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TVGuy wrote:

Vol Texan wrote:The OP here was simply noting that a popular establishment is posting both signs, and asked if others have noticed businesses having done so. As usually happens, half the responses are about the quality of the food, or the service, etc, so this won't affect them.**

But is is relevant. You may not go there, but if there is a proliferation of these signs, then it will eventually impact us more. I hope that the early burst of signs going up falls by the wayside, and it eventually becomes less common.

** When I hear this type of retort, I'm reminded of the famous quote by Pastor Martin Niemöller. According to Wikipedia, the his quote is, "about the cowardice of German intellectuals following the Nazis' rise to power and the subsequent purging of their chosen targets, group after group."

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

We shouldn't derail the intent of the OP by saying "it's OK because I don't go there". While the latter half of the statement may well be true, the first half isn't. We should all be good ambassadors of the 2nd Amendment, hoping to steer some of these businesses to making better decisions than creating free-fire zones (yes, we have better impact with small business than with Applebees, but the idea is still the same).

I get the gist of what you're saying, but I don't think many people (including myself) are going to complain to management or corporate about a store/restaurant we don't visit to begin with. There's not enough time in the day to do that.

At some point the free market will prevail and Applebee's will improve its product, or go extinct. Those that frequent it can take up the fight to carry there.

I agree with you. All I'm trying to say is that it's bigger than the fact that you personally don't like Applebees. (Not you, specifically, but you, the generic reader).

The same thing happened with the Whataburger discussion, "doesn't matter to me because I don't eat there", is not really a thoughtful response to someone saying, "Gosh, Whataburger is a Texas establishment, and I expected more from them". Instead, it sort of derails the conversation to focus instead on the quality of their food, rather than the business decision that does, indeed impact all of us, whether we eat burgers or not.

The idea is to look beyond whether you visit a particular establishment, but rather to see the bigger picture - that's all.

The OP here was simply noting that a popular establishment is posting both signs, and asked if others have noticed businesses having done so. As usually happens, half the responses are about the quality of the food, or the service, etc, so this won't affect them.**

But is is relevant. You may not go there, but if there is a proliferation of these signs, then it will eventually impact us more. I hope that the early burst of signs going up falls by the wayside, and it eventually becomes less common.

** When I hear this type of retort, I'm reminded of the famous quote by Pastor Martin Niemöller. According to Wikipedia, the his quote is, "about the cowardice of German intellectuals following the Nazis' rise to power and the subsequent purging of their chosen targets, group after group."

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

We shouldn't derail the intent of the OP by saying "it's OK because I don't go there". While the latter half of the statement may well be true, the first half isn't. We should all be good ambassadors of the 2nd Amendment, hoping to steer some of these businesses to making better decisions than creating free-fire zones (yes, we have better impact with small business than with Applebees, but the idea is still the same).

And, we need to recognize that any sign, anywhere, does matter, no matter whether you personally go there or not. Even if you fully support the right of the business to post the sign, it still affects us all. Just like the flap of a butterfly's wing may impact a tornado far away, these signs do matter.