Bravo Sir!!!!!!
Would you mind sharing some of your key arguments with like minded fellow pro gun activists. You never know, this information could become the starting point for a (pro gun rights) activist playbook.......
It's always interesting to watch the facial contortions of anti gun people as they process and digest our pro gun arguments and positions......
I can share my approach if you like. The first thing I make sure of is that I'm presentable. I'm not saying wear a $5000.00 Italian suit, but going in with greasy hands and a dirty shirt will probably make you lose a lot of credibility points from the very start, especially if you're going into a professional environment . Of course this is just IMO and I have nothing to back that statement up. But for the most part your appearance speaks volumes of you.
If I know that I will need to talk to a person that has a busy schedule I will try to arrange a meeting with them. I usually ask for at least 30 minutes of their time. This way it is more likely that I will have their undivided attention. Of course some people that are in an authoritative position don't do "scheduled meetings." For these folks try to pick a time when you feel they will be less busy and will have time to actually listen to your concerns. Stopping in a Burger King to speak to the manager during the lunch time rush hour probably isn't the best time. In fact, he/she will probably instantly view you as an inconvenience considering that this is their busiest time of day and you are tying them up on other, non-paying business. And that's not the way that you want to be viewed.
It doesn't matter what type of place that you are going to or if you have the force of law to back you or not, always go in as a "friend that want's to help." I don't know what state you call home, but here in KY. we have a preemption law that forbids local Governments from doing things such as placing "no guns allowed" signs on their buildings. When I go into these types of situations I know that the sign will have to be removed, but I always start out as "I noticed your NGA sign and I wanted to bring something to your attention." At this point I hand them a copy of KRS 65.870 and give a brief explanation of what it means. Then I usually say something to the effect of "I know that several cities and counties were recently sued because of these signs. Luckily they somehow missed you but you may not be so lucky next time and I don't want to see the city getting sued." By this point whoever I'm talking to most more than likely is viewing me as a pretty damn good guy because I'm here to "save" them from trouble.
You may encounter an angry politician that has the "don't give a damn what no law says" attitude. Regardless if you are having a pleasant encounter or if you're being rudely blown off, never try to strong arm or show force when dealing with these situations. People don't like to be forced to do something and you projecting that attitude will only make it worse. Remain as that "friend" the whole time. Even those that stonewall KRS 65.870 usually concede once their attorney tells them that they had better comply or else.
But for the sake of argument let's say that your meeting with Mr. Mayor over the posted signs on city hall is going smooth. After you have helped him to understand the gist of what the law says, this is a good time to start an attempt to educate why these signs are bad. Think of this as doing a little "damage control." If you simply hand him a stack of papers that say that he is required to do this or do that, the signs will come down, but when someone ask where the sign went it will be a response of "some damn gun nut came in here with a copy of state laws and made us remove them." Not at all what we want. Keep in mind that when you are doing this type of work that you are representing each and every law abiding gun owner and we want to leave on a positive note if possible.
Recently I was talking to a supervisor of a water district that had a sign posted. One of the questions that I asked was what they hoped to achieve by posting such signs? After a few moments of a lost look on his face he said "well, it keeps people from bringing guns in here." I simply said "but does it really?" He agreed that no, it didn't. Never put words in their mouth by saying things such as "now I know that deep down you know that these signs don't really work, don't ya?", but rather ask them questions that forces them to begin their own thought process. Let them own their own thoughts. Don't try to force your way of thinking onto them, but rather give them the chance to come around to your way of thinking.
I simply pointed out that if for any reason a person wanted to walk into his building and start shooting that a plastic sign will not stop them. Actually, I say this to each and every person I talk to. So far no one had disagreed with me. In fact, I believe that once I put it like that, they may even feel a bit foolish for posting the sign in the first place. Not really my intent but hey,if it works. I always point out that a person that is willing to violate a law(s) and maybe even commit murder will have no problem violating a company rule. So far everyone has agreed with me on that as well.
Anti-gun politicians never let a good tragedy go to waste. I take a page from their play book and do the same thing. When I was talking to the this particular bank I took with me a print out from the internet of a story on James Holmes, the CO. movie theater shooter. The article talked about why they felt he picked the particular movie theater that he did. There were movie theaters that were larger with more people in them that night and that were way closer to his home. But all of those theaters allowed their customers to be armed. The theater that he shot up didn't allow its customers to be armed. As a result many of its customers died that night.
It's not hard to find these types of stories on the internet to use to your advantage. But if you can't find a story that you feel will appeal to whoever you are talking to, don't make some foolish statement such as "I'm telling ya, if those signs don't come down I can see everyone in here getting shot and killed one day." Simply put, don't be a weirdo or try to use some unfounded scare tactic. To much logical information out there to play such games. Take with you as much useful information as you can.
I have a printed out paper that I give to private business of why it's a good business practice to allow their customers to be armed. Some folks give out the "no gun, no money" cards. To me these are a very lazy and an ineffective way to support the cause. For one they are a threat. A threat not to spend money. People don't respond well to threats, remember? Honestly, the manager of Red Lobster couldn't care less if you ever eat there again or not. They will survive just fine without you. Plus, they view your message as if YOU can't wear YOUR gun then YOU won't ever be back. You passing off this card only makes it about YOU in their eyes and not about the well being of all of their customers. You completely fail to properly educate or at least attempt to educate them why these sign are dangerous. It it makes you feel good to do so anyhow, knock yourself out. Me on the other hand, I'm against "feel good" actions. After all, that's where anti-gun laws come from.
I have never gotten a sign removed by 1 simple visit. I have always had to do follow up visits. So be prepared to spend some time working toward your goal. If I can clearly see that I'm not going to get these signs removed by a 3rd visit, I write it off as I did my best. For me the Owingsville McDonalds is my "I did my best" because neither for love nor money can I convince them to remove their sign. If this McDonalds ever changes ownership, I'll try again. But you have to know when to back off for a few. Be persistence but don't get to the point that you are trespassed from the property.
Each and every time I talk to people about removing these signs I ALWAYS get asked this question....."who are you with?" They always have a surprised look on their face when I say "no one, I'm just an ordinary guy that recognizes the dangers of these signs." I honestly believe that once they know that they are talking to a "regular Joe" they seem to relax a little and seem to be more willing to reach a solution to my concerns. I believe this plays to my advantage because they no longer see an authoritative figure from a large establishment, but rather just a plain guy. Even the CEO's that I talk to that are probably making 250K a year most more than likely view themselves as an "ordinary guy." I believe in their minds the playing field has been leveled if that makes any sense.
Last but not least. Don't get discouraged if the first few places you try doesn't reconsider and remove their signs. You can't win them all. But to me if you talk to 50 different places over the course of one year, and you only manage to get 1 place to remove these signs....time well spend and a clear victory.