Are you willing to Boycot "Gun Free" businesses

There is alot of talk over if we should obey no gun signs on stores. I for one wont give a company my money if they post regardless of wither the posting is enforceable or not. However when i talk to people about it all i hear is concealed means concealed and if they don't respect my rights i wont respect their sign. Only problem with that is people still spend their money there and never even complain much less stop shopping there.

I want to know how many people here are actually willing to drive across the street, across the neighborhood, or even across town to do business somewhere else.

If we are not willing to do things right and be inconvenienced we will never be able get the signs removed or even change public opinion.

I have yet to run into a "gun free" sign at a business(that I remember anyway).But if you ask if it is ok to carry in their establishment,you'll probly get a "NO" for an answer every time.If it's not posted...Don't ask-Don't tell.....

There are currently a few businesses that have NO GUNS or NO CCW signs that I refuse to do business with. If a store is posted here in NC, even if it's written on cardboard with crayon, the sign is valid and it's a criminal trespass charge if you're caught carrying. Even though concealed does mean concealed, I don't break the law by going in. I just give another store my money.

The only place I do business that is posted is my wife's employer. Her office is not posted, but the building where they rent space is. My wife's boss gives us a HUGE discount on therapy for my son, so a savings of $600 - $1200 a month puts my politics on the back burner in that one case.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Todd

The only place I do business that is posted is my wife's employer. Her office is not posted, but the building where they rent space is. My wife's boss gives us a HUGE discount on therapy for my son, so a savings of $600+ a month puts my politics on the back burner in that one case.

---

I sometimes have similar feelings with malls. Most all of them in some way or another have no weapons in their code of conduct yet i rarely ever see one on the doors or in a fashion that would really even be seen by the general public.

You cant complain to the stores cause they have little to no say in the matter and you can boycott the mall but that wont do much good when we are not the ones paying rent to them.

Here in New Mexico you can post anything you want but unless it’s a bar, a church, school or a fed building it is only considered a NPE (Non permissive environment) and you are required to keep it concealed and they can ask you to leave if they see it but they have no legal right to do so based solely on the fact that you are carrying but instead on the premise of private property. So no I wont boycot but instead keep it under wraps.

No. 90% of the places around here have those signs. I couldn't care less, personally. I try not to take things so seriously.

I don't know if you'd call it "boycotting" or not. I just won't go where I can't carry. I ignore the signs around here, anyway (unless it's off-limits). They don't carry any weight, and I can only be asked to leave if my weapon is spotted. That hasn't happened. If it did, I wouldn't patronize that particular place again.

I voted yes, but I don't boycott my employer, that has a no weapons policy. I rarely see no gun signs. In SC, where I go to get away from the DC area, they can post a sign, but unless it is the precise size and uses the exact language specified in state statute, they can pound sand.

To tell you the truth I have NEVER seen one of those signs. Do you go looking for them? I would just go in anyway.....what's the worst they can do?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Fred40

I would just go in anyway.....what's the worst they can do?

---

Depends on the state. Some states the signs mean nothing; they can ask you to leave and if you don't, then you can get charged with a trespass. In other states, like here in NC, the signs carry weight, they can call the cops immediately without talking to you and you'll be charged with criminal trespass and you're pretty sure to lose your CCW.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Fred40

To tell you the truth I have NEVER seen one of those signs. Do you go looking for them? I would just go in anyway.....what's the worst they can do?

---

I second the motion. Why pay attention to such a silly sign, when, if you keep your gun properly hidden, they'll never know you have it anyway.

I'm going to point out that this post is starting to head down that slippery slope of discussing potentially breaking the law; depending on you state's laws. I suggest we not go there and stay on topic, unless we want Mike and his axe to come a swingin'.

I ain't never seen the critter around here but I think I'd go somewere else if I were packin. If I remember what I read about Colorado law if it's posted then it's a no go.

We're still a free country, and a business owner has the right to choose his/her work environment, product, and clients/customers.

As responsible CHL holders we don't force our friends or relatives to let us in their homes if they are skittish around guns.

We owe the same respect to businesses.

WM

I closed my account with Wachovia because of this.

It was one of those circular conversations:

"It's for the safety of our customers"

"But legally armed citizens are not a threat"

"It's for the safety of our customers"

"But your banks have been robbed several times, I see no armed guard, I'm not safe here"

"It's for the safety of our customers"

"Sigh. Goodbye"

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Wandering Man

We're still a free country, and a business owner has the right to choose his/her work environment, product, and clients/custmers.

As responsible CHL holders we don't force our friends or relatives to let us in their homes if they are skittish around guns.

We owe the same respect to businesses.

WM

---

Best answer.

