A Maryville, Tennessee restaurant, Shiloh Brew and Chew, has made the decision to openly welcome armed citizens. Owner Sharma Floyd made the decision after she read about a convenience store manager who was shot shortly after posting a “No Weapons Allowed” sign…and after Floyd lost business herself because some customers thought that she didn’t allow armed citizens inside . . .
“They had put up a sign that said ‘No Weapons Allowed’ and they were robbed at gunpoint two days later. The convenience store manager was shot,” said Floyd. “And that got me thinking. I lost a whole group of motorcyclists because they thought I didn’t allow weapons. But I believe it’s ok to carry as long as you have a permit.”
The restaurant’s name, Shiloh Brew and Chew, has confused some customers. Some think it’s a liquor store. But the owner says that the support she has received after putting up the “Guns Welcome” sign is overwhelming.
“Brew is for coffee, chew is for food. So in my mind, my concept all went together. But after I made a $3,000 sign and paid for it, I realized that was not a good marketing idea,” laughed Floyd. “But the ‘Guns are Welcome’ signs have helped boost business.”
She said while one man said he would not come back to her establishment, more than 20 new customers have come through her doors since she posted the signs on three doors.
This is why the Bloomberg media campaign to force national chains to ban guns is destined to fail. There are too many alternatives. Gun owners make up at least a third of the population. Competitive pressures and common sense will push business owners in the same direction as the Brew and Chew, or at least to neutrality. Even the national chains have been unwilling to actually ban guns. They just issue non-binding “requests” to placate Bloomberg’s “Moms'” media campaign.
The numbers mentioned by the restaurant owner, 20-1, reflect what we see in online polls. In the population of people who care about the issue, Second Amendment supporters outnumber those opposed to an armed population by ratios of anywhere from 3-10 to one. No doubt that varies considerably by location, with “intense” civilian disarmament supporters highly concentrated in a few urban areas. But as has been documented in Rise of the Anti-Media, groups, such as the Brady Campaign, and Moms Demand Action, have actual membership levels that are a tiny fraction of those of Second Amendment supporters. Which means refusing to ban guns is good business.
©2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
Gun Watch
walther fanboys
She got 20 new customers… none of them 1911 fans.
Ouch – I registered it as an HK at first glance; but you got it right. Hard to miss the Walther logo but guess I’m getting old…
there are some places i go that have no gun signs posted (even simple ones carry the weight of law here) but a restaurant is NOT one of those places. there are too many other choices.
Sounds reasonable. I like your post as well because you mention that where you live (what state?), any basic sign is sufficient to ban guns, from a legal standpoint. That’s a foreign concept to many people, including many Texans, where a legally binding no-guns sign must conform to statutory specifications.
Occasionally, more like very infrequently, you’ll come across one of the cheezy little Ghostbusters-type signs here with the red circle and diagonal line crossing out a handgun. Most lawful concealed carriers would have been made aware in their class that such signs do not carry the force of law in Texas. However, it may never dawn on them that such is not the case in other states. Your post reminds us all that subtle, but important, nuances exist between states’ firearms laws; even among states regarded as firearms friendly. Good post. Thanks.
Knowing the law is always wise but respecting the wishes of a property owner should come into play as well. I’d love to see the day where responsible gun ownership isn’t demonized or feared but I PERSONALLY try my best to respect others as I was raised in the meantime.
Avoid stupid people, places, things….. I don’t have to go there.
Do you mean “have no ‘gun signs'” or “have ‘no gun’ signs?”
Good for her. “Common sense” gun policy.
Let’s just call it “Gun sense.”
If there’s a no gun sign of any kind then decent people do not belong in there.
+1
I like the way that sign is worded.
Manages to be polite to gun owners and also request safe handling of firearms.
That wording has been around a while and I agree, it’s a good one.
