Ladies and Gentlemen,
By now I'm sure you are all aware that Governor Nikki Hailey has signed into law a bill which, among other things, allows Concealed Weapons Permit holders in the State of South Carolina to carry concealed in establishments that serve alcohol for consumption. The liberal news media in South Carolina have all done a very good job of trying to portray this as something it is not, spouting out the usual predictions of "old west-style, drunken shootouts in the streets" as they do every time a law is passed in favor of and upholding our Constitutional right to keep and bear arms. I am quite confident that their dire predictions are unfounded, given that the same predictions were made in 1994 when Florida became the first state to pass a "must-issue" CWP law and not only did the shoot-outs in the streets not happen, violent crime in that state has actually dropped since the passage and enactment of the law - just as it has dropped in every state that has passed a similar law since, South Carolina included.
In the week before this law was signed I have heard through the same liberal news media that many of you intend to post your establishments as a "no concealed carry" area, and I attribute this directly to the misinformation being disseminated by said liberal news media. You are absolutely within your legal right to do so, as the law which Governor Hailey signed into effect today clearly states, and I can guarantee you that as a law-abiding citizen, I will respect your wishes and not bring my weapon into your establishment. Of course, this means that I won't be bringing either myself or my wallet into your establishment either, choosing instead to eat in an establishment that does not require me to give up my Constitutional right to protect my life and the life of my loved ones in order to eat there. But before this happens, I thought there were a few things about this new law and the people whom it affects that you should know.
First and foremost, there is already a law on the books which prohibits a CWP holder from consuming alcohol while they are carrying a concealed weapon. For this reason, you need not fear the "drunken shoot-outs in the streets" as the liberal news media has so direly predicted. After all, if we're going obey the law and go through the process of obtaining a license to legally carry a concealed weapon, don't you think we're also going to obey any and all laws which prohibit the consumption of alcohol while armed? And if we can't consume alcohol while carrying concealed, then what's the point in going into a bar to begin with, anyway? Unless I'm the Designated Driver for the group I'm with, I can't think of a single one.
Besides, it's not us you have to worry about, Mr. & Mrs. Restaurant/Bar Owner, it's the bad guys who are already carrying concealed in your establishment without a permit.
That's right, you already have people in your bar who carry weapons concealed while drinking, and you have them in your establishment every single day. These are the people you need to worry about, not the law-abiding CWP holders. So let's take a quick look at both groups of people, shall we?
What do you know about the average CWP holder in South Carolina? Here's what you can count on:
1. He/she is at least 21 years of age and has not been diagnosed with any medical or psychological conditions which would preclude them from carrying a concealed weapon.
2. He/she has been fingerprinted and had a criminal background investigation conducted, and that background investigation has shown no convictions on any felony offenses, and no convictions on misdemeanor offenses with the exception of traffic violations (NOT to include DUI).
3. He/she has attended a course of classroom instruction for a mimimum of 6 hours which covered firearm safety, proper use and handling, and South Carolina laws on firearms the use of deadly force.
4. He/she has demonstrated a proficiency in handling firearms on a firing range before a state certified firearms instructor.
In comparison, what do you know about the bad guy sitting in your bar with a 9mm illegally tucked into his waistband? The answer: NOTHING.
The plain and simple answer is that you have nothing to fear from us, the law-abiding citizen, and everything to fear from the bad guys of which you know nothing who are already sitting in your bar.
In reality, the thing that this law does for us, the law-abiding CWP holders, is that it prevents us from having to disarm just to take our loved ones out to eat. Most of the time my wife and I will plan our day out, going around town and doing the things that we want to do, and a part of that will be to stop somewhere and have either lunch or dinner. I, for one, am very uncomfortable leaving my firearm in my car when I go into a restaurant to eat, and I would prefer not to do so. I'm also uncomfortable leaving it at home, and if you need to know why then I suggest you watch the evening news tonight and see just how many stories are shown depicting some kind of violent act committed against an innocent, and you'll have your answer. And as for bars, well, personally I don't frequent bars much at all, but when I do I leave the pistol at home. But once again, if I'm out with the wife and she wants to go to a bar and have a drink, this law will allow me to NOT have to disarm and leave my pistol in the car in order to do so. And once again, because the very same law prohibits it, I'll be having a Coke while my wife has something stronger.
But here's the important thing the law does for us: it prevents us from becoming helpless victims in the parking lot outside of your bar or restaurant, which is where the robbery is more likely to happen. The reality of it is that robberies don't take place inside the crowded bar or restaurant; there's too many people around, too many to control, too many witnesses, so the bad guy won't do the deed inside. He'll wait outside in the parking lot and catch one or two of your customers out there in the dark while they're walking to their car.
THAT, Mr. Bar & Restaurant Owner, is what this law is designed to fight. We no longer have to become potential victims just to frequent your bar or restaurant. It's as simple as that.
As I said in the beginning of this letter, you absolutely have the right to post your establishment as a "no concealed weapons" area, and I absolutely will obey the law and respect your wishes by not bringing a weapon into your establishment. But as I said, that also means neither myself nor my wallet will be going into your establishment, either. And there are a whole lot of us out there who feel the same way. I don't mean this as a threat or some kind of financial blackmail; I mean it for just what it is - a statement of facts that run both ways. If it is your decision to run the risk of lost profits due to this decision, then the outcome is on you as well.
Ask yourself one question: who would you feel safer with, a room full of half-drunken thugs who are carrying weapons illegally and would use those weapons against you or the others around you for no good reason, or a room full of sober, law-abiding armed citizens that will not hesitate to use their arms in defense of themselves, you, and the others around them?
I sure know which one I'd feel safer walking into.
IHC
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