Whataburger takes stand against Texas' new open carry law

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Whataburger takes stand against Texas' new open carry law

Seth Robbins, Associated Press
Updated 11:07 am, Sunday, July 12, 2015



Photo: Eric Gay, AP

This Thursday, July 9, 2015 photo shows a Whataburger restaurant in San Antonio, Texas. The iconic Texas restaurant chain will not allow the open carrying of guns on its properties, taking a stand against a new law legalizing the practice.


SAN ANTONIO (AP) — An iconic Texas restaurant chain will not allow the open carrying of guns on its properties, and industry experts say other restaurants will likely take the same stand against a new state law legalizing the practice in many public places.

Whataburger — with some 780 locations in 10 states — has drawn a mix of praise and rebuke since making the announcement this month, including a prediction of boycotts from one of the state's leading advocates for gun rights.

In an open letter on the company's website, Whataburger president and CEO Preston Atkinson said many employees and customers are "uncomfortable being around someone with a visible firearm." He described himself as an avid hunter with a concealed-carry license and noted that patrons licensed to carry concealed handguns will still be able to do so in Whataburger.

Atkinson's letter comes one month after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill that made it legal to carry handguns openly on the streets of the nation's second most-populous state, ending a prohibition dating back to the post-Civil War era that disarmed former Confederate soldiers and freed slaves.



Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/texas/article/Whataburger-takes-stand-against-Texas-new-open-6380200.php

[candelista]

1. "Whataburger"?

Well, if they're against it, it must be wrong!

[lsufan59]

52. "Whataburger"?

It's texas big on people carrying guns.

[cantbeserious]

2. The Right Move

eom

[Duckhunter935]

3. They are a private business

I have no issues with that, they welcome concealed carry people and that would be my preference if I carry. I have my permit if I so choose.

[calimary]

4. Well, Whataburger is a burger joint I'd feel comfortable visiting, and voting with my pocketbook.

I like to support businesses that do good or sensible things.

Just what is it about this:

"In an open letter on the company's website, Whataburger president and CEO Preston Atkinson said many employees and customers are 'uncomfortable being around someone with a visible firearm.'"

... that gun nuts don't get? Is there really absolutely NO interest in being considerate of others' feelings? NONE? Or maybe they just don't bother trying to get it. THEIR Let's-Play-Dirty-Harry-And-Show-How-Tuff-We-Are agenda is far more important than whether those around them feel menaced by their actions, dontchaknow. CRIMINY! Is it THAT MUCH more important to make a "point" than to unnerve and menace and strike fear into others? SHEESH.

I know that if I saw some armed I-wanna-be-a-gunslinger nut with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove swaggering into the burger joint I'D just gone into (or taken my kids into), I'd grab my purse and car keys (and the kids) and get the hell outta there. That would officially become an unsafe place to be.

[shenmue]

5. They have some good chicken fingers

but I don't want to get in a gunfight over them.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

11. Exactly. And their bleating about "good guys with guns would stop the bad guys"...

Statistics don't bear that out.

In other words, that claim is bullshit.

[pocoloco]

39. Oh? Let's see your source for that statement!!

Really curious that so many shootings occur in gun free zones and the
reason several of them have been stopped?

Would be really good information to have.

[mpcamb]

57. Here's one:

See the Fact Check on Myth #4: "More good guys with guns can stop rampaging bad guys."


http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/01/pro-gun-myths-fact-check

[BlancheSplanchnik]

59. Read it recently here.

Can't remember what thread, though.

Did some searching But didn't find it.

I did come across this, which I thought was interesting:

Analyses from the National Comorbidity Study Replication provide the first nationally representative estimates of the co-occurrence of impulsive angry behavior and possessing or carrying a gun among adults with and without certain mental disorders and demographic characteristics. The study found that a large number of individuals in the United States self-report patterns of impulsive angry behavior and also possess firearms at home (8.9%) or carry guns outside the home (1.5%). These data document associations of numerous common mental disorders and combinations of angry behavior with gun access. Because only a small proportion of persons with this risky combination have ever been involuntarily hospitalized for a mental health problem, most will not be subject to existing mental health-related legal restrictions on firearms resulting from a history of involuntary commitment. Excluding a large proportion of the general population from gun possession is also not likely to be feasible. Behavioral risk-based approaches to firearms restriction, such as expanding the definition of gun-prohibited persons to include those with violent misdemeanor convictions and multiple DUI convictions, could be a more effective public health policy to prevent gun violence in the population. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

[Duckhunter935]

29. But concealed carry is fine by them

Good for them

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

61. If it's concealed, then the problem is solved. But they like to flaunt.

[Dustlawyer]

31. Best fast food burgers in the industry. I eat there quite a bit unfortunately.

Glad I can keep going though. Open carry nuts are a small minority that Whataburger can do without and I will feel better knowing they are boycotting!

[awoke_in_2003]

62. We have both Whataburger

and In N Out here. I don't see what the big deal about In N Out is- they are better than McDonald's, but that isn't hard. They have a mediocre, over hyped, burger.

