Writing a letter CAN make a difference!

[Guest kirkosaurus]

I recently found out one of our favorite restaurants in Smyrna was posted with a gun busters sign:

http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x391/mr2kirk/d7e9e0fe.jpg

So I decided to write the owner a letter.

Here's what I wrote:

Dear Mr. Paramo,

My family and I have been big fans of your restaurant and eat there on almost a weekly basis. We enjoy "Taco Tuesday" night and love the fajitas, burrito loco, the freshly made guacamole, just about everything we've tried! We are members of the Mi Tierra Club and always tell everyone about your restaurant.

However last night on "Taco Tuesday" we discovered something I have not seen before.

As we were leaving I noticed on the outside of the window right next to the entrance door and above a no smoking sign there is a "gunbusters" sign. This sign is a picture of a gun inside a circle with a slash through it. This sign basically means "no guns allowed on the premises". Because of this sign it is illegal for me, a law abiding handgun permit holder, to have my legal concealed weapon on me while entering your restaurant.

Unfortunately until that sign is removed neither I nor my family will be eating at your restaurant again. By posting this sign you are advertising that your patrons do not have any type of protection. You are telling criminals that your customers cannot protect themselves and you are denying legal, law abiding customers the right of protection.

I understand that you are trying to create a safe place for your patrons to eat but by posting this sign you are doing just the opposite: you are only keeping the "good guys" with guns out of your restaurant. The criminals will still carry guns and do bad things because they are criminals.

I would encourage you to reconsider the posting that denies the honest law abiding people the right of self-defense. These citizens take classes that teach them the laws on carrying and handling a gun. They have been fingerprinted, had TBI/FBI background checks and statistically are the most law abiding citizens. These are the people you want in your restaurant. The criminal will ignore your posted sign and carry a gun anyway because that's what they do: break the law.

I do respect your right to post your property denying those of us legally carrying a firearm to come into your restaurant to eat and I will fight for the right for you to be able to make that decision. I do however believe in the right to be able to protect myself and my family in public, at home or anywhere else that crime may be that would endanger our safety and I am one of those who will not patronize a place that bans legal firearms carriers. There are many other restaurants in Smyrna that do not post these signs and welcome my business as a law abiding gun carrier.

Also as long as the "no guns" sign is posted at your restaurant forbidding law abiding gun owners to protect themselves, your restaurant will be listed on several internet websites, blogs and gun owner's forums as a place that does not welcome handgun permit holders.

Thank you for this consideration and I look forward to hearing back from you.

I included my number in the letter I sent. I received a text today including a picture of the window with the sign REMOVED!

Here's what the text said:

Hi Mr. xxxx,

My name is Arturo Zavala one of the owners, I appreciate the time tell us your concern and I decide to remove the no gun sign from the window, you and your family are more than welcome to come back to Mi Tierra at any time.

If you have any question please call at the store (615) 547-2396 or my cell at (615) 967-xxxx

Thanks again.

So write a letter to that restaurant that's posted! Chances are they are not even aware of what it means!!!

Edited April 13, 2011 by kirkosaurus

[Caster]

Good for you, if ever my local dives do the deed, I'll for sure try it!

[Motasyco]

+1 Way to go! A win for the good guys.

[Guest Red5]

That's pretty much the perfect outcome from a well written letter.

[Guest monkeyhumper]

I posted this elsewhere, but I thought I'd share again, since it was quite appropriate.

Back in June, right after I took my CC test, I went into Applebee's, and they had a no weapons sign posted on the door. I emailed the corporate office, and I received an email from the regional manager the very next day. As of June 29th, 2010, you are able to carry in Applebee's in Cleveland.

I was very happy to see a big name corporate chain respond so quickly.

Squeaky wheel, indeed.

Sent from my Etch a Sketch

[vontar]

Cool deal.

[LagerHead]

That is awesome. I might be tempted to write a letter next time I see one of my favorites posted. As a matter of fact I'll probably copy and paste yours. It was very well done.

[Guest Kamikaze]

Nice!

[Guest FHTMcrt]

A well-written letter with a great outcome. Thanks for sharing with us and taking the initiative to write in the first place. If enough of us will follow your example, we just might make a difference.

[Grunt67]

Good jobs guys. Just never know what a few words will do until you try. Had a similar

experience lately in a different venue. Speak up!

[Guest kirkosaurus]

That is awesome. I might be tempted to write a letter next time I see one of my favorites posted. As a matter of fact I'll probably copy and paste yours. It was very well done.

Go for it! This was basically a paraphrase of someone else's letter so I can't take all the credit for it.

[Guest kirkosaurus]

I posted this elsewhere, but I thought I'd share again, since it was quite appropriate.

Back in June, right after I took my CC test, I went into Applebee's, and they had a no weapons sign posted on the door. I emailed the corporate office, and I received an email from the regional manager the very next day. As of June 29th, 2010, you are able to carry in Applebee's in Cleveland.

I was very happy to see a big name corporate chain respond so quickly.

Squeaky wheel, indeed.

Sent from my Etch a Sketch

Way to go!!