Yup. You can get ’em as a sign or a sticker in various sizes here:
http://www.compliancesigns.com/NHE-17708.shtml?ref=champ
and I’m sure there are other places that sell ’em too. I’d love to see more of these in businesses.
OK. This got me thinking…..
What if I ordered a hundred of these signs and went store to store to request them be displayed else lose business over security concerns ? Maybe even making reference to the businesses that have been robbed within days of posting no guns allowed placards.
Sort of a reverse psychology trick on the anti’s efforts. Think it would work?
“Think it would work?”
It might work with some; won’t with others.
I’ve been thinking about something like this, too, especially in light of the (positive) law changes we had here last year that some local businesses may not be aware of.
Thanks for that link. I’ve been collecting links for a time in the near future when I can campaign in my AO for local businesses to post them. Of course, the intention is to cherry pick libertarian business owners first and allow time for the signs to sink in, i.e. become “trendy” and accepted. We have several businesses that encourage all forms of carry on their properties and they think the game plan will work.
(Edit: Illinois Minion & JR_in_NC, I read Delmarva Chip’s reply in email and hadn’t read your replies when posting. IMHO, encouraging gun friendly businesses to post is good civic activity and should make a positive difference. As I wrote in reply, cherry pick and give some amount of time for it to become normalized. You might even find business owners seeking you out for signage.)
Got to love that sign. 🙂
Good for you, Sharma Floyd, and thank you! 🙂
Always great to see pro 2 a business if I’m ever in the area they will get some of my money
I like it except for this statement, ” But I believe it’s ok to carry as long as you have a permit.” . You shouldn’t need a permit.
I agree. I’m also not thrilled that she neither has a permit herself nor owns a firearm. However, I can’t hold that against her, though, for a number of reasons. For one, it may not even be true. She may just have said that in response to a reporter’s question and just values her privacy in that regard. Who knows?
Or, for whatever reason, she doesn’t believe that owning or carrying a firearm is the best option for her situation, but respects other people’s right to decide cor themselves. Nit knowing her situation and reasoning, there’s not much I can say about that, except that I’m pleased she’s able and eager to separate her decision for herself from other people’s rights. That’s a darn rare thing these days and I applaud it.
Hello Jonathan, I wanted to respond to your post with an explaination of my statement of not having a permit. I opened this restaurant up a year ago and invested every dime I had into it and things have been pretty rough on my family for the last couple of years. My husband has a permit as does my daughter who is also a police officer, but the only reason I do not have one myself is because my eye sight is not good enough for me to feel comfortable in qualifying and until I can come up with the extra 450.00 they say I need for glasses I felt it better to leave the shooting to someone who can see well! That is an honest explanation and I do believe it is a natural and constituational right of self defense and I will never take that right away from a law-abiding citizen. Thank you for your support and watch Fox news in the morning at 6:20 you will hear the rest of the story! GOD BLESS! SHARMA FLOYD
Thank you for your support of the right to keep and bear arms. We need more Americans such as you. If I’m ever near Maryville Tennessee I will make it a special point to patronize the Shiloh Brew and Chew!
Makes sense. Of course, you don’t need a permit to carry on your own property!
She doesn’t need to carry because her customers do. 😉
We have a restaurant like this in my home town; The Cajun Experience, in Leesburg VA. They even give a 10 percent discount to customers who open carry in the restaurant.
I go armed almost every where.
If a business posts a sign which basically carries no weight here in Florida.
I go elsewhere.
About the only place I might leave my gun in…….well its almost no place since I ride a motorcycle 99% of the time too. Nothing to lock it up in. Just have soft un lockable bags.
I think I left my carry gun home last year. Once to go vote.
It was in a school last year. Voting in my district is usually in a church with nothing posted sooooooo.
Just FYI, polling places are prohibited for concealed carry in Florida (as is true in every state, if I’m not mistaken). Refer to Fl. St. 790.06(12)(a)(6).
