A few thoughts on the Knock Out Game

The Knock-Out Game hits rather close to home, dead center in the "why GC carries a gun" bullseye. This sort of thing tends to defeat my preferred safety strategy of "be where the trouble isn't" and my fall-back of "run away, run away" has long since been defeated by health issues. It harks back to the bad old days when gay bashing was more common and when street violence was more of a realitya
and less of a rarity.

Here in Washington, rushing up to someone (in my lay opinion) and trying to knock them down with a single blow constitutes Assault in the 3rd Degree (good for up to 5 years, a Class C felony) and places the victim in reasonable fear for their lives (again, my lay opinion).

Oddly enough, these things matter. It happens they trigger several other intriguing statutes addressing the use of force and justifiable homicide under the Revised Code of Washington.

For those among us that are not legal wonks or hobbyists, I'll simplify. You play the knock-out game with the 400,000+ concealed carry licensees (and a fair number of others with in  other exciting tools and skill sets) in Washington, it may turn out far differently than you planned on - up to and including you getting a one-time be-all end-all opportunity to go home in a box or take up permanent residence in a wheelchair or hospital bed.

Those folks you see as victims, or safe targets? May not be...and if you do knock them down, may not get back up in a mood to play nice. And if you don't knock them down, they may not ask a lot of questions before doing something dreadfully final about you - and any of your buddies you brought along for the ride.

And in all likelihood, they not only won't go to jail (assuming they abide by the rules and don't get all over-enthusiastic) - they'll get public support AND if they are prosecuted and found innocent, the state will get to pay for their attorneys.

So yes, that fat old dude might just shoot your ass. Or so might that petite young lady, flaming nelly queen, or.... You'll never know till you start growing new holes in your person.

Think about it. Maybe you might want to take up another game, like chess.

Breakfast Casserole

 Ok. I've puttered around with this recipe a bit in my break from Fanny Farmer. Made up different versions, and will still play with it more. HOWEVER, it is time to share.

For two diners of moderate appetite, it's a two-day thing - enough left-overs for a second meal. I probably like the breakfast sausage version best, but I think I'll turn it up by using Jimmy Deans hot breakfast sausage option. We'll see.

In the meantime, make this at home and enjoy!

Source: Paula Deen (Modified)

Servings: 8 to 10 servings
Prep Time: 20 min, inactive: 10 min
Cook Time: 50 min
Difficulty: Easy.

Butter
1 pound ground maple pork sausage
6 slices soft hearty bread
One 8-ounce package shredded triple Cheddar cheese
8 large eggs
2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon seasoned pepper 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 13- by 9-inch baking pan (ceramic for the win).

In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium heat, stirring frequently, until browned and crumbly, about 10 minutes; set aside and drain well on paper towels.

Remove and discard the bread crusts. Cut the slices in half, and arrange in a single layer in the prepared baking dish, cutting pieces to fit as necessary to cover the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle first with the sausage and then the cheese.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, mustard, seasoned salt and pepper; carefully pour the mixture over the cheese.

Bake casserole until set and golden, about 40 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes: Breakfast sausage substitutes well, that said choose a spice level that suits your taste - chorizo, sadly, not so much. The maple sausage variant is a bit on the sweet side, but pleasantly different.

Battle Rifle Co AR-15 pattern rifle

I'm still early in my addiction to the AR pattern - I only own one, and while I lust after others, so far finance has prevented me from leaping. Further, I've never worked in a gun shop nor been certified as an armorer - and no, I didn't build out my AR all on my own either - so my perspective is that of an end user. I can just about get as far as "Is gun. Bang comes out THAT end." before I begin to run a bit thin on expertise.

With all that in mind, I agreed to do a T&E at Blogorado (and ask friends to do the same) on a rifle provided by the Battle Rifle company out of Seabrook, TX. A father and son operation, Battle Rifle is one of the growing number of small and hopefully growing shops cranking out AR pattern rifles in recent years. I had the pleasure of speaking with founder Chris Kurzadkowski in setting this up, and of meeting him while I was down in Houston on business - you couldn't ask for a friendlier variant on "Texas Gentleman" and he seems honestly dedicated to the notion of customer service and quality product.

In the T&E session I was involved in we didn't get the chance to test out the customer service end - because the gun just kept chunking away. I didn't experience (nor am I aware of anyone else experiencing) any sort of malfunction.

