On 11JUN09, at approximately 1900, a man carrying a firearm entered the Spaghetti Factory on Ponce de Leon Avenue in downtown Atlanta, GA. This restaurant is known for putting relatively good sauces on relatively mundane spaghetti, having very eclectic and eccentric interior decor (including, typically, a full-size trolley car available to eat in), and serving any kind of alcoholic beverage you can typically purchase at a restaurant.
The man in question procured a booth with his wife, and proceeded to eat his dinner, pay his bill, and leave the restaurant without incident at approximately 2000.
Despite the man carrying a firearm in close proximity to publicly-served alcohol, no shots were fired. No waiters were mowed down for not providing sufficient water. No shooting matches broke out over unkempt bathrooms. None of the other patrons were left in pools of their own blood for daring to pull out a wallet. Managers were not threatened with grievous bodily harm due to the price of their restaurant’s food. 16 rounds of 9mm hollow-point, lubalox-coated, self-defense ammunition somehow managed to stay in their respective magazines or chamber.
In fact, the odds are tremendously good that no one in the restaurant except for the man in question and his wife were aware that the man was carrying a firearm.
And yet some idiots would have you believe that if the man in question visited the Spaghetti Factory in Nashville, TN, he would immediately turn into a murderous, blood-thirsty monster, looking to shoot anyone and anything over any perceived slight or insult.
How is a restaurant in Tennessee any different than a restaurant in Georgia, or any of the other 40 states that allow legally-licensed individuals to carry their firearms into restaurants that serve alcohol? How is a handgun carry permit holder in Tennessee any different from a concealed carrier in any of those other 40 states who has managed to not shoot up restaurants for no apparent reason?
Why should any law-abiding citizen be forced to disarm simply because they wish to enjoy a meal at a restaurant where alcohol is served?
Is it not telling that the prophecies of “blood in the streets” never quite seem to materialize?
related posts:
restaurants and rights | no surprise here | saw that coming |
You know what, only you gun enthusiasts say things like this when you misquote people.
“And yet some idiots would have you believe that if the man in question visited the Spaghetti Factory in Nashville, TN, he would immediately turn into a murderous, blood-thirsty monster, looking to shoot anyone and anything over any perceived slight or insult.”
You think by sarcastically exaggerating what we say, you make us sound foolish. But that’s wrong. Only you sound foolish when you say stuff like that.
MikeB, if I were misquoting people, you would absolutely be right[1]… except that I am not misquoting people, nor am I exaggerating what they have said.
For the past three months or more, Tennessee rights advocates have been positively inundated in prophecies of waiters being shot over poor service, fellow customers being shot for daring to pull out their wallets, folks being shot over arguments concerning salad bar condiments, children being caught in the crossfire of handgun carriers settling their arguments the “old-fashioned way”, people in the parking lots being shot over parking spaces, drunks wantonly shooting up restaurants just because (even though drinking and carrying is illegal in TN, and that would not have been changed by HB0962), people shooting managers to avoid having to pay bills, people being shot just because they bumped someone else’s shoulder, kids being shot for misbehaving, fights escalating into shootouts for no apparently good reason… the list goes on, and on, and on, and on. For some reason, the hoplophobes here in Tennessee are flat out convinced that handgun carry permit holders will turn into murderous rampagers the second they cross the threshhold of a restaurant serving alcohol. One needs only spend a few minutes looking at the comment threads of the Commercial Appeal (or the Tennesseean, or Ptih in the Wind, or…) to get even the smallest of tastes.
However, as per your standard modus operadi, you turn a blind eye to anything that might even partially damage your argument… at your continual detriment. And, also as usual for you, it would really help your argument if you actually bothered to do your homework before you open your mouth and prove yourself the sophont who is incapable of accurately and consistently identifying facts.
[1] – Or, at least, you would be absolutely right if it were not for this little thing called “parody”… Granted, like I said, I am not misquoting or exaggerating what people say, so it is more difficult to be parodical – except that the anti-rights movement is a parody of itself, so I guess that solves the problem. The only ones proving themselves the fools are those who would strip law-abiding citizens of their naturally-granted, Constitutionally-protected rights – namely, you and your ilk.
You will love this one…
http://tinurl.us/03ef3e
The logic goes like this: carry permit holder (newly tempted by law change) gets drunk and fires “celebratory bullet” in the air which then falls to earth and kills innocent victim – written by learned PhD in religion (not physics)
Wow…
JB: I took the liberty of shortening your link for you – for some reason, the original link worked just fine, but did not linewrap. Oh well.
Anywise, that is a prime example of the stupid-assed stereotyping we have come to expect from the hoplophobes here in Tennessee, and a perfect reason why what I wrote above is not exaggeration or a misquote. Thanks for posting it.