Is Target's Gun Open Carry Stand Positive Or Negative?

From: Right To  Bear Blog:

2nd Amendment / Civil Disobedience

How Should Gun Owners Respond to Target’s Non-Ban Gun Ban?

Following the lead of other national chains like Starbucks and Chipotle, Target is “politely asking” gun owners not to carry guns in their stores.

While this non-ban BAN is certainly a new spin in an old fight, the result is still the typical corporate political response to a controversial issue.

If Target thinks this will silence the shrill cries of anti-self-defense fanatics, they have badly miscalculated.

What Target is trying to do is sit down in the middle of the road of a contentious political debate.

From my perspective, you only get run over by both sides sitting in the middle of the road instead of taking a principled position.

Clearly, Target has a right to protect their legitimate business interests as they choose. The Right To Bear team respects the right of private property owners. Target wants to make a profit selling to the public without getting caught up in a debate about religion, politics, race, gender or gun rights.

Fair enough, but nothing will satisfy the anti-self-defense fanatics until everyone is disarmed.

Nothing will satisfy this writer until the 2nd Amendment is fully restored in practice – not just theory.

Fortunately, there are other businesses, like Shooters Grill in Colorado, that take a different approach.

Read about the armed waitresses packing heat and the dream they have for a new franchise in another of our articles.

But I digress.

What’s happening is really pretty simple.

Instead of staying out of the middle of the gun rights debate, Target has placed itself squarely in the middle.

According to interim Target CEO John Mulligan, “Bringing firearms to Target creates an environment that is at odds with the family-friendly shopping and work experience we strive to create.”

Fortunately, many gun owners are ignoring this so-called polite request to leave your defense in the car.

Like many other gun owners, I would rather be safe than polite in that circumstance. (Kind of like the doctor who violated hospital policy and was able to stop a crazed gunman before he killed more people.)

Let’s be clear, Target is not banning guns — just demonizing them.

Allowing the demonization of a constitutional right is a much more dangerous threat to liberty in the long run than an outright gun ban.

I hope open carry groups will respond by politely organizing “Shop with Your Gun Rallies.”

Imagine fifty or even one hundred gun owners politely responding by walking quietly into Target and purchasing something with their gun on their hip.

What I am advocating is “Open Carry Evangelism.”

Let’s face it. Many people are afraid of guns. Why not gently educate the general public with our quiet and respectful behavior?

Target may think that the non-ban gun ban is a great way to resolve the issue and stay out of the middle, but I predict it will backfire as many will boycott the store.