We may not like it, but if they follow the law and legally post a no weapons sign we have to respect it. Remember that we're the law abiding sort of gun carrier. I would just go somewhere else.

I will respect the posting although I don't think they carry much force of law in NH and don't recall seeing them there. We're retired and travel so I am not fully aware of the legalities state by state so it's easier to just assume they carry the full force of the law. That said I will avoid doing business there if I can.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Wandering Man

We're still a free country, and a business owner has the right to choose his/her work environment, product, and clients/custmers.

As responsible CHL holders we don't force our friends or relatives to let us in their homes if they are skittish around guns.

We owe the same respect to businesses.

WM

---

Very well said.

To me personally it has nothing to do with if the sign carry legal weight or not. What those signs say to me is the business thinks my life is either not worth protecting or i'm not capable of protecting myself. They are asking me to chose my ability to protect myself and my family or shop in their store but i cant do both.

I live in Wv were the signs do not carry legal weight but i work in Tn were if posted properly they do. I react the same way in either place. With very few exceptions I DON'T GO. I am not going to support a business that ask me to make that choice. Yea i could ignore the sign and depending on the state im not even breaking the law but then im giving money to people who don't want me taking responsibility for my own safety.

Some people think im taking this to seriously and its just a silly sign. To all of those ppl i say I value my rights way to much and the same constitution that gave me my rights gave that business the right to say they don't want my business. We cant say we deserve our rights under the constitution but the business does not deserve theirs.

I guess " no guns allowed" signs are more prevalent where carry laws are less stringent and people are more apt to be toting. I've only seen one sign ever, and that was in Beumont, TX., at the entrance to a wholesale distributor (not a retail store).

In California I have never seen a "no weapons" sign. I doubt it even occurs to any business owners out here to post a sign, even if they are strongly in favor of gun control. That reflects how few people have CCW's, I thinkin'.

The only sign I have seen out here is at the firing range, and all it says is "no holstered firearms allowed unless you are LE or CCW." I'm not boycotting my range because of that restriction. :mrgreen:

As a rule I don't go into posted businesses, I have been able to help get stores to change thier policy on CCW.

Thanks for steering this back on track, guys. We will not be discussing illegal carry in this (or any other) thread. The original question is about boycotts, so let's stick to that.

Boycotts are only effective when you tell the company you're boycotting why you are boycotting them. This may be largely ineffective with many companies, anyway. A company anti-gun enough to post a sign will probably figure they don't want you and your evil gun in their store anyway.

Some people extend their boycotts to states where they can't carry, like California, or confining travel to the United States rather than the dastardly anti-gun nations of Europe (and pretty much everywhere else). I don't do that. I like visiting California, and plan to visit Great Britain this year and Italy in '09.

Such signs are rare as hen's teeth in the areas of Arizona I frequent. I do recall seeing them at one shopping mall and at Ikea, the Scandinavian purveyor of cheap furniture for college students. Oh, and one diner out the middle of nowhere.

The main problem in AZ is that you can't carry in a restaurant that serves liquor. If I limited myself to restaurants that only serve water and sodapop, I'd sure have a dull life. But of course this isn't up to the restaurants. It's state law, which we try to get changed every year.

My second problem is with the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization, which I think does great work. I'm a Big Brother, but the agreement I signed says I can't carry around my Little. It's a tough thing, but a worthy trade-off to me. My chances of needing a pistol at the batting cages or at Laser Tag are tiny, but my chances of helping my Little are 100%.

In general, I agree with Wandering Man. I'm not much for boycotts, anyway, but I do recognize that they can be effective if done in an organized fashion.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Wandering Man

We're still a free country, and a business owner has the right to choose his/her work environment, product, and clients/customers.

As responsible CHL holders we don't force our friends or relatives to let us in their homes if they are skittish around guns.

We owe the same respect to businesses.

WM

---

Bingo. Respect the property owner.

If you don't feel comfortable going where you can't carry, that's entirely your business. Nobody is forcing you to shop/eat/go to any particular place.

I voted No because they have every right to ask us not to carry on their property. We have the right to carry where it is legal to do so and they have the right to keep guns off their property. It's just a fact of life, there are gun supporters and there are others that do not agree with our views. Because someone, or a company, doesn't feel the way we do as gun advocates, IMO is not grounds to boycott them. But if it makes you feel beter doing so, go for it. That's your choice too....

Appears that's how they get you if they can't control your ability to get a concealed carry permit, they just make it so the only place you can carry is in your back yard. Outstanding level of quiet control by the powers that really be.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tony pasley

As a rule I don't go into posted businesses, I have been able to help get stores to change thier policy on CCW.

---

Mind sharing how you went about that? Letters? Phone? Direct contact with owners or managers? I love a good story about people seeing the light.