiple....over several visits.....people come in visibly packing.

2 out of 3 were twitchy. Couldn't sit and wait. Up down, up down. Looking out the windows. Maybe they were just waiting on a ride.

Now this was just a couple of doors over from a gun shop.....but at some point any reasonable person HAS to wonder......'what they hell are you so worried about'?

Not interested in becoming collateral damage.

[Evolve Dammit]

62. packing and twitchy. Never good.

[moonscape]

52. I live in a very liberal CA coastal

community and have never seen an open-carry gun. I would freak out. On this I’m a definite snowflake. The only gun I ever held and shot was skeet shooting one afternoon in the early 70’s. Oh, and a bb gun once in the early 80’s. Definitely gun sheltered.

[Artcatt]

56. Works for me..

[moonshinegnomie]

57. People that open carry are idiots

If I’m a bad guy and I see a guy with a gun I know who to shoot first

[Iggo]

76. They're flashers, pure and simple.

[Evolve Dammit]

60. Great idea

[70sEraVet]

61. That's actually a good strategy, and not just from a personal safety point of view.

If businesses start to see they are losing money because of this open-carry issue, those businesses may start to complain to the Republican lawmakers. Those lawmakers may not give a crap what school teachers or doctors want, but they'll listen to Walmart and Home Depot!

[Warpy]

63. I feel the same way

but I'm lucky enough to be in north central NM, where guns are tools, not fashion accessories.

[Rhiannon12866]

66. If I went anywhere and saw someone armed in public, I'd leave at a dead run, assuming a hold up

And I imagine that any employees would react the same way. I'm thinking of a gas station/convenience store that I stop at regularly. Many of the numerous employees are large young guys and during the mask mandate they were immediately on anyone who dared to enter the store maskless - so if someone entered their store armed, they'd be on him in a heartbeat!

[sarisataka]

68. Almost 70 replies

And not a single mention of bike wheels or cans of beans

[Kaleva]

108. ?????

[sarisataka]

113. Several years ago

We had some posters who advocated more aggressive action against a citizen carrying a gun. They told how they would (or had) disarm and detain anyone they saw carrying.

One in particular told of how he had disarmed several people, either by throwing a bike wheel at them as a distraction or simply snatching a gun the person had pointed at them.

The same poster advised if one saw someone carrying while in a store to grab a large can of beans and hit the person in the back of the head. You can disarm the person before they recover.

[Kaleva]

115. LoL!

[keithbvadu2]

72. Guns and mirrors

[lonely bird]

94. Now that is funny

And probably true.

[Iggo]

73. I leave whenever I see a gun.

No exceptions. No ifs, ands, or whatabouts.

[nolabear]

74. Me too. I can't enjoy anything if I feel endangered.

[Kaleva]

97. Do people who conceal carry cause you concern?

[nolabear]

133. Yeah. They do. I just have to live with that.

Obviously we have no idea who’s around us. But having it out in the open I think invites trouble. And I have admittedly a bit of a phobia.

[Ferrets are Cool]

78. This x 1000!!!!!

[Raine]

83. Never had it happen

except when police are in a place I'm in.

[DFW]

85. Luckily, it's not an issue here in Europe

If you’re not a cop or a customs agent on active duty, there is no legal carrying of a firearm without a permit. Even a gun permit here is only issued after a LONG application process including a serious psychiatric evaluation. There are very strict limits on when and where a gun can be stored, much less carried. Get caught violating them once, and your permit, along with your gun, is immediately confiscated, and you do not get them back.

[oldsoftie]

92. As a person with a concealed permit, I consider open carry people mostly idiots.

You make yourself a target more than anything else. A crook can easily grab your gun before you know you're being attacked.
Look at that restaurant that was being robbed a couple weeks ago where a patron shot the attacker. Had he been open carrying, the robber would have simply taken his gun from him since he would've seen it right off the bat. Instead he ended up dead.
And most who open carry just want to appear "tough"

[Kaleva]

96. I agree

I have a CPL and recently purchased a shoulder holster which makes concealing my revolver with a 4 inch barrel much better. One can't see I'm carrying when wearing a flannel shirt in colder weather ior a cotton/ polyester shirt in warmer weather.

[Turbineguy]

93. It's America

it has to be about the money.

