Posted on 10/01/2014 6:53:02 AM PDT by Third Person
HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH)– Should malls and stores ban the carrying of firearms? Connecticut’s two U.S. Senators are calling on the nation’s retailers to voluntarily ban guns in the name of public safety.
A new FBI report indicates that there is an ‘active shooter’ incident in this country now about once in every three weeks and nearly half of those incidents occur in malls, stores and other businesses.
The ‘Target’ department store chain made headlines this summer when they asked their gun owning customers to leave guns at home while shopping saying firearms create an environment at odds with family friendly shopping.
“The reality is that we have data showing a disturbingly high level of mass shootings in retail establishments,” said U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D) Conn.
Connecticut’s two U.S. Senators Tuesday called on other retailers to join ‘Target’ in making the same request. Pointing to an FBI report showing active shooter incidents on the increase in areas of commerce.
“It documents and demonstrates not only an epidemic of gun violence but the increasing incidence of mass shooting in this country,” said Sen. Dick Blumenthal (D) Conn. gun in store
“What we are trying to do is puncture a hole in the gun industry’s argument that everyone in this country needs to be armed at all times in order to protect themselves,” added Murphy.
But the head of the state’s largest 2nd Amendment rights group was ready to poke holes in their argument.
“It’s important to note that during the most recent public profile shootings that the majority of the locations where most causalities were inflicted were zones that banned the carrying of firearms,” said Scott Wilson who is President of the 15,000+ member Connecticut Citizens Defense League.
Murphy and Blumenthal point to a picture of a many carrying what appears to be a semi automatic rifle at a ‘Kroger’s’ supermarket in Texas as a reason to urge that company to ban carrying firearms.
“There are no documented results indicating that the public is more endangered from the public carrying firearms either openly or concealed,” added Wilson.
Murphy, Blumenthal and 5th District Democratic Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty today called on the National Retail Federation to adopt policies that prevent the open carrying of firearms in stores across the country.
I'm not so sure.
I don't think they really care if you're defenseless or not.
I know they want to appeal to the most potential voters, and most potential voters are women. Women don't really care if they're defenseless: they prefer to "feel" they aren't in danger in the first place.
Anything that fosters that "sense of security" is going to appeal to women, because women tend to treat their "feelings" like actual sensory input.
Target (interesting name) stores argue that guns interfere with a family-friendly shopping environment.
There are two ways to address this. First is to ask that carriers keep their weapons concealed. This should make everyone happy.
Second, they can offer to hold your gun while you are shopping, as is done at Cabela’s sports stores. I suspect that the main reason Cabela’s does this is related to prevent shoplifting, but it also would solve the problem for Target’s (if it is really a problem). But it would cost them manpower. Well, are they serious, or not?
I keep my wallet in my front left pocket. My .38 Airweight revolver is in my front right pocket in a pocket holster so it does not print. Each pocket has a similar bulge, and I always wear pleated pants to minimize this. I also have a small fake leather case clipped onto a beltloop on the right. This is for carrying my Bluetooth headset (so I won't lose it). It also covers the opening of my right pocket so that no one can sneak a peak at the handle. I don't wear jeans because the pockets are too tight to allow me to get a gun out quickly.
“Gun Free Zones” = Good Guy Gun Free Zones = Bad Guy Free Fire Zones
Stores have a right to ban guns. If they make that choice, I will exercise my right to shop online. Anything you can find in a store is cheaper online. The only reason for shopping in person for most things is for the intangibles. If those intangible include a store endangering customers by choosing to ban self defense, then I will not shop there.
Left unmentioned in this is any link between retail firearms sales and mall shootings, other than that they both involve guns. Are the Three Stooges trying to imply that murderers purchase guns off the shelf and start blowing people away? Has this ever happened, even once?
A guy named John Lott was on Coast to Coast last night. He has a website ‘Crime Prevention Research Center’ (link: http://crimepreventionresearchcenter.org/ ) and he said that the FBI study was “fudged” (my terminology - can’t remember exactly what he said). The years they used, what they included, etc. basically makes the study say what they want it to say - the incidences have NOT actually gone up. He also said his group checks Bloomberg’s gun statistics/research and said they are SO riddled with such stupid, obvious errors that his 12 year old could do a better job (not surprised by this at all!). It was an interesting conversation. He was also talking about the ‘dumbing down’ of our courts. The podcast is at the Coast to Coast website, I think. George Nouri gets into some weird stuff, but on guns, he’s got a concealed carry permit and is 2A all the way from what I’ve heard.
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