Hi Chip. Just FYI, I live in Alabama and as the NY Times article states, we can carry concealed in a polling location.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/13/us/alabama-ruling-hobbles-ban-on-guns-in-the-open-at-polls.html?_r=0.
Also, state AG just issued the opinion that private property owners (a church hosting a polling location, for instance) can ban firearms from their premises. But the law seems to give the individual the right to carry concealed in public. Of course, open carry requires no permit:
Alabama AG Interprets Gun Law to Allow Private Property Owners to Ban All Firearms from their Facilities
July 15, 2014
On July 7, 2014, Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange issued an opinion interpreting Act 2013-283, Alabama’s broad gun law, to Claude McCoy, the attorney for the Chambers County Commission. The primary focus of the Opinion was whether Counties could mandate an across the board ban on firearms in buildings used for polling places on Election Day – including those located on private property such as churches. The AG opined that the County could not impose a ban on firearms in polling places that are on private property, as those locations remain under the control and rules of the property owner. In so finding, however, the AG stated the following:
“The owners of private property may also choose to forbid firearms on their property, even if the person with the firearm has a permit . . .
The owner of private premises or another authorized person may revoke the license of a person to enter or remain on private property. Ala. Code sec. 13A-7-1(4) (2006). Therefore the owner of private property who allows his or her property to be used as a polling place may personally, or by authorized representative, prohibit firearms on the premises, even with respect to persons who have a permit.”
It must be noted that Attorney General’s opinions do not carry the full weight of the law, and can be disregarded by a Court if the judge disagrees with the AG’s conclusion. However, at this point, the July 7 Opinion is the most authoritative interpretation of this aspect of the Alabama Gun Law.
Under the AG’s Opinion, it appears that private property owners, including those who operate businesses that are open to members of the public, may prohibit the carrying of firearms on their property in all cases – even where the person with the firearm possesses a valid concealed carry permit.
Note that the AG’s opinion does not discuss any provisions of the law relating to the possession of firearms by company employees in employer owned parking lots. For now, employers should not assume that the broad language contained in this opinion extends to include a right to prohibit employees from having firearms stored out of sight in their locked vehicle. A full copy of the AG’s Opinion can be accessed by clicking HERE .
Nice! Good on Alabama!
As a long time election supervisor, I’ve always hated having to disarm myself merely to run a polling place. Not only does it involve work at abnormal times (4:30AM to perhaps 9:30PM – which is before sunrise and after sunset in November), but poll workers are often alone at the polling place before the polls open and after they close. We’ve had some heated elections over the past few years (with some tense situations inside the polling place), and we’re transporting voted ballots. I’d certainly be much more comfortable with my EDC.
So, hopefully, more states will follow Alabama’s lead.
That lady in the video (towards the end) saying “I wouldn’t go into a restaurant in Cleveland with a sign like that on the door, but here in Tennessee I would.” Exactly what does she mean by that?? Pretty warped. I guess in Cleveland it would be the wild west with blood in the booths…
That is how she explained herself, she said she felt safe in Shiloh!
It’s easy to see why they would welcome firearms. The restaurant theme is straight out of the old west. The design of the building, with a covered wagon, bale of hay and wagon wheel out front, the place looks like it came out of an episode of Gunsmoke.
We’d fit in nicely carrying six-shooters.
Sounds like a good place to wear a BBQ gun.
Yes you would and thanks for the support!!
Thank you, Sharma, for your attitude and for adding to the forum. If you have any special events at the restaurant with a firearms theme, such as a second amendment group meeting there, or perhaps a holiday discount for armed patrons, please contact me. It might be a good story.
I just sent the business ([email protected]) a “thank you” note…I think it’s important that we recognize those businesses who support 2A this way!
Ditto. All I can do for now from afar, but if I head that way, they WILL get some business. Told ’em that, too.
And reduce the chances of getting held up! Naturally there are a lot on uninformed, not very literate criminals who may think this out-of-the-way place is an easy target……..