It should be noted that 35mph cross winds will affect the accuracy of any firearm, with the lighter the projectile the greater the influence. Shooting .223 with 55 to 70 grain projectiles under such conditions left me less able to quantify "how accurate is this rifle" and more able to discover "under cruddy conditions, what will this rifle do?"

Turns out, to my experience, that it'll do the job. I was running iron sights, but the installed choice of iron sights (MagPul) worked pretty well even in adverse conditions. Rifle consistently fed, barring one operator error induced failure to cycle (do not over stuff your magazines, kids...). I was able to reach out to, when the wind dropped for a moment, around 200 yards without difficulty and with a minimum of skill.

Overall, if you're looking for an AR pattern rifle in .223 I'd urge you to seriously consider the Battle Rifle Company. At my level of expertise it seemed a good solid AR pattern that would fit that need.

GC

Posts I wish I'd Written

Now and again you run across a post that you wish you'd written (sometimes an entire blog may fall under "Damn. I wish I could write like that").

This morning I ran across one of those posts.

Scribbler, of Scribblers Scrawls knocked out an *excellent* article pointing out to the gun community that eating our own might be.... counterproductive.

Go. Read. Now.

A few thoughts for dog owners...

I like dogs. Friendly dogs are really neat. However...

If I come into your business and your medium to large dog gives every indication that it's about to come flinging over the top of a 4' counter to savage me...it may not go well for Fido.

I won't run - both because at several levels I can't, at least not well enough to outrun any but the most feeble of dogs - but I will drop into a defensive stance as I reach for some tools of serious social interaction.

As it happens, had this occur over lunch today - stopped in at a vendor to talk about an order, and dobie-lab mix went simply ape that someone dared to enter their owners store. Can't say I was much amused.

Doggie-parents, if you are taking your "big enough to do real damage" doggie into public spaces...for the good of your dog, make sure they aren't going to put folks at reasonable fear of injury. We may not respond well.

Magic Elixer: Garlic Chicken Soup of Doom

Starting to get the annual requests for the Magic Head'n'Chest Elixer. Remember, you don't HAVE to be sick to mix up a batch...

Garlic Chicken Soup of Doom

2 Large Cans Campbells Condensed Chicken Noodle Soup*
1 lb Boneless Chicken Breasts, cubed to ½” to ¼”
1 8 oz. Can peas
1 8 oz. Can carrots
1 8 oz. Can sliced potatoes
1 8 oz Can Kidney Beans
2½ c. Chopped Garlic
6 tbsp Oregano
6 tbsp Basil
Chili Powder
Tabasco Sauce
Salt
Olive Oil

Coat the bottom of a large fry pan with olive oil. Add 3 tbsp of chopped garlic, 2 tbsp Oregano and Basil, and sauté over low heat until garlic shows just a hint of brown, stirring occasionally. Add chopped chicken breasts, stir vigorously until intermingled thoroughly with spices, then continue to stir occasionally until the chicken is cooked white all through.

Meanwhile, drain all vegetables and place in large crock pot (slow cooker) with Campbell’s Chicken Noodle soup. Add water to within 2" of top of pot. Throw in a couple of handfuls of pasta to thicken, if desired. Add remaining garlic and spices at this time, put crock pot on high setting. 

When chicken is sautéed white all through, dump entire fry pan contents into crock pot, stirring in. Simmer for at least one hour.

Returning, take test sip. Add garlic until the soup begins to taste salty. Then add another tablespoon. Now, add chili powder and Tabasco GENTLY, a bit at a time, until when you take a test sip it goes down smoothly…but you feel a distinct heated bite at the back of your throat after imbibing. (Note, if you over do, just let the soup boil down a bit, add some more water and pasta, let that boil down – repeat as needed…and all will be well).

*substitute any preferred chicken stock, and if substituting fresh vegetables rather than canned, be sure to increase cook time for proper spice saturation.

The High Point 9mm Carbine

HiPoint 9mm Carbine as tested

First, I would at absolute most describe myself as a middling experienced shooter with a whole bunch left to learn - when I'm sitting around with folks like Tam, AD, Lawdog and sundry others I have long since figured out it's my job to sit quietly and ask questions from time to time when talking about guns. I tend to learn more that way.

So, I'm not reviewing the HiPoint from the point of view of an awe-inspiring iconic expert. I'm more at the "Joe Average" level and readily acknowledge that there are finer points that I'll miss and defer to those wiser than I.

