Thinking things through

I was in our local hardware store yesterday. As I walked in, I noticed one of those signs on the door, a handgun in a red circle with line through it, along with the warning that guns were prohibited.

The store owners son was there, so I thought I would engage him in a little mind exercise by asking him about the sign. I asked; "Let's say I'm in the back of your store, and I hear some commotion coming from the cash register area. I discover that someone has a gun to your cashier's head. The perpetrator is agitated, and making no sense, is obviously a threat to the cashier's life and the other customers in the store. No one can get to a phone to call the police. I have a perfect vantage point. I am concealed and covered. A perfect position to do something...however, because I obeyed your request and did not "carry" into your store, there is nothing I can do. Have you ever thought about that type of scenario?" The store owner's son, looked confused then said; " I just put up the sign, 'cause I was told to."

I'm not a gun-toting advocate of arming the entire society. I do have a brain however and I like to use it occasionally to think about life's possibilities in a rational way. It was obvious that this store owner, like so many other store owners, arena managers, park supervisors, college administrators, and etc. had not thought things through.

The law abiding individual who takes the time to take the necessary course work, apply for, and take the necessary tests, be finger printed, have their background checked, and pay for a license to carry is not a threat to the public. They have been well educated in the potential emotional issues that would inevitably follow a shooting. They know the legal and financial risks that would come from lawsuits and legal defense. They are the individuals who will respect the wishes of the merchants who post the "no carry" signs.

Will the criminal respect those signs or use them merely as a guide for locations that have less risk of intervention?