[lark]

95. Only time I have seen a gun openly carried was at Walmart ages ago.

Mom was still alive and she wanted something from there, so I went and saw the entitled ass with a gun holstered at his waist and I left. I had to call mom and apologize and that hurt because she was so old and frail and in terrible health I hated Walmart for allowing an asshole to cause my angel mom not to get what she wanted, about as much as I hated the asshole himself.

[Ilsa]

99. The only time I recall was when a tidy, middle-aged woman, maybe 5'8",

was carrying a sidearm. Her apparel wasn't a uniform, but it appeared to be work apparel. The pants and collared shirt appeared to be crisp and ironed, hair was short, no-nonsense. I thought she might be a detective. Her appearance screamed "law enforcement".

[Ohioboy]

100. I'm with you

[Prairie_Seagull]

101. I wholeheartedly agree with this. Leave and call the manager or if a chain, his/her boss.

This is part of a much larger picture. This is about a conversation with ourselves. Something like ' what is considered safe, relative to guns'. Keep in mind this is only the beginning direct action. Leaving is great, It protects you, Leaving and calling is better, it attempts to protects everyone. Outstanding. IMO

Lets all get the ball rolling, what's next?

[old as dirt]

102. 40 Armed Gun Advocates Intimidate Mothers Against Gun Violence In A Restaurant Parking Lot

40 Armed Gun Advocates Intimidate Mothers Against Gun Violence In A Restaurant Parking Lot

By Esther Yu-Hsi Lee on November 10, 2013 at 12:47 pm



On Saturday, nearly 40 armed men, women, and children waited outside a Dallas, Texas area restaurant to protest a membership meeting for the state chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a gun safety advocacy group formed in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

According to a spokeswoman for Moms Demand Action (MDA), the moms were inside the Blue Mesa Grill when members of Open Carry Texas (OCT) — an open carry advocacy group — “pull[ed] up in the parking lot and start[ed] getting guns out of their trunks.” The group then waited in the parking lot for the four MDA members to come out. The spokeswoman said that the restaurant manager did not want to call 911, for fear of “inciting a riot” and waited for the gun advocates to leave. The group moved to a nearby Hooters after approximately two hours.

MDA later released a statement calling OCT “gun bullies” who “disagree[d] with our goal of changing America’s gun laws and policies to protect our children and families.” The statement added that the members and restaurant customers were “terrified by what appeared to be an armed ambush.” A member of OCT responded by tweeting, “I guess I’m a #gunbullies #Comeandtakeit.”

snip--------

https://web.archive.org/web/20131113125142/https://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/11/10/2921121/dallas-gun-advocates-protest-restaurant-gun-control-advocates/

[old as dirt]

122. How many times were you told...

…that this group of domestic terrorists (Open Carry Texas / Open Carry Tarrant County) wouldn’t murder anybody?

I was told dozens of times.

Then they murdered two people.

It was all a lie.

[brewens]

103. If we're relaxed about seeing guns in public, how long before some nutjob that knows what he's

doing walks right to his carefully planned killing spot? He might be by a pedestrian footbridge or something where he can open fire and escape to another spot he had picked out. The worst we've ever seen might be out there waiting for his chance.

[fescuerescue]

112. That's been going on for awhile already

Mostly in schools.

[sarisataka]

104. What about drag shows?

Armed Community Groups Are Defending Texas Drag Queens From Christian Fascists

On an overcast Saturday in the small North Texas suburb of Princeton, a tiny church-turned-community center became one of the latest fronts in the far right’s ongoing culture crusade against drag shows and the broader LGBTQ community.

Masked members of the left-wing community defense group Elm Fork John Brown Gun Club, clad in black and toting handguns and radios, had already staked out positions around the perimeter of the Steve and Judy Deffibaugh Community Center before self-described “Christian fascist” Kelly Neidert pulled up with her own armed private security. About a half-dozen Princeton police officers stood watch. Neidert is the head of the so-called Protect Texas Kids (PTK) group, which baselessly claims to be defending children from “grooming.” In reality, advocates point out, the group is using false narratives to stoke hatred and violence against the LGBTQ community.
snip.....
Armed members of Veterans for Equality showed up to defend “A Drag Queen Christmas” outside the Aztec Theater in San Antonio in December, for instance, some open carrying and others concealing their firearms. “When we first came in [to the military], we swore an oath to fight enemies foreign and domestic, and right now we feel like the domestic part is really having an effect on us and trying to strip away our rights,” Veterans for Equality Cofounder Gen Peña told Truthout during the protest.

