When Walmart announced it was going to restrict the types of ammo and guns it sells in its stores, there was a lot of uproar around Wyoming. But I say more power to ‘em. I really don’t care if Walmart sells guns and ammo or if it decides to take them all off its shelves. I’ll just shop somewhere else.
Along with that announcement, though, they asked customers to please not carry guns openly in their stores. Again, that’s their right. It’s also our right to not shop there.
But when that announcement came out, Facebook blew up with posts from a bunch of people who said we should all to march into the nearest Walmart with our guns plainly visible on our hips. Please don’t do that. In fact, if you carry a gun daily, carry it concealed. There is a lot of emotion around the gun debate, and people who don’t see the issue from the same side as we do get even more determined to take our guns away when they see them in grocery stores, coffee shops and other public places.
Don’t give those people any ammo. You’re not going to change people’s minds by carrying openly. It’s a shame, because I think obviously armed civilians help deter crime, and the mere sight of an armed person might make a person think twice before committing a crime.
But people who weren’t raised around guns don’t understand. Some people, for whatever reason, have a fear of guns. They don’t know that you’ve had training on how to use it, and you practice with it more than the average law enforcement officer. Don’t feed that fear. Keep it concealed, and stay out of those places where your gun – and by extension, its owner – is not welcome.
