Well that just sucks

In the last year, we, all four Munsons, have started the habit of donating blood. Its a super easy, super quick feel good for the day and move along to the next thing. We started this adventure last fall heading home from a Saturday morning outing. The local fire station had a mobil blood donation unit out front from Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center. We had time so we u-turned and went back to donate. The next time, I went to another mobil collection unit in Spring. Matt went to the brick and mortar location in Cypress. As an LTC instructor and simply Matt being Matt, he checks every business we enter for the required signage that we are not welcome. (We stopped shopping at Ikea a while back over their signs) Two weekends ago, Matt was supposed to go donate again in Cypress.  The girls and I were going to go on the following Tuesday. 5 minutes after his appointment time was supposed to be I got a text saying he was on his way home. ?? It turns out that the Gulf Coast Commit For Life don’t want to do business with us or any other gun rule follower in Texas.

Businesses in the State of Texas have to post specific signage on their buildings to prohibit Texas License to Carry holders from carrying concealed (sign 30.06) or open (30.07, new this year with HB 910). For the vast majority of folks who carry concealed, all HB 910 did was make it less of a worry about if our on body carry weapons imprinted. It is the belief in this household that we don’t want people to know we are carrying when we carry. Its none of your business. Businesses in Texas went into panic mode at the end of 2015 and began to hastily post the required signage. Both signs.  So, now plenty of business that have allowed, though perhaps unknowingly, law abiding TX citizens to carry concealed in their premises for who knows how long are now barring both concealed and open carry and therefore telling those of us that carry and believe in our right to carry that they don’t want our business. Congratulations.

Congratulations on keeping out the rule followers of the world. To even get our License to Carry, we are fingerprinted and photographed (documented), checked out with your favorite Big Brother the Federal Government via the FBI NICS, sit through a basic course and perform a basic shooting test. Not everyone passes any or all of these parts. I know Matt hasn’t passed everyone who has gone through his course. What are they looking for when checking you out? Here is the Eligibility Information for the State of Texas for carrying a firearm legally.     Congratulations on not working with a usually desired demographic –

The craziness that was predicted prior to HB 910 becoming active has not happened. (1) (2)  Theatrics only seem to have come ahead of time from folks opposed. Most of us carrying concealed are doing it for our own personal reasons and, at least this household, have no interest in talking folks into joining us.

For all of the businesses who felt compelled to post the 30.06 and 30.07 signs in Texas this year you are keeping out folks who have no felony convictions, no serious misdemeanors, no violent background. We are the folks who will honor that sign and not do business with you. The folks you want to keep out will ignore it as they ignore all the other laws. You have every right as a business to choose to do business with whomever you wish. We respect that. We simply think you should think a little bit longer about who you choose to keep out.

To the exasperated kid who I spoke with when cancelling our appointments due to the Blood Center’s stance on our rights and his questions “Do you have to carry? Can’t you not?” my answer is this… Someone will have to compromise their convictions regarding concealed carry folks. How about you all go first?