Moreover, venues hosting drag shows targeted by far right militants are increasingly hiring professional private security in advance of protests. Drag performers who can’t afford pricey private security services, however, are finding they can rely directly on the community itself.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100217652701

[GusBob]

105. I guess we choose to not live a life of fear

I mean, where we live you assume everyone is armed either, on their person or truck, same as us

And speaking of which, here there are no taxis, buses, uber or lyft, people drink, pot is legal, meth is rampant, the roads are dark and treacherous with ice, people under the age of 16 without a license are allowed to drive and do, goldarned deer, cattle and horses in the road all the time

despite that risk, which is greater than guns based on the roadside crosses, we drive everywhere all the time

And after a 110 mile trip to the store, we would be stupid to turn and run because someone is open carrry

[CommonHumanity]

106. YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seeing someone with a gun is the creepiest thing in the world.

I HATE IT. GUNS ARE KILLING MACHINES.

Even looking at them creeps me out. Seeing them in public spaces creates a feeling of intimidation and fear and NO ONE should have the right to do that to the rest of us. Their presence truly erodes the fabric of public/daily life in myriad ways.

The presence of guns in a police state with armed government forces creates fear in the public and is used as a tool of control. Citizens with guns do the same thing except those in possession of the guns are of unknown belief and persuasion and we dare not tell them how their guns make us feel because they might be fucking crazy. Talk about control, they not only scare us, but they also effectively muzzle all of us regular folk.

IT MAKES MY BLOOD BOIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Why are we, all of us regular people living our lives, forced to be afraid and creeped out and reminded of the crazies in order to cater to a bunch of gun nuts, dudes who try to advertise their penis size (gross) and general yahoo low-lifes? UGH.

Don't even tell me about "conscientious" gun users and hunters. Fucking hunters can leave their guns in the truck when they enter public establishments. As for so-called, conscientious gun users who want to be the good guy with the gun, save me your protection. I'd rather not see your gun at the dry cleaners.

Ever since I was a small kid, I've thought it would be great (aka sane) to see all guns and bombs outlawed worldwide. Okay, I'll make an exception for honest hunters, but only those who hunt for their food and eat every bit of what they kill. Once again, IT MAKES MY BLOOD BOIL.

[Prairie_Seagull]

109. The status quo IS NOT WORKING

Our people and children should not be fodder for profit and power.

[scarletlib]

119. Good idea.

Already I look around to check exits etc.

[IronLionZion]

125. Open carry foils arrest of mass shooters

since they didn't commit a crime until they start shooting.

[edisdead]

127. If they don't have a sign tell them you won't do business

If they don’t have a sign tell them you won’t do business with them.

Open carry is one thing. Conceal is another.

If they don’t have a sign indicating guns are not allowed on the premises tell them you won’t shop there.

[Woodwizard]

129. Back around 1980 I worked in a pizza shop

on LI I was a teenager employed as their dishwasher, one of the pizza maker employees would set his .45 under the counter. I could never figure out why, we were never robbed, and it was in Wantagh not exactly a crime ridden place thing was the idiot would walk away out of sight of his weapon.

Really sunk in how irresponsible it was after I went in the Army and your weapon was basically an extension of the body never to be lost track of or out of sight.

[Torchlight]

132. Wife and I try to avoid firearms in any venue.

Chances of us getting shot by unintended discharges, weapon negligence, firearm oopsies, or anything else the industry is labeling accidents these days goes down the further away we are from them. And as our household has little interest in them, doing so costs us nothing of any consequence or real measure. It hurts no one, and offends no one (other than the self-righteous or the attention seekers... and avoiding them is kinda the main reason we do it in the first place).





and no-- neither of us have x-ray vision, or absolute knowledge of who does or does not carry around us. We just guess.

[Rabrrrrrr]

134. So cede all those spaces to the gun provocateurs? Then they win.

Though I suppose if one ALSO lets the owners know why you left, and they felt they were losing money from it, they might do something.

But this is a culture war that I don't think is going to be won by forcing businesses to change - we have to reach the pathetic snowflakes who are ashamed of themselves that they have to visibly carry guns with them. Start shaming them. Question their penis size. Suggest a therapist to help them get over their abject fear of being alive, or their incredibly childish fear that America is becoming less white.

