Open Carry at Walmart and Fry’s in Arizona: No One Asked to Leave

U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- There is an ongoing thrust by the fanatical pushers for a disarmed population, to enlist corporate America to their cause. Understandably, corporate entities are uneasy about outright support for any political faction; come out strongly on one side or the other, you are potentially alienating 20-30 percent of your customers. The 50% that are not strongly engaged in politics are unlikely to respond.

When it comes to Second Amendment issues, there are about 5 million NRA members and 100 million gun owners. There are about 30 million people that think owning a gun is immoral. The numbers game falls to the Second Amendment, but the Old Media are overwhelmingly hostile to gun ownership.

This puts corporate America in a bind. Several large corporations have yielded to old media pressure and enacted policies that request Americans who are exercising their Second Amendment rights, not to openly carry in their establishments.

In doing so, they are attempting to split the baby without bloodshed. The request is not legally binding. They are not banning firearms from their establishments; they are working a policy to give lip service to the liberal fascists who want to take a fire-ax to the Bill of Rights.

It all seemed pretty inconsequential. In a few months, the policies would be forgotten, and Second Amendment supporters would get back to making incremental strides toward restoring Second Amendment rights.

Confession is good for the soul. I confess I forgot about the controversy.

Recently, I set out to get a few groceries and to check on the price of .22 ammunition at Walmart. I routinely open carry. I open carry primarily for political purposes, demonstrating to others the Second Amendment means something, and the government is effectively limited in at least one way. I often open carry because it is a bit simpler and more convenient than concealed carry. It is better to avoid trouble than to recover from it. Open carry can be a tactical deterrence. The theory is an overwhelming majority of criminals don’t want to confront an armed person.

I did not notice any sign on the door at Walmart. I went about my business. The price of .22 ammunition continues to drop toward historical norms. A brick of 500 Remington Thunderbolt .22 Long Rifle cartridges was priced at $16.97. On Labor Day, CAL Ranch stores had them for $14.99. Three cents a round for .22 ammunition is not too bad.

I picked up a few inexpensive grocery items and headed for the checkout. On the way there, I ran into an old friend who asked how I was. He asked if anyone had asked me to leave.

The light bulb came on. No, I said. I did not see any sign on the door. He graciously took my picture to commemorate Walmart’s benign, non-confrontational, threading of the political needle. The phone in my shirt pocket could have been recording video. It wasn’t.

I went to Fry’s. They did not have .22 ammunition, but I don’t recall them caving to liberal fascists, either. I spent a bit more there than I did at Walmart. I asked the checkout lady if she would take my picture to commemorate Fry’s more open-minded attitude. The picture did not turn out quite as well as the one my buddy took.

People will rightly note the Glock 17 does not stand out against the dark shirt. Most people do not notice when a person is openly carrying, even when there is better contrast. I did not dress to show off the Glock, but for utilitarian purposes of where I live. Open carry has become so normalized in Arizona, no one considered it an issue.

This is the situation the liberal fascists desperately want to avoid. They do not want anyone but the government to have guns. The open exercise of Second Amendment rights greatly offends them. My rights are not subject to their emotional and mental problems. Only a tiny percentage of Americans are offended by open carry. A much larger number are mildly surprised when they first encounter it, but become accepting of it with a few exposures. We constantly see the process as numerous winter visitors and California visitors come, notice, and become acclimated. Most people do not even notice.

The facts, the culture, and the Constitution are on the side of Second Amendment supporters. We only need to keep exposing the moral, legal, and cultural disasters of the left to continue to restore our rights. Their dominance of the media has made this difficult, but we are winning.

About Dean Weingarten:

Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of constitutional carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and recently retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.