To the editor:
Have you ever noticed that some business establishments have a sign in the window – you know, the red circle with the pistol inside and a line through it, saying no guns allowed. That sign always bothered me.
Do you think that a potential robber pays any attention to that sign? I do. Actually, I believe that sign is an invitation for anyone to enter the premises to partake in any kind of crime they wish without fear of meeting any serious retaliation from the inhabitants, owners or customers.
About a month ago in Texas, Chappell Hill Bank president Edward Smith looked at the sign on his front door prohibiting concealed weapons from his business and decided to make a policy change with a new sign indicating, “Licensed to carry a handgun? Come on in, and bring your weapon.” The sign, now prominently displayed on the bank’s front door, reads:
“Lawful concealed carry permitted on these premises. Management recognizes the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution as an inalienable right of all citizens. We therefore support and encourage the carrying of licensed concealed weapons.”
The policy change has brought Chappell Hill Bank a handful of new customers and comments from people outside Washington County that they’d bank there if they lived here. Obviously, the ultra-liberals who are for gun control hate this type of story. But when you read other stories like the small town in Georgia that had such a high crime problem that the mayor made it mandatory for each home owner to have a gun, with this action resulting in a drastic reduction in the town’s crime rate, you have to believe that gun possession is a powerful determent to crime.
Obviously not everyone is allowed to openly show they possess a gun in all states with the exception being in states such as Texas and Vermont. It’s also interesting to note that Vermont, one of the most liberal states in the country, sees how having a weapon could be a major factor in reducing crime.
Most states do allow individuals to have licensed concealed carry permits if they pass a background check and an eight-hour oral and range test to show they understand the law and know how to handle a gun.
Obviously, there are varying limits in each state as to where one may not be allowed to carry a gun. However, when a business establishment has the right to determine if they want to limit gun access to their facility, it just doesn’t make sense to me for them to openly advertise their policy.
Now they don’t have to go to the length that the Chappell Bank did, but they really should think twice about advertising that they’re open to be robbed by putting an anti-gun sign in the window.
– Karl Kachadoorian, Tryon