-By Warner Todd Huston
The most recent national restaurant chain to demand that customers refrain from carrying their legal firearms into their establishments is Panera Bread, a restaurant with 1,818 locations in 45 states. But is Panera ready to take responsibility for the murders its policy might cause?
The stores known for bread baked fresh daily and gourmet sandwiches has bowed to the liberal, anti-gun group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America after it had “months of discussion” with the chain.
In a statement Monday the chain claimed that it was only trying to make all customers “feel comfortable and welcome.”
“To this end, we ask that guns not be brought into this environment unless carried by an authorized law enforcement officer,” the statement read. “Panera respects the rights of gun owners, but asks our customers to help preserve the environment we are working to create for our guests and associates.”
In an interview with CNBC, Panera CEO Ron Shaich insisted, “we recognize everyone’s rights, but we also recognize that we are building communities in our cafes and are where people come to catch a breath.”
While Shaich said he is “respectfully requesting” that holders of legal concealed carry permits refrain from carrying inside his stores, he also claimed he would still follow all state and local laws on the matter.
Panera joins Target, Chipotle, Starbucks, Sonic, Jack in the Box and Chili’s in bowing to the anti-Second Amendment group’s efforts to force retail establishments into making such decrees.
One important issue arises, though, for legal concealed carry license holders. If they should bother to agree to enter such places without their legal firearm, often they will have left that firearm in their car in the parking lot.
But this is not a safe alternative. In fact, Chicago’s top cop, Garry McCarthy, has railed against gun owners leaving guns in cars where they can be stolen by car thieves.
“What’s going to happen is, that’s putting illegal guns on the street, because people steal cars, and now they’re not just going to get the car, they’re going to get a bonus. They’re going to open the glove compartment, and find a firearm,” Chicago Police Superintendent McCarthy said in March.
So, if gun owners agree to these stores’ demands and they leave their gun unattended in a car in order to enter the store unarmed Chicago’s Police Chief warns that they may have that gun stolen and used in a crime later.
The question remains, is Panera or Starbucks willing to take responsibility if a customer gets a gun stolen from a car while a customer is inside their store? Will Panera take responsibility if someone is murdered with that gun later on?
All this adds to my position that anyone with a legal concealed carry gun on them should totally ignore these stores’ demands that they enter without their guns. If a concealed carry gun is legal in your state and you have an official license to carry, then these stores have no place to be telling you that you aren’t allowed to observe your legal rights inside.
If you feel like getting a Starbucks or you want to eat at Panera, go ahead. But don’t leave your gun behind. Screw them. Force their hand. Tell ‘em to shove it.
As a legal CC holder you have as much right to get a Starbucks as any Constitution-hating chick from Moms Who Hate The Constitution.
After all, no bread store of coffee house should be allowed to take away your Constitutional rights.
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“The only end of writing is to enable the reader better to enjoy life, or better to endure it.”
–Samuel Johnson
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Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer. He has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and before that he wrote articles on U.S. history for several small American magazines. His political columns are featured on many websites such as Andrew Breitbart’s BigGovernment.com, BigHollywood.com, and BigJournalism.com, as well as RightWingNews.com, CanadaFreePress.com, Wizbang.com, among many, many others. Huston has also appeared on Fox News, Fox Business Network, CNN, and many local TV shows as well as numerous talk radio shows throughout the country.
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