That said, despite all the bad press HiPoint has gotten over the year, the 9mm Carbine is just silly fun (and I'm left wanting to get my hands on the .45 acp version). While my supply of ammunition was limited by budget and local availability, the shooting I did was consistently accurate and the firearm dead reliable.

At $250 +/- the HiPoint 9mm carbine is a good choice for a home defense firearm for low income households, varminting out to maybe a 100 yards, and with a bit of forethought filling the pot for those same income challenged households. Beyond that, it's a dandy rifle for steel (good solid hits to the gongs) and makes for a good afternoon on the range.

It may not be entirely sensible given that my current collection, but I want one for my gun safe.


GC

Fudge Walnut Bars

Fudge Walnut Bars

Nut	Fudge
1 cup Butter	1 (12 ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate pieces
2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed	1 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs	2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla	½ teaspoon salt
2 ½ cups sifted flour	1 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon baking soda	2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups quick cooking rolled oats

Cream together 1 cup of butter and sugar in bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and 2 teaspoons of vanilla. 

Sift together flour, baking soda and 1 teaspoon salt. Add with oats to creamed mixture; mix well. 

Combine chocolate pieces, condensed milk, 2 tablespoons butter, and ½ teaspoon of salt in a double boiler top.  Place over hot water; stir until melted. Remove from heat. Add walnuts and 2 teaspoons of vanilla. 

Spread 2/3 of dough in buttered 15 ½ x 10 ½ x 1 jelly roll pan. Cover with fudge filling. Dot with remaining dough, swirling over filling.

Bake in 350 F oven for 25 minutes or until done. Cool in pan on rack. Cut in 2 x 1 bars, makes 72.

Corn Meal Gems (Fanny Farmer - 1896)

Flavor: Yummy, a bit on the sweet side. Using Jiffy corn bread mix as a comparison, these are both sweeter in flavor and finer grained. You might say the corn is more of a hint than a hammer, flavor-wise.

Difficulty: Follow the directions. Yet again, easy and reasonably fast.

How close did I stick to the original?: Dead-on except for using the KitchenAid mixer. The latest sifter (more on the new goodness later).  Mild re-wording of the recipe for modern/beginning cooks.

Corn Meal Gems

1/2 cup corn meal		1/2 tsp salt
1 cup white flour		3/4 cup Milk
3 tablespoons baking powder		1 Egg
1 tablespoon of sugar		1 tbsp melted butter

Mix and sift dry ingredients; add milk gradually and egg well beaten, and melted butter; bake in hot (375F) oven in buttered gem pans for 30 minutes.

Oh, Emily, No...

Generally I like Emily Millers writing and admire her amazing work in uncovering the fundamental nature of gun control in America and as practiced in D.C. 

However, any writer will have a bad day and go off reservation for a bit. In her article condemning the advocacy of Drag Queens over Disney Princesses as role models for young girls, Miller revealed significant blind spots regarding the history and nature of drag queens while strongly implying ignorance of the difference between drag and transgendered and a distaste for both. 

My response on Facebook somehow vanished, but not before it was saved elsewhere...and is shared below.

_________________________________________________

I am not sure *either* Drag Queens or Disney Princesses are who I want my nieces imprinting on at this late date - Amelia Earhart, yourself, Annie Oakley, Condoleeza Rice, Harriet Tubbs and others impress me far more as appropriate role models."

But if I am restricted to those two choices, I will choose Drag Queens every time. Far from sexually confused, every Drag Queen I have met to date has been quite clear on what they want in that arena - but that arena is essentially irrelevant to why I would choose Drag Queens."

Drag Queens and groups thereof have been at the cutting edge of LGBT Civil rights for over 50 years, have raised millions of dollars for AIDS Charities, and in the cases of organizations like the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence have worked countless hours to raise money, deliver food and services, sought to alleviate bigotry and hatred, give the community an occasional laugh and more.

Drag Queens and groups thereof have been at the cutting edge of LGBT Civil rights for over 50 years, have raised millions of dollars for AIDS Charities, and in the cases of organizations like the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence have worked countless hours to raise money, deliver food and services, sought to alleviate bigotry and hatred and given the community an occasional laugh.

Disney princesses often perpetuate the dangerous notion that women are helpless and safe targets in need of perpetual rescuing - not the lesson I ever want taught to my nieces. The level of victimhood as a lifestyle taught in the public schools is quite bad enough on its own without that kind of help.

I would much rather young girls learn to *think*, question both themselves and society, and have the strength to not only act on their beliefs but to continue questioning those beliefs even as they act.