[TexasBushwhacker]

71. At least In and Out pays their employees a living wage n/t

[awoke_in_2003]

72. I applaud that

now maybe they can figure a way to make a better burger.

[TexasBushwhacker]

74. Yeah, I had one when I was in California

I didn't find anything special about them. I usually go to Wendy's because I can get a little baked potato instead of fries.

[phylny]

6. If I saw someone, other than a police officer, with a gun on their person,

I would leave the premises immediately, assuming they are unhinged, whether or not they really are. I've used a gun and rifle on a range, but have no interest in being around them.

[DawgHouse]

16. Me too!

[3catwoman3]

37. Me...

...three!!!

[RiverNoord]

18. I would rapidly evacuate family and/or friends, call the cops,

and then, depending on the circumstances and numbers, take up a position very, very close to the wielder with intent to disarm if there is the slightest move toward actual use until the wielder fully departed the premises.

I have no interest in allowing a shooting to take place if I could have stopped it.

What kind of madness is it to legalize public open carry of firearms? It's an open invitation to violence.

[dickthegrouch]

22. "assuming they are unhinged, whether or not they really are"

If they are carrying in a public place there is no question: they are unhinged.
The degree to which they are unhinged may be open to debate. But like everyone else here, I'd remove myself and any loved ones immediately from such a potentially dangerous environment.

I wish every privately owned business would follow suit and ban weapons within their premises, unless carried by Law enforcement.

[cui bono]

35. Anyone who feels the need to open carry is just looking for a reason to use it and prove

they are a badass.

[hamsterjill]

48. This is what I plan to do, as well.

Last edited Mon Jul 13, 2015, 12:19 PM - Edit history (1)

I will then phone the business from my car explaining why I left. For example:

Mr./Ms. Store Manager: You will find an unattended cart in Aisle 10 with all of the items in it that I was going to purchase, until I saw someone with a gun and became uncomfortable. I hope you change your policy about guns on premises soon so that I can return to your store to shop.

[raccoon]

60. Great idea. We all need to do that. nt

[Skittles]

50. and honestly

anyone who feels the need to be armed in a fast food joint already does not make the best decisions - I'd just as soon not be around the paranoid little FREAKS

[onehandle]

54. I alerted mall security once and had the perpetrator ejected from the premises.

Idiot had a gun in a harness that you could clearly see under his jacket.

They asked him to leave. At first he was pulling 'it's legal' crapola, but then mothers noticed, and he crept out.

Just call the cops or security. Shame these defective humans.

[Midnight Writer]

58. Exactly right, and totally reasonable

[Gothmog]

7. I love Whataburger

[Paladin]

8. Great burgers, and a proper stance re guns on the premises.

Thank you, Whataburger. Any business that caves to the open carry loons can count on losing me as a customer.

[whereisjustice]

9. Gun saturation creating bloody and violent America - better to fix a meal at home than

sit in a restaurant full of douchebags and low-IQ vigilantes ready to blow someones head off for looking at them funny.

Goddamn the confederate territory of Texas.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

13. ^ n/t

[itsrobert]

10. Same stand they took against beef

You won't find any real beef at a whataburger.

[TexasProgresive]

32. Are you saying this press release is a lie?

http://whataburger.com/company/pressreleasedetail/whataburger-uses-only-100-percent-usda-inspected-fresh-never-frozen-beef
Whataburger Uses Only 100 Percent USDA-inspected Fresh, Never Frozen Beef
Food March 16, 2012 San Antonio, TX

(March 16, 2012) In light of the recent concerns regarding beef products that contain "pink slime," we want our customers to rest assured that when they visit Whataburger they can expect to receive only 100 percent, USDA-inspected fresh, never frozen beef. Our beef does not contain pink slime nor does it undergo an ammonia-treated process.

We understand that the quality of our food is what keeps our loyal customers coming back. As a 62-year-old family-owned company, we have focused on fresh, made-to-order burgers and friendly customer service since 1950 when Harmon Dobson opened the first Whataburger as a small roadside burger stand in Corpus Christi, Texas. That will never change.
For Further Information Contact:

Whataburger Media Relations Team

[Ilsa]

33. I don't understand.

I believe they raise their own beef. When did they stop being a vertically-integrated company?

[Reter]

12. 780 locations?

Never heard of them.

[bigworld]

15. Most are in the deep south; the vast, vast majority in TX

Look at that location list... there must be one in every tiny Texas town!

http://whataburger.com/locations

[broiles]

19. When our kids, grandkids come home to Texas,

Whataburger is their first meal of choice.

[Paladin]

47. True that.

It was my first choice, when I returned from several years of out-of-state work.

[Turbineguy]

14. It's either that or

danger pay. Open carry customers can cover danger pay for employees while they are there. 4 hour minimum let's say.

The market can decide this issue.

[Lizzie Poppet]

17. Their property, their call.

Most states that permit open carry explicitly allow property owners to prohibit the practice on their property (and most allow the same prerogative with concealed carry, as well). This is a Good Thing.