[old as dirt]

144. Why?

Question their penis size.

She might get upset and shoot me.

Running away seems safer.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

145. Running away might seem to be the best course of action for you, and I don't

condemn you for that, but, remember, don't trip on any stone that might be in your space, it could cause you injury.

[old as dirt]

146. You claim running away is a crime.

According to you, we are required by law to let her shoot us.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

147. Whoosh, right over your head.

[old as dirt]

148. Moving target. Better than a head shot.

Whoosh, right over your head.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

150. Aaannnddd, this is supposed to mean........ what?

[old as dirt]

151. I prefer running to questioning her penis size.

Even with people like you calling me a criminal for doing so. (Just like BlueManDude, by the way.)

That looks like a pretty big penis to me.

If I recall the news accounts, it has a name. She calls it "Size Matters".

[MarineCombatEngineer]

152. You seem to be a bit delusional,

I never called you a criminal, I said that if you left because of a perceived threat without any evidence of such, you could be charged with defrauding an innkeeper, depending on the circumstances.

Get a grip and don't trip over any stones that might be in the space you're egressing from.

[old as dirt]

153. We have a right to run away.

You seem to be a bit delusional,

I never called you a criminal, I said that if you left because of a perceived threat without any evidence of such, you could be charged with defrauding an innkeeper, depending on the circumstances

The bold is a nice touch. Makes it a lot easier to see the word.

What you said is this. See how difficult it is to see without the bold?

If you run away without paying from a perceived threat without any evidence of an actual crime,

that's considered a crime, it's called defrauding an innkeeper.

But, if you feel that's the best course of action, then be prepared to face the consequences of your decision

[MarineCombatEngineer]

154. You sure do,

and the business has the right to file a criminal complaint if it turns out that there was no threat.

That's the law rather you like it or not.

[old as dirt]

155. Restaurants don't sue fleeing customers.

and the business has the right to file a criminal complaint if it turns out that there was no threat.

That's the law rather you like it or not

[MarineCombatEngineer]

156. Ok,

you go with that defense in a court of law if and when it comes down to that, but don't trip on any stone that might be in your space as you egress the establishment without paying.

[old as dirt]

157. Stupid NRA threats. Talk about clueless!

Ok,

you go with that defense in a court of law if and when it comes down to that

Why do I get the feeling that you've never even set foot in a court of law?

That's some pretty weak tea you got there.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

159. That's right,

I've never been in a court of law because I tend not to violate the law.

NRA threats?

How is pointing out that if one leaves a place of business without paying for services rendered an NRA talking point?

Oh wait, I get it now, when one can't refute, then one throws out the accusation of NRA talking point as a gotcha.

Have a great weekend and don't trip on any stones that might be in your space.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

149. I mean this sincerely, have a great night,

I'm crawling into my sleeper and catching some shut eye, got a long day of driving tomorrow.

[Rabrrrrrr]

163. If you have reason to believe that there is no penis, then try one of my other examples.

Trying to shut down my argument just because one of my possible examples of things to do does not universally fit all gun carriers is quite sophomoric.

Here - I'll add an example you can use on the penis-less: maybe go with a biblical argument - the Bible says that only men are supposed to fight and be armed, so ask her why she's violating biblical law. And maybe follow up, ask her why she's so visibly trans since she's so clearly taking on the role of a man.

[old as dirt]

164. I'm not interested in pissing her off.

Presumably, the two people who she murdered pissed her off.

[Rabrrrrrr]

165. Seriously? That's the angle you're going to take?

No, you're right - obviously, EVERY person you would ever encounter with a gun is specifically a woman who has already been charged with murder.

You found one outlier that absolutely disproves and totally pwns me. Congratulations.

[old as dirt]

166. People claimed she wouldn't murder anybody.

They wanted us to take their word for it.

Now, suddenly she's an outlier?

Then why were people saying she wasn't dangerous in the first place?

Why did they choose her?

Why didn't they choose a non-outlier?

[Rabrrrrrr]

167. You are so far off topic, it's not even funny.

I don't know if you're trying desperately to deflect my point into such silliness, or if you truly just don't understand how conversations work (supposition - counter argument - counter-counter argument - etc. until some logical end result is achieved), but either way, I'm not feeding your silliness any more.

[Kaleva]

161. I'm not going to let a person legally carrying control what and when I can eat