And if they grow up strong thinkers, leaders, and writers with powerful ethics and beliefs in small government and individual rights - I'll call it a win and not fret too terribly about their attire.

Twelve Thoughts on the current debate.

1) Lest somehow someone missed it, I never liked Starbucks coffee in the first place. If you want to score points with me, bring me Tullies/Cafe Vivace/etc. My issue has never before been political, it's just that to my palate, with the exception of their Keurig line, they appear to have an almost religious need to over-roast their beans, leaving a less than amusing charcoal flavor. They have long been in my "better than nothing" category. That their snacks seemed to go to on some kind of "health kick" and become smaller and less yummy some years ago didn't precisely build my interest in their products.Your mileage may vary - but for me, Tullies for the win. Regarding the Keurig cups, they are sort of like the Egg Sausage McMuffin at McDonalds - the one consumable product exception in a glaring wasteland of mediocrity.

I will miss their unusually tidy restrooms alongside nearly every major highway, but not the self-imposed obligation of buying something to "pay the rent."

2) I began visiting Starbucks again with any frequency to throw them my small amount of business out of gratitude for their now-previous neutrality - despite (1) above. Thus, for that time, my purchasing habits were political.

3) I do carry a gun. Big deal. And if a business politely requests I not bring a gun on their premises, concealed or open, short of being willing to go all activist about it all (and I'm not - I have enough on my plate and just don't have the time or energy) I will honor their request. Part of my decision making process is that I seriously doubt, as big as Starbucks is, that anything the Gun Community does is really going to make them change their mind.

4) In a sense I'm grateful to some small extent that I no longer feel an obligation to drink coffee or buy snacks that make it all the way to "adequate" in my estimation in an attempt to reward minimally good behavior.

5) To the extent I have mentioned boycotts, I have not done so with great force - and largely in the context that if ceasing to purchase goods I'm not especially enthralled by from a vendor setting conditions for said goods purchase that I find unacceptable - then call it a boycott. I don't.

As with a variety of other things, you can't boycott someone that has effectively requested you stop doing business with them, no matter how hard you try. You can jump up and down and shout "BOYCOTT! BOYCOTT! BOYCOTT!" all you want...but if your target has already requested that you just go away...it's not a boycott no matter how much you jump up and down and shout.

6) In general, boycotts are silly and statistically insignificant - to the extent they are effective, IMHO, it is through symbolism rather than actual economic effect. Thus, to the extent I have used the phrase boycott, particularly in light of (5) I expressed myself poorly and further muddied the waters by expressing - for the first time since I started trying to be nice to Starbucks by - my repressed disdain for the majority of their product line flow free.

A better way to express my view, I suspect, would be to rephrase it as "Starbucks is done and has requested that no guns (at all) be brought on their premises. As someone who carries I see no reason, given that I see no gain for the 2A cause or to me personally by doing so, to deny this request in any way. At the same time I recognize that logical consistency requires that barring such a reason (or unlikely as it is, a sudden decision that I stop carrying) that I not frequent Starbucks nor purchase their products (other than, in a moment of desperation, Keurig cups). My palate thanks me (see #1), and logical consistency makes me unhappy less often."

7) I am deeply disappointed with those in the 2nd Amendment Community seemingly so eager to scapegoat the entire Open Carry community and concept for the actions of a few (classically known as "guilt by association" and usually considered as a variant on the ad hominem fallacy) Some of those are folks that I like and deeply respect, which only makes the disappointment sting all the more.

When we scapegoat the entire Open Carry community for the actions of a few imbeciles, we are no better than when our opponents scapegoat the entire 2A community for the actions, no matter how horrific, of a mentally ill or criminal person committing terrible acts with a firearm. We should do better. 

8) Similarly, I am saddened by those in the community falling into the trap known as Fallacy of the Majority  (also argumentum ad populum, or Appeal to Popularity - among other names).Summarized (read the link, highly recommended), this fallacy postulates numerical validation of a theorem - that because a lot of folks believe in some "thing" that it must then be true. This is particularly bothersome in people that you know perfectly well are far too clever to fall into this trap, yet they leap into this logical pit trap gleefully giggling all the way to the intellectual punji sticks. The reality is that belief, regardless of the number of folks holding that belief, does not affect the validity (or lack thereof) of a viewpoint or fact set.

