It goes even deeper than the law. If we believe in Liberty, we must respect the Liberty of others, which includes how they use their property.
We can only defend our Liberty by first defending the Liberty of others.
Really good point eye95.. Expat, you're totally wrong. What we need is persuasion, not confrontation. Rather, wouldn't you rather enlighten them and bring them to our point of view?
Take a second and assess your emotional response to what you just read above. When I said you were wrong, didn't your hairs bristle? Do YOU like being told you're wrong? Me neither. If you're gonna do this, can we first understand their point of view ("I'm afraid of gun violence and I want to protect my business from liability") and them give them information to help them acheive that very goal in a way that is more in line with common sense and freedom?
Maybe something like this:
Dear favorite store:
Hi! I noticed your gun-free zone sign on your door last time I came in. Gun violence scares me personally, I'm glad you want to do something about it. I'm wondering, though, what effect the sign might have on people. You and I would certainly observe the sign, but would someone bent on killing everyone in the store abandon his murderous rage because a sign told him he wasn't allowed to bring his weapon in? I might be wrong, but I personally don't think it would stop any guns except the ones legally carried by people who have passed some pretty strong background checks who might be able to defend us before the police came. I'm concerned that the presence of the sign might be viewed as an advertisement to violent armed criminals that they would be met with no resistance. I know this kind of thing rarely happens, but lately, it's been happening a lot in "Gun Free Zones " like Connecticut, Columbine, and Virginia. If I owned a business, I might also be concerned about getting sued in the case of someone who would have normally been able to defend being denied that by your company, not to mention knowing a horrible situation could have been prevented or minimized. What do you think?
My personal reaction to this approach:
I was doing some networking for a Honda dealership nearby. The signs were on the door, and I had the above conversation with the owner. He said some nut job handed him a card saying he wasn't going to do business there if he couldn't carry his gun in. Apparently the negative confrontation of the person and card allowed his emotion to override his common sense and made him dig his heels in. I asked him if he was afraid of me....he said, "Of course not!" "Even though I have a gun on me?" That made him think and personalized the gun-toter as someone he knew and trusted and felt safe with. I went in armed, did the job, and next time he needed something, I went back. The signs were gone. I asked about it, he replied, "I guess it was silly to believe if it didn't stop you, who I like, would it stop someone I didn't? I'd rather have you here to defend me."