Burger-craving gun lovers are outraged over Whataburger’s policy against openly carrying firearms inside the fast food chain’s Texas restaurants. The state will allow licensed gun owners to legally carry handguns in belt or shoulder holsters starting in January — although individual business owners will be allowed to ban weapons if they display signs that conform to strict rules on appearance, wording and text size. The company’s president and CEO, Preston Atkinson, said he personally enjoys hunting and holds a concealed carry permit - but he said the restaurant’s customers have said they’re uncomfortable eating around others who are openly carrying rifles and pistols. Gun lovers expressed outrage on Twitter over the company’s decision.
Yesterday, I wrote about Whataburger, a Texas icon, banning customers from openly carry weapons in their restaurants. It’s a reasonable policy stated reasonably…to wholly unreasonable people with serious anger control issues. Yep, EXACTLY the sort of folks who shouldn’t be allowed to carry weapons of any sort anywhere for any reason.
To the Proudly Closed-minded Gun Control Foes © who chose to give flight to their butthurt on Twitter, I offer a heartfelt “THANK YOU!” for making my argument for me. If the best you can do is vent your considerable righteous anger over a business deciding to err on the side of customer safety, you have no argument. If you believe your self-ascribed “right” to carry whatever you want wherever and whenever your choose trumps public safety, you’re not a patriot; you’re a sociopath. You conveniently (and inaccurately) assume that Texas’ new open carry law affords you the right to take your weapon(s) wherever you choose. In fact, the law allows businesses to bar weapons from their premises…which is the path Whataburger has chosen. The law doesn’t provide carte blanche to Proudly Closed-minded Gun Control Foes ©. The law doesn’t provide an absolute right to elevate one’s 2nd Amendment rights to supercede any and all other consideration, including the right of the public to feel safe from those openly carrying firearms in public spaces.
The response on Twitter from Proudly Closed-minded Gun Control Foes © has been predictably and unsurprisingly juvenile. Reaction ranged from the truly incomprehensible to racism (Quelle surprise, non?) to ignorance and distressing paranoia. And there was much more rich, creamy, unhinged goodness to be found.
Good Lord, y’all; if you can’t feel safe eating a hamburger in a fast food restaurant without being accompanied by a firearm, you have significant anger and paranoia issues…and you’re exactly the sort of person who shouldn’t be allowed to carry a gun, much less openly. This makes sense when you consider that one in ten Americans have significant anger issues AND own a gun. I’d like to offer two suggestions: One, get over yourself…and Two, try thinking about someone else’s rights for a change instead of placing yours above any and all other considerations. This sort of self-righteous disdain for the rights and safety of others has long since grown old and stale.
Oh, one other thing- under the new law, gun rights don’t trump property rights…so no, you really don’t have the right to do whatever you want wherever or whenever you choose. Sorry; reality sucks sometimes, doesn’t it??