9) I've not seen it named, but I've seen a fair amount of what I'll describe as the Fallacy of Passion in this discussion - the notion that the validity or falsehood of a statement is in any way proven by how loud one shouts, by how passionately one speaks or how enthusiastically one gestures. For good or ill, none of these variants on this fallacy have anything to do with proving or disproving anything - though they may serve to coerce false agreement or silence from the one targeted by such an approach.

10) The broad generalization that "a gun is not and never should be a political tool." I've expounded elsewhere that, like it our not, carry of a firearm is inherently political, and that done properly, open carry is generally beneficial - and that done wrong is a political and cultural disaster for the 2A community. It's hard to realize that "gun owners are evil" is a flawed premise when you never know that you've met any other than passionate political wonks and the occasional hunter.

11) I am deeply grateful for those on the blogs and among the social media that have avoided the fallacies above (and the many many others available). I may not agree on a 1:1 basis, but I enjoy the civility and appreciate the effort made to remain dispassionate.

12) Nothing is to be gained for the 2A community by further association with Starbucks whether protesting, holding FU days, buying a double tall mocha, or in any way failing to observe their request. That bridge has been burned. If it is important to you that you carry and that you maintain secure control of your firearms, in light of the request I see no other polite response other than graciously finding other sources of caffeine and noshes.

Barring serious surprise, I do not expect to comment further on this topic.

Starbucks: And now Commenceth the Fisking

Following the Correia Fisking Protocol, original text is italicized. My comments are in bold and not italicized.

An Open Letter from Howard Schultz, ceo of Starbucks Coffee Company

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Posted by Howard Schultz, Starbucks chairman, president and chief executive officer 

Dear Fellow Americans,

Few topics in America generate a more polarized and emotional debate than guns. In recent months, Starbucks stores and our partners (employees) who work in our stores have been thrust unwillingly into the middle of this debate. That’s why I am writing today with a respectful request that customers no longer bring firearms into our stores or outdoor seating areas.

Of course, it is only the gunfolk that are addressed.

From the beginning, our vision at Starbucks has been to create a “third place” between home and work where people can come together to enjoy the peace and pleasure of coffee and community. Our values have always centered on building community rather than dividing people, and our stores exist to give every customer a safe and comfortable respite from the concerns of daily life.

And, until this letter, you succeeded in this - profitably providing a public forum for the marketplace of ideas to play out. A more constructive approach would likely have been even more closely nuanced - for instance, simply barring long arms and political signage of any flavor.

We appreciate that there is a highly sensitive balance of rights and responsibilities surrounding America’s gun laws, and we recognize the deep passion for and against the “open carry” laws adopted by many states. (In the United States, “open carry” is the term used for openly carrying a firearm in public.) For years we have listened carefully to input from our customers, partners, community leaders and voices on both sides of this complicated, highly charged issue.

Regrettably, it appears you were more than a bit deaf when listening to the firearms community that went out of its way to support you in light of your simple tolerance.

Our company’s longstanding approach to “open carry” has been to follow local laws: we permit it in states where allowed and we prohibit it in states where these laws don’t exist. We have chosen this approach because we believe our store partners should not be put in the uncomfortable position of requiring customers to disarm or leave our stores. We believe that gun policy should be addressed by government and law enforcement—not by Starbucks and our store partners.

And it is this policy that had earned you the deep support of many gun owners, not as allies or advocates, but for simply treating us as customers of equal value with those of differing views. Many of us took that as a breath of fresh air and sought to reward your behavior by spending money with you - despite the fact that a fair number of those doing so, including myself, felt that you offered an inferior and deteriorating product. We even took you at your word and held our gatherings at your locations so that we might spend yet more with you - and considered your establishments a safe space.

Recently, however, we’ve seen the “open carry” debate become increasingly uncivil and, in some cases, even threatening. Pro-gun activists have used our stores as a political stage for media events misleadingly called “Starbucks Appreciation Days” that disingenuously portray Starbucks as a champion of “open carry.” To be clear: we do not want these events in our stores. Some anti-gun activists have also played a role in ratcheting up the rhetoric and friction, including soliciting and confronting our customers and partners.

Characterizing events driven by gratitude as "misleading" when described as Starbucks Appreciation Days is more than a bit deceptive. The vast majority of these events were driven by a combination and a sense of competition - to see if the 2A community could spend enough to offset any losses you might suffer as a consequence of your neutrality.

For these reasons, today we are respectfully requesting that customers no longer bring firearms into our stores or outdoor seating areas—even in states where “open carry” is permitted—unless they are authorized law enforcement personnel.