I'm not much bothered by open carriers, myself...but I think that as a form of protest or "awareness raising," it's almost absurdly counterproductive. These people have no concept of "unintended consequences."

[Spitfire of ATJ]

27. I really half expect some Moran to introduce a law prohibiting a business from banning guns.

[restorefreedom]

38. i would count on it. n/t

[onehandle]

55. I expect a 'Hobby Lobby' type suit to make it to SCOTUS along those lines.

Guns are a religion to weirdos.

[lobodons]

20. Whataburger looks to the "Wild West" for their gun policies

Picture tells a 1,000 words:

[Spitfire of ATJ]

24. These days they want "required".

[olddots]

21. Hopefully we can grow up past the days of playing guns

Those days were about make believe just like the 24 hours news cycle is about make believe fear .

Will this country grow up ?

[Sunlei]

23. good move, good burgers!

[lonestarnot]

25. The best fast food burgers.

[Le Taz Hot]

26. If you feel you have to carry a firearm

just to go get a burger you've got way more problems than that gun is going to fix.

[V0ltairesGh0st]

28. They have great food

Though I don't care for THIS----> ...... they use their first amendment rights openly, but not inappropriately, just long as they are not pushing the christian agenda to tread on employee rights. I applaud them for taking this stance on the open carry law.

[cui bono]

36. That would be enough to keep me out of there.

Any time religion is shoved in my face it repels me.

[V0ltairesGh0st]

42. yeah.....

i dig ya... but i think the real problem is that the POA should not have ever been officially state sanctioned to include the words "Under God".

Christians are gonna christian.... i know this so I don't let bother me in most cases, if they put up sign on their property it is all i have to do is ignore it and live and let live... Now if they come putting shit on my door, that's where I tell them they can shove it.

[cui bono]

44. I agree. And take it off our money too.

[Art_from_Ark]

69. Good luck with that

The last time they openly tried that (a la Theodore Roosevelt's 1907 order to keep the motto "In God We Trust" off some new gold coin designs), there was such an uproar that the motto was restored the following year. Ironically, when the Buffalo/Indian Head nickel came out 5 years later without the motto, apparently no one raised a fuss. The Buffalo nickel, which was retired in 1938, was the last US coin not to carry the motto.

[They_Live]

56. I have been boycotting them since I saw that sign

years ago. I wrote them a long letter, too. I was a loyal customer up until they shoved their belief system in my face. It's fine if the owners have their beliefs, but what does that have to do with my cheeseburger or all of the folks working at the stores? I haven't looked back.

[Codeine]

64. That shit right there would keep me

from ever darkening their door.

[bmbmd]

30. Just had lunch at the Whataburger

In Refugio Texas-birthplace of Nolan Ryan. No shortage of customers there.

[alp227]

34. "disarmed former Confederate soldiers and freed slaves."

Maybe Texas ought to fly a confederate battle flag, for this reason and censorship of the Civil War in textbooks.

[restorefreedom]

40. gee someone finally realizes

that visible weapons around unarmed people including CHILDREN just might not be a good idea.

[Politicalboi]

41. "Patrons licensed to carry concealed handguns will still be able to do so in Whataburger."

Oh thank Dog. You never know when your burger may come back to life and you may have to shoot it. Us here in Ca have no defense over reanimated meat.

[TexasBushwhacker]

73. They really have no choice

The thing is, you have to have a license to carry a concealed weapon. No license is required for open carry.

[oneshooter]

75. Wrong. In Texas you have to have a Concealed carry license to open carry. n/t

[TexasBushwhacker]

76. Ah! I wasn't away of that

However, short of frisking everyone as they come in or going through metal detectors, they're kind of screwed about people carrying concealed weapons.

[oneshooter]

77. They don't seem to mind the Concealed carrier.

Mainly because they don't freak the other customers.

[tomm2thumbs]

43. meh

The Chick Fil A of burgers

[rdmtimp]

45. I'd give that honor to In 'n Out..

with their printing bible verses on cups, fry holders, etc (you have to look for them, but they're there)

[Judi Lynn]

46. That's way too creepy! What a ridiculous idea. n/t

[Codeine]

65. And they have shitty fries. nt

[tomm2thumbs]

68. omg - THANK YOU! Having tried them, I don't see the fry attraction whatsoever

Makes me wonder if they are fried in holy oil vs. sunflower. lol

[LanternWaste]

66. Meh... the L Ron Hubbard of posters.

Meh... the L Ron Hubbard of posters.

[Mosby]

49. love whataburger

It's the only ff burger I eat anymore.

[Skittles]

51. I do too

I've tried all the hamburger chains but keep coming back to Whataburger

[onehandle]

53. Open carry is a terroristic threat against families, children, and law enforcement.

Concealed carry is potential terrorism itself.

[UTUSN]

63. R&K for, YAY!1 Whataburger!1 n/t

[ileus]

67. Untuck your shirt and CC while inside...simple solution.

IMHO OC is best for outdoor activities anyway.

[cui bono]

70. Or put your shirt on!

hehe...