Rep. John Burt: 'Dear Home Depot. Please do not cave into these anti Second Amendment scary nuts'
Home Depot is the latest target of open-carry activists who defiantly bring rifles and shotguns into restaurants and stores. When the retail giant said they would allow an open carry rally to take place at their store in North Richland Hills, Texas, state House Rep. John Burt (R-Goffstown) left a message of support on their Facebook page:
Dear Home Depot. I want to thank you. I have shopped with you since you came to NH. I will in the future as well. Please do not cave into these anti Second Amendment scary nuts. […]
I have always carried a gun with me when I shopped 35 years ago and will tomorrow. I shop mostly at your store but the few times I go to Lowe’s guess what? I am carrying a gun there too. When I go to the movies, O my I have a gun. Gas station, same thing.
God help us with the scary people that want to make our stores unsafe…
Even the National Rifle Association (!) thinks this is a bad idea. The scary people, they write, are the armed demonstrators:
Recently, demonstrators have been showing up in various public places, including coffee shops and fast food restaurants, openly toting a variety of tactical long guns. Unlicensed open carry of handguns is legal in about half the U.S. states, and it is relatively common and uncontroversial in some places.
Yet while unlicensed open carry of long guns is also typically legal in most places, 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.
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.
Last week, Sonic Drive-In and Chili’s Grill & Bar asked patrons not to bring guns into their restaurants.They join Starbucks, Wendy’s, Jack In The Box, and Applebees, who have instituted similar no-guns policies. Forbes reports Home Depot is re-evaluating their policy. “We don’t allow any group or any individual to disrupt a store’s business,” a Home Depot spokesman said.