[BlackHawk93]

A well-written letter with a great outcome. Thanks for sharing with us and taking the initiative to write in the first place. If enough of us will follow your example, we just might make a difference.

Well done. I suggested in another thread of creating a downloadable letter one could fill in the business's name and other details to make it easier for MANY of us to do just this, to let these business's know they would LOSE our business and how misinformed they were. My idea was shot down by many as being " HCP holders are only 2% of a business's clientele and complaining will do no good". Maybe those who felt my idea was so wrong will see the good your letter did. Way to go.

[Guest kirkosaurus]

I suggested in another thread of creating a downloadable letter one could fill in the business's name and other details to make it easier for MANY of us to do just this, to let these business's know they would LOSE our business and how misinformed they were. My idea was shot down by many as being " HCP holders are only 2% of a business's clientele and complaining will do no good". Maybe those who felt my idea was so wrong will see the good your letter did. Way to go.

Yep, I was mentioning this in the Cracker Barrel thread and pretty much got told the same thing. 2% won't make a difference. Well, you never know until you try. Here's proof that one letter can make a difference.

I'll try to get a generic letter uploaded in Google Docs for anyone to download.

[Guest friesepferd]

well done!

I may just very well have to steal that letter of yours for my own use if you dont mind

[Guest monkeyhumper]

Well done. I suggested in another thread of creating a downloadable letter one could fill in the business's name and other details to make it easier for MANY of us to do just this, to let these business's know they would LOSE our business and how misinformed they were. My idea was shot down by many as being " HCP holders are only 2% of a business's clientele and complaining will do no good". Maybe those who felt my idea was so wrong will see the good your letter did. Way to go.

If those naysayers were to think about it, you might respond that if 2% wrote letters, and 98% do nothing... those in the minority can easily enact change, because the 98% won't write, and they won't respond to a change if there is one. (if they even notice!)

[Guest friesepferd]

also, i really do hope that others continue to do this.

It is true that some business owners may not think they are loosing much business by doing so. Them getting a letter will remind them that they might be wrong.

It will remind them that there is at least one person they are turning away. And especially if that person would have been a regular... and told his friends how good the place is... thats how you get business.

Not to mention that a LOT of places which are posted doing actually know the legallity of it all, or they just havnt considered the consequences.

[daddyo]

Money talks.

[Guest friesepferd]

just sent a similar letter on to the 2 places in my city that i know of (are posted on our forum).

One of them is earthfare, and I doubt they will do anything, but its worth a try.

The other is a new local place, so I'm hoping there is at least a chance with them.

[macville]

just sent a similar letter on to the 2 places in my city that i know of (are posted on our forum).

One of them is earthfare, and I doubt they will do anything, but its worth a try.

The other is a new local place, so I'm hoping there is at least a chance with them.

Earthfare seems to be a location to location posting. The one near downtown knoxville wasn't posted the last time I was there, but the one in west west knoxville was. Strange.

[Guest friesepferd]

Earthfare seems to be a location to location posting. The one near downtown knoxville wasn't posted the last time I was there, but the one in west west knoxville was. Strange.

oh really? maybe there is a small chance then.

Anyeone else that wants to send a letter to Johnson City Earthfare, please do!!!

JohnsonCity410@earthfare.com

(I already more or less sent them the letter in this post though, so word it differently )

Really, I do think we need a section here that has generic letters posted, as well as a place where people can request others to send letters.

Then again, I might just start going through the 'posted list' we have here!

[Guest kirkosaurus]

I modified the letter to be more generic and you can download it here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rC68EK3167f6KZYE8T56BUFW2Y3SOJjayMu3UL9hYE0/edit?hl=en&authkey=CIfVr8kK

Just add the business owner's name and your name, print it out and mail it!

When adding your name I would encourage you to add as much info as possible (full name, address, phone number) so the owner can you see are a real person that can be contacted.

[Glock30]

2% won't make a difference.

When you consider that retail sales growth is often measured in low to mid single digits, I say to you that 2% makes all the difference in the world.

[JayC]

Well done. I suggested in another thread of creating a downloadable letter one could fill in the business's name and other details to make it easier for MANY of us to do just this, to let these business's know they would LOSE our business and how misinformed they were. My idea was shot down by many as being " HCP holders are only 2% of a business's clientele and complaining will do no good". Maybe those who felt my idea was so wrong will see the good your letter did. Way to go.

Trust me, any business person who understands the stats doesn't want to possible chase off 2% of their business... And when you factor in that most restaurants aim for the 21+ crowd (by serving drinks) and extra income crowd (people who can eat out a lot), the number goes way above 2% of their target market.

On average, HCP holders have a higher average income than the rest of the population, and are all over the age of 21 Figure the number is closer to 7-10% of adults in that age and income bracket.

[Glock30]

On average, HCP holders have a higher average income than the rest of the population, and are all over the age of 21 Figure the number is closer to 7-10% of adults in that age and income bracket.

Do you know of any readily available statistics on HCP and our unique quirks? I would enjoy seeing how we are economically stereotyped