Posted on 05/28/2003 9:13:41 AM PDT by jdege
Written on: 5/28/03
It is interesting to see the Governor's Chief of Staff Charlie Weaver, a former Anoka County Prosecutor come out and telegraph the movement by Governor Tim Pawlenty (R) on the Conceal & Carry legislation he recently signed into law. As the public has learned more about the change there has been a natural backlash. The Special Session creates an opportunity to address the problems with the law, which goes into effect today.
While it is reasonable for a person or a business to protect their property, when the law allows the right of an individual entering that business to have more rights than the owner it seems backwards. In an attempt to smooth the edges of the most liberal gun legislation ever passed in the United States the Administration sees the need for an adjustment. Perhaps this is just an attempt to prevent the courts from finding the legislation unconstitutional, but it shows how ramroding legislation through the process is a poor way to govern.
The fact that this issue needs to be revisited shows how its initial passage was a rash act and signing it so rapidly was equally so. It was a purely partisan attempt to steamroll the Majority in the Senate and even though the Governor received a flawed bill and he signed it.
This creates an opportunity for the Senate Majority to embarrass both the Governor and Members of the House and the Minority Members of the Senate. When the bill was forced onto the agenda in the Senate there was little the DFL Majority could do to prevent the bill from passage. They held back on a stack of amendments at the Secretary's desk knowing full well the item had momentum.
The floor discussion by the Senate authors will now be available for full debate and now Sen. Mike McGinn (R-38, Eagan) will be able to correct his inadvertent pressing of the wrong button during final passage as his office stated. This debate may provide good fodder.
Well said. I spent a few hours on this very subject with some of the numbnuts who disagree with that.
Here's part of what I posted :
If a business owner doesn't want to deal with the general public, then they need to either close up shop, or go the internet route.
If they choose to open their doors to the general public, then they have to deal with the "general public". This involves them dealing with minorities, gays, old folks, young folks, dumb folks, immigrants, people who stink, people who wear too much perfume, hippies with long hair, and yes, people who are armed.
The bottom line is:
I refuse to be treated like a second-class citizen simply because I am armed
If a business owner doesn't like the way I look and they want me to leave, I'll gladly leave. If they have a private club, and I'm not "on the list" (such as Costco or Sams), I won't enter.
Otherwise, they either deal with the general public or they don't.
I don't have a problem with an individual owner declaring his business smoke-free either.
Do you have a problem with a business owner declaring a place "negro free"?
Nor can he expect the law to provide a penalty when those rules are burdensome to the patron.
For example, a business owner can't legally demand that someone in a wheelchair get up and walk around his store.
Nor can he legally demand than any women entering his store remove their tops after entering.
And likewise, he can not legally demand that lawfully armed citizens surrender their means to self-defense upon entry into his store.
If a business owner doesn't want to deal with gunowners, that is certainly his business. But it doesn't give him the right to expect there to be a law enforcing his irrational beliefs.
So you can declare your place "For Whites Only" legally?
Except gunowners.
Of course you do. Not only that, but you would have the Right to expect the law to arrest them if they refuse to leave. You would also have the Right to recover any damages the tresspassing group inflicts. Trespass laws have been a foundation of Western law for hundreds of years.
But if you have a business that is open to the public, you can't simply post a sign saying "no (fill-in-the-blank) allowed" AND expect the law to enforce it. The exceptions to this (such as "no soliticing" signs) are few and far between. And for good reason.
It should definitely not be a criminal act for a legally armed American to enter a public business. But a lot of so-called "2nd amendment supporters" seem to support that.
Bzzzt...that is incorrect. Here in our wonderful state, you don't need felonious intent, just possession of a firearm in a school or a bar. Sometimes I collect money from machines at bars. I ALWAYS carry, and each time I do it I am in technical violation of the law. Period. And that's straight from the firearms compliance unit of the CT State Police.
But at least our taxes are low (/sarcasm).
Since you agree that the owner cannot set the rules for his business then you must agree that he has no say in whether his establishment is smoking or non-smoking. It is up to society to determine this issue.
Since most of my collection work is in Bridgeport I don't have to worry about it, since most of the cops are either sleeping or running for their lives.
Albeit this one is from a SC link the Texas State Rifle Association has given me a bunch of these business cards to leave at such business's when they say no guns !
Shooter 2.5 may have a scan of the reverse side which is just as kewl !
Stay Safe !
I couldn't find the location of the website that had the t-Shirts or the coffee mugs.
I'll get the website where they can buy these on the next post. I couldn't copy both the website and the image location.
Actually, I don't.
I wouldn't do business there, and probably neither would the vast majority of people that I know. But if the owner of that business wants to run off business from people that might otherwise do business there, both black and white, I believe that is his perogative.
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