Please note that this request does not address open carry - that it is a request that NO FIREARMS be brought into Starbucks facilities - concealed, open, or magical. The earlier comments about Open Carry are a mere distraction - this is the money line, "keep your icky guns off our property - all of them." 

Of course that translates as "leave your guns home, unguarded in your car where they can easily be stolen, or just don't patronize Starbucks - pretty please." I don't plan to disarm to bag a cup of inferior charcoal-flavored coffee, and I'm not a big fan of the Kerlikowske Option - leaving me with politely respecting the request to spend my money elsewhere. 

I would like to clarify two points. First, this is a request and not an outright ban. Why? Because we want to give responsible gun owners the chance to respect our request—and also because enforcing a ban would potentially require our partners to confront armed customers, and that is not a role I am comfortable asking Starbucks partners to take on.

And now we have the veiled threat - comply or there WILL be a ban.

Second, we know we cannot satisfy everyone. For those who oppose “open carry,” we believe the legislative and policy-making process is the proper arena for this debate, not our stores. For those who champion “open carry,” please respect that Starbucks stores are places where everyone should feel relaxed and comfortable. The presence of a weapon in our stores is unsettling and upsetting for many of our customers.

Again, the open carry distraction. The request does not address open carry - it addresses all carry, open or concealed.

I am proud of our country and our heritage of civil discourse and debate. It is in this spirit that we make today’s request. Whatever your view, I encourage you to be responsible and respectful of each other as citizens and neighbors.

Sincerely,

Howard Schultz

 Civility should be our watchword in this matter. Mr. Schultz has politely requested we not darken the door of his establishments - we should oblige. There are many mom and pop coffee shops with far better coffee and snacks (even the fancy stuff) that are struggling to survive in the shadow of the behemoth that doesn't want our business - let's go have some coffee where we are welcome...or where at least we've not been asked to leave.

Let me be painfully clear. As a private business Starbucks has every right to request anyone they like to leave for any reason they like or to set any expectation for behavior or viewpoint as a condition of doing business with them as may thrill their collective little hearts. Goodie for them. 

Conversely, if we or any other group find their choices less than amusing we can express our dismay in a wide variety of ways. Presently, I favor politely honoring their request to not do business with them.

"I Love Guns & Coffee" - A response

I have had the privilege of speaking to the founder and proprietor of  the much-plagiarized "I Love Guns & Coffee" on numerous occasions and he's a decent and down to earth guy who has taken a good idea and run with it - and done mighty well at it. One thing we must all understand is that his public positions must take into account the 2,000lb behemoth that can squish him and his company at any instant should he irritate them rather than make them giggle.

With all that said, he posted the below to Facebook and I add my comments as a relatively gentle fisking: https://www.facebook.com/pages/I-Love-Guns-And-Coffee/105960399482387

We have a question for the folks who thought that carrying a long gun into a coffee shop was a good idea... WHAT DID YOU THINK WAS GOING TO HAPPEN?!?!

Agreed. As stated elsewhere,  taking long guns into public spaces in an urban or hipster-burdened environment is a bad tactical choice at both a practical and political level - something that should be obvious to even the slowest dullard.

From the beginning, they have NEVER been pro-2A. They did a good job at being as neutral as possible while still respecting the rights and views of ALL of their customers. As the anti-2A groups stepped up their attacks, they held firm on their position to follow the local laws and regulations surrounding the carrying of firearms.

Agreed, Starbucks has been neutral and not an ally.

The future of I Guns & Coffee has not changed and we will not be changing our iconic parody. We still love our 2A right. We still love our coffee and we still support companies, ALL companies, that support the rule of law when it comes to the 2A. What we cannot support are the actions of a few who thought that it was a good idea to strap on a long gun to make a political statement.

Agreed yet again. Long guns are a bit too scary for the hipsters in the near term.

Firearms are personal protection tools, not props to be used as political statements.

And here we disagree. Simply by existing and being honest about who we are as gun owners we make a political statement. Open Carry of a handgun, while not my preferred mode, serves as a tool for personal protection, as a political statement and (done right) as a valuable conversation opener.

Closets are for clothes, not gun owners - not even if you can get them cut rate as surplus from the LGBT community.

That said, don't show up looking like a lost member of the Battle of Kham Duc Glee Club and Fire Team and at least try to dress as a non-scary person that happens to carry a gun openly - not a scary person who is ALSO carrying a gun.

