My sentiments exactly!

[darthtang aw]

The National Rifle Association took the opportunity last week to denounce the behavior of an open-carry group in Texas, which they say “crossed the line from enthusiasm to downright foolishness.”

The National Rifle Association is pushing back against the actions of pro-gun activists, namely those with the group Open Carry Texas, for flaunting their semiautomatic rifles while dining at various fast food restaurants and called the demonstrations “weird,” “scary” and downright foolish.
In recent months, members of Open Carry Texas have made a habit of entering fast food restaurants with AK-47s and AR-15s slung across their shoulders. Though open carry is legal in the Lone Star State, the group’s demonstrations caused multiple eateries, most recently Chipotle, to ban firearms at their restaurants.
“It is a rare sight to see someone sidle up next to you in line for lunch with a 7.62 rifle slung across his chest, much less a whole gaggle of folks descending on the same public venue with similar arms,” the statement reads. “Let's not mince words, not only is it rare, it's downright weird and certainly not a practical way to go normally about your business while being prepared to defend yourself. To those who are not acquainted with the dubious practice of using public displays of firearms as a means to draw attention to oneself or one's cause, it can be downright scary. It makes folks who might normally be perfectly open-minded about firearms feel uncomfortable and question the motives of pro-gun advocates.”

Basically, all actions have consequences and responsible gun owners need to consider how such demonstrations will affect others. In the case of the fast food restaurants, their actions backfired.
“[T]he freedom and goodwill these businesses had previously extended to gun owners has been curtailed because of the actions of an attention-hungry few who thought only of themselves and not of those who might be affected by their behavior. To state the obvious, that's counterproductive for the gun owning community.”

 

[bang guy]

Yep. There are a lot of things that are protected by the Constitution and yet really stupid to do.

 

[2quills]

Chalk it up to the norm down here in, Texas.
What restaurants did they go to exactly? I'm curious as to what their real agenda is.

 

[reefraff]

Idiot absolutists. Common sense is growing very uncommon.

 

[darthtang aw]

A long time ago, i had a plant manager that was setting me up as his replacement ( unbeknown to myself at the time). He told me there is no such thing as common sense. It doesnt exist. What is common sense to some may not be to others. Therefore it is not common. Therefore one must approach people as if they dont know crap.

 

[2quills]

Hmm...apparently these idot absolutist have already bullied the NRA into apologizing for the words posted earlier in this thread and they seem to have changed their tune. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-open-carry-gun-groups-threaten-to-leave-nra/

 

[darthtang aw]

Money. It makes the world go round.

 

[2quills]

Money. It makes the world go round.
They got you talking about it didn't they?
Money is a powerful motivator. Probably why it took a couple of dweebs without cents to do it.

 

[reefraff]

These fools just make all gun owners look like Richard Edwards.

 

[2quills]

These fools just make all gun owners look like Richard Edwards.
I find it interesting that you guys feel that way. I actually hadn't considered this a reflection of all gun owners untill you brought it up. It seems the media is very good at dictating who percieves what.
Considering it would be very easy to start a confrontation with these guys by simply saying people felt threatened. I haven't seen that happen yet. Why?

 

[darthtang aw]

I may have missed it. But the nra didnt apologize the way i read it. The kooks are demanding an apology.

 

[2quills]

Quick google pulls up links about an official appology regarding the words used to describe the gun toating, law abiding dudes.
But like you said, its a bully maneuver.
The idea that I got from all of this is they are trying to change public perception of open carry because they feel we've all been corrupted into fearing guns.
I haven't disagreed that it may be unwise the way they are going about it.

 

[reefraff]

that's the thing, there's a much better way to go about this. If these people have any clue in the world they know the media will put this in the most negative light possible. A better way to get the point across would have been to take a walk along a busy street with one or two of the guys carrying a sign explaining what the demonstration was about. By going into businesses, without at least getting the OK ahead of time you put the owner in a tough position. Most people are going to be uncomfortable sitting in a place with several people having an AR slung over their shoulder. It would be bad business not to come out an announce you don't want people doing it. Now the headline is Jack In The Box, Starbucks etc. bans open carry even though that isn't quite the case at least with Starbucks who "requested" people not do it.

 

[2quills]

Yep, its kind of tough for me to disagree with you guys sometimes. When's Aggie coming back anyway?

 

[darthtang aw]

So an apology regarding the words used but not changing their stance?

 

[2quills]

So an apology regarding the words used but not changing their stance?
To me it sounded like an apology as to not insult but not denounce the cause either. But I really haven't spent a lot of time on this. Just curious as to what would cause people to carry themselves around town so foolishly to begin with.

 

[bang guy]

So their goal is to reduce fear of guns by having a gang walk into a private establishment with rifles.

Sure, that's going to work.

That's stupider than the guys protesting the people that are tasked with protecting their right to free speech.

 

[2quills]

So their goal is to reduce fear of guns by having a gang walk into a private establishment with rifles.
Sure, that's going to work.
That's stupider than the guys protesting the people that are tasked with protecting their right to free speech.
Are they a gang? What laws did they break? Up until now no one had told them they couldn't.
Find a loop hole and someone is bound to exploit it sooner or later.
The way I see it is this is how things get changed is once they become an issue.
If someone wants to be dumb about it then that's on them as far as I'm concerned. Though I can see by reaction that the perception of fear certainly strikes a nerve. Perhaps that's what they were after. Who knows.

 

[bang guy]

Quote:
Originally Posted by 2Quills http:///t/397758/my-sentiments-exactly#post_3546540
Are they a gang? What laws did they break? Up until now no one had told them they couldn't.
Find a loop hole and someone is bound to exploit it sooner or later.
The way I see it is this is how things get changed is once they become an issue.
If someone wants to be dumb about it then that's on them as far as I'm concerned. Though I can see by reaction that the perception of fear certainly strikes a nerve. Perhaps that's what they were after. Who knows.
By gang I didn't mean criminals. My bad. I meant it in terms of a group of people, club? Team? What they did was in no way illegal, just stupid. There is no law against being stupid.

Yes, things will change because of their actions. They already have. A lot of businesses are going to start asserting their rights and demand that people disarm prior to entering their property. This was a lose-lose and these idiots were too stuck up on themselves to consider the effects of their actions on the rest of us.

 

[2quills]

By gang I didn't mean criminals.  My bad.  I meant it in terms of a group of people, club?  Team?  What they did was in no way illegal, just stupid.  There is no law against being stupid.
Yes, things will change because of their actions.  They already have.  A lot of businesses are going to start asserting their rights and demand that people disarm prior to entering their property.  This was a lose-lose and these idiots were too stuck up on themselves to consider the effects of their actions on the rest of us.
Yeah, I got nothin to argue with there.
If anything I think it will have an opposit effect in like what you said. Everyone will have to disarm in establishments period.
One wonders who these tools are really working for lol. Then again, its a win for the anti gun activists so should we consider our loss as selfish because we still want to keep them hid? Seems like no guns for anyone makes it a fairer fight.