From day one they have asked that those who wish to make a political statement do so with their elected representatives and to keep the fight out of their stores. Simple right? But some could not resist. They sought attention. They grabbed their soap boxes, called local media and went out of their way to make a scene. Yes, we know you have the right to do it, but businesses also have the right to dictate what type of behavior is acceptable in their businesses. With rights comes responsibility.

 There is a significant and important difference between visiting a coffee shop while armed (or even visibly armed) or wearing declaratory "I carry a gun" attire while profusely thanking staff for their neutrality (and it does suck to have to set the bar for praise that low) and spending money enthusiastically for a generally undesirable product and a protest. Protests, generally, should be mounted on the sidewalks directly outside an offending establishment. Praise generally requires interaction.

In our opinion, carrying a long gun into a coffee shop = responsibility FAIL! If our goal is to increase support for the 2A, civil discourse, empathy, logic and reason will help the most. Trolling with long guns while filming police interactions and posting them YouTube while sitting outside a coffee shop does not help.

Agreed. A long gun is "doing it wrong" in virtually every instance I can imagine (I have in mind a specific exception not long ago in Oak Harbor, WA). Long guns just freak out the patchouli scented hipsters far more intensely than handguns - not so much out of anything remotely resembling logic, but political reality seldom tracks with logic.

Next, we think it is time to address some thoughts about this word that has been floating around this morning: boycott. We think that sends the wrong message. Remember, this is not an outright ban, it is a polite request. If carrying a concealed pistol is part of your daily routine, what has changed? Their position never changed, at least until this last round of anti-2A vs. pro-2A got going.

I must disagree. Given the choices (don't carry, leave a loaded firearm unguarded in a car, or refrain from darkening Starbucks door) it seems obvious that "not visiting Starbucks" is the only ethical and moral option. Howard Schultz, the head of Starbucks, has made a polite request - it would be rude not to honor that request. And there are, after all, other coffee shops - almost all of which have a good chance of serving better coffee at more reasonable prices without that special Starbucks Charcoal Flavor.

If that's a boycott? Well, so be it. I did my best to offset any fiscal harm they took from their neutral position of simply following state law by participating in "buycotts" and showing up at other times  to buy coffee I found merely tolerable at enhanced prices because I wanted to encourage continued good behavior by Starbucks. Lacking that motivation, I'll go someplace cheaper and better...which shouldn't be hard to find.

We never condoned nor encouraged organized groups to invade their stores. Keeping it simple seemed like the best approach: wear your t-shirt, hand out a sticker or two, order your coffee and go on about your day. You could even pay with $2 bills. That passive approach is good strategy to combat the misguided ranting from the anti-2A groups. But some had to take it a step further. Remember when the Newtown, CT store closed early last month? Think about that for a moment. Action = reaction. Can we react better to anti-2A groups? How can we build bridges and come to mutual understanding with those that do not see eye to eye with our views?

This assumes that Starbucks Appreciation Days were anything but what I described. Yes, the twits with long guns drove Starbucks to make a really bad decision and levy veiled threats of worse...but that does not relieve Starbucks of the responsibility for their own decision. They could, purely as an example, simply posted their stores "no long guns on premises" and to the extent that our community failed to build the bridge to communicate that to them, we did err. 

Thank you to everyone who has commented and shared their thoughts through social media. We appreciate the time you take to make your comments. We rarely nuke comments so please keep it classy, civil and avoid name calling. We will continue to support our customers, vendors and non-profits who see value from our growing line of parody brands. Parodies are fun and bringing people joy with I Guns & Coffee is here to stay.

The folks at "I Love Guns & Coffee" are good people, as is their founder/leader. One of the things I cherish about the gentleman in charge is that he *is* a gentleman, able to wrap his head around the notion that others may disagree without being disagreeable or somehow dysfunctional. He is a fervent defender of Second Amendment rights and supports many of the same 2nd Amendment causes that I do, but on a far more grand and glorious scale than I have the resources to manage. In short, be nice to him and send him money - even if I do disagree with him somewhat in his analysis of current events. 

I didn't post this on Facebook because a fisking, no matter how gentle, does not belong in somebodies Facebook comments. It sucks space and fails the brevity test - it's rude. Since I try to restrict myself to only being rude on purpose, I posted this over here.

GC.

On Open Carry, in light of Starbucks

When I first came out as a gay man, first to myself and then to the world, I was firmly among those very critical of the "visible gays" of the day - the drag and leather queens. My thought was something along the lines of "dammit, if it wasn't for those freaks, folks would accept us and all would be good in the world."

I was just a tad naive and ignorant.

Turns out that the drag and leather communities were the vanguard of the movement for LGBT civil rights, not only blazing flamboyant trails across festive new horizons in their defiance of the status quo but at the same time doing more for charity and their fellow man (Sisters, anyone? The Imperal Court system? Knights of Malta? ) than the vast majority of more workaday and less fabulous members of the community.

The visibly out have, for good or ill, been of huge benefit to the LGBT community - organizing events, raising money for AIDS and arguably pushing the boundaries of acceptance out far enough to make room for those of us charitably described as less flamboyant.

The Open Carry movement are the drag queens of the gun community. Like it our not, they are our most visible face - the ones that the broader community can easily identify as gun owners and say "all gun owners are like THEM." As a result, their actions resonate far more powerfully and their mis-steps do far more damage than those of the average gun-carrying Joe or Janette.

It's a visibility thing.

Sure, we have the leaders of the NRA and SAF fighting legislative and court battles and that work is clearly hugely important. But Joe public doesn't often run into Wayne LaPierre or Alan Gottlieb at the local coffee shop or beer blast and talk constitutional law - and that average Joe or Jane is the one voting in elected representatives that make laws.

Again, the work of the "big kids" is darned important stuff - but so is coming out of the gun owning closet (as somebody else once said, "closets are for clothes, not people"). It's harder to hate and fear a class of people and attempt to oppress them when you have someone in your life - sister, cousin, brother, son, friend - that your actions will be grinding a boot in the face of.

It's the grassroots victory. It's harder to be scared of guns and gun owners when you've known Uncle Bob is peaceful/generous/kind and carries a gun since you were old enough to manage single syllable words. It isn't easy to hate the person who stood up for you when the rest of the family told you to go to hell.

And that brings us to our Open Carry community. There is a difference between a drag queen in a Pride Parade, a protest, a show or a living room..... and the drag queen that's hiked up her skirts and is taking a dump in your kitchen sink.

I support, even while occasionally wincing, those who choose to responsibly Open Carry handguns lawfully in public spaces. I do not believe that it serves gun owners to be a shamed and ostracized minority consigned to hiding in surplus closets bought from the LGBT community. Accepting the definition of the other side that gun ownership is somehow freakish and only to be reluctantly admitted because we are somehow morally unclean doesn't precisely advance public acceptance.

On the other hand, some help we just don't need - the sort that's about as useful as a rip-roaring case of syphilis. Our equivalent of the drag queen taking a dump in the sink is our friends that don't just push the envelope, but set it on fire before pissing on the ashes. I'm speaking of our allies who fail the "ambassador qualification test." and run around in urban areas with long guns scaring the crud out of the fence-sitters and neutrals that might otherwise eventually migrate to our side.

There is a difference for most non-issue folks between seeing a guy or gal with a gun on their hip ("Oh, probably a cop" or ) and the guy or gal toting a shotgun/AR/AK/etc into the local coffee shop, diner, or library - one tends to cause folks to ask questions (at most) and the other tends cause folks to seek cover while calling for folks with the armored butterfly net.

Scaring the crud out of folks makes enemies, not friends - and doesn't exactly help us at the ballot box or in front of legislative bodies. Folks who fail to realize this are either terminally ignorant or saboteurs to the cause of Second Amendment rights. 

For the occasional hard of thinking among the Open Carry community:

1) Camo bad outside of woods.
2) Long guns bad in urban areas.
3) Tactical holster scary. Don't be scarier than you have to be. Screws things up for everyone.

None of the above excuses Starbucks and their overbroad (and in my opinion ill-advised and weak-kneed) response. They had the perfect neutral position and blew it when a number of more nuanced positions were available to them, but instead politely requested responsible gun owners to stop doing business with them - a request we should equally politely oblige.

But that doesn't mean there isn't sufficient splatter to go around.

Finally, yet again, in an effort to reach out to the hard of thinking reading this:

1) Appreciation Days, even for the warmed-over flavorless gruel of neutrality, are good. Make it profitable for people to be nice to us - or at least not kick us in the teeth. Be nice, get money is a winning formula.

2) Thanking folks for their neutrality or support tends, barring stupidity, to generate more of the same.

3) Being an out, proud, and non-scary gun person is a vital element in winning hearts and minds.

GC