Pulse Orlando Nightclub and Paris' Bataclan Concert Hall...Victim-Rich Zones © 2016 by Phillip Evans

Greatest Common Denominator

What does the shooting at the Orlando nightclub named Pulse Orlando have in common with the Paris, France Bataclan Concert Hall shooting?

Besides Muslim attackers, both places are by law off-limits to anyone carrying a firearm. The "anyone" even includes any of the victims that might have been able to save their lives by returning fire at the evil gunmen.

As citizens, we like to think of laws as rules to live by that are good and just. It is wrong to commit murder, so we have laws against it. That's a good thing. It should always be against the law to commit murder. 

Fancy Law Terminology

The laws which prohibit acts that harm others are called "malum in se" laws because these acts are morally wrong. The Latin phrase means "evil in itself".

The kind of laws which prohibit even good people to carry a weapon for the purpose of protecting their lives are called "malum prohibitum" laws. It's when governments say, "It's evil just because we say it is prohibited".

Taking Candy From A Baby

Now, would anyone in their right mind take away a victim's pistol as he or she was using it to return fire at murderer Omar Mir Seddique Mateen inside the Pulse Orlando? That could be perceived as a worse act than taking candy from a baby. However, the state of Florida sure did it in a manner of speaking.

Under Florida law it is a crime to carry a pistol inside any establishment that obtains more than 50% of its revenue from the sale of alcoholic beverages. Florida disarmed every single victim inside Pulse Orlando because its legislators do not have the stomach for liberty.

Acceptable Price

Dead victims in mass shootings such as this that occurred around 2:00am Sunday, June 12th in Orlando are the acceptable price to pay for political expediency. Florida politicians won't admit this with words, but their actions speak loud enough.

They need to protect themselves, of course, from being defeated in elections and losing office, so they cave to hysteria which says that licensed adults simply cannot be trusted to carry a handgun inside any place where more than 50% of its revenue is from the sale of alcoholic beverages.

Revenue Can Kill You

In those establishments in Florida where less than 50% of its revenue is from the sale of alcoholic drinks, licensed carriers may carry their concealed pistols within the law and even consume alcohol.

In the case of the legal for carry establishments, licensed carriers of weapons may drink alcoholic beverages under state law, so why the ban for the other places? Does a business' revenue stream cause otherwise responsible, licensed-to-carry adults get drunk and shoot up the place? 

Looks like this is a prohibition based on revenue percentages. Is that a good reason to deny victims life-saving measures in the face of lethal danger from crazies, regular criminals, or terrorists? 

Drunken Shootouts At Bars?

Has Florida had a rash of licensed carriers shooting up restaurants that serve alcohol?

In Georgia it has been legal since 2010 to have a drink and carry a firearm in restaurants that serve alcohol. Has there been a rash of licensed carriers since then shooting up any of these places? Also in Georgia, since 2014 it has been legal to drink and carry a firearm in bars and nightclubs. Still no blood flowing in the streets as was predicted by those who despise liberty. I'm glad that my state of Georgia no longer has these victim zones. 

My Faith Advocates For Saving Lives

Even though my Christian faith considers homosexuality to be a sin, I want gays to be armed with guns anywhere they go to protect their lives. That includes bars and nightclubs. Why is this my point of view? It's because gays have the same human right of self-defense as anyone else. Christ loves the sinner but hates the sin, and we are all sinners.

There was no good or just moral reason for the Orlando Pulse victims to have been stripped of the dignity to defend themselves by the state of Florida. How dare the government treat them like untrustworthy children!

Take Action!

Call and email your Florida Representatives and Senators to demand that immoral laws which create victim zones be repealed! 

Memphis Zoo - Right To Carry Violated © Phillip M. Evans

I just submitted the following to be posted on the Tennessee Firearms Association Facebook page:

Memphis police threatened to arrest me for trespass at Memphis Zoo May 31st, 2016. I recorded the audio of the encounter.

Here's what happened: I was carrying concealed at the zoo with my family, and at the end of our visit, decided to switch to open carry in the restroom. My son and I then walked around a little in the zoo and visited the playground. We then walked back toward the entrance/exit. Near the admin building while still inside the park, I was accosted by an officer who illegally detained me and had me go into the admin building so that a zoo official could explain to me their no weapons policy. I was told if I went back into the zoo that I'd be arrested for trespass.

The zoo is city owned property within the bounds of Overton Park and used for recreational purposes. Atty. General Slatery has said that such property is legal to carry at even if leased or controlled by a private entity. I have emailed the audio file to the TFA, and have joined as a member.

I am a citizen of the state of Georgia and am licensed to carry. I was on vacation and wanted to fight for all of our rights to carry regardless of what state we reside in. I am tired of local governments continuing to thumb their noses at state law. It's high time this gets put a stop to.

Tennessee Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III

Local governments are a hoot, aren't they? Just because a state law is passed saying they can't do something, like ban firearms, doesn't mean they have to obey it, huh?

I suppose the Democrat controlled City of Memphis just can't stand the idea of personal freedoms, such as the right to protect your life with a firearm. 

I'm not letting Tennessee state government off the hook easily either. The lawmakers could have put penalties into the new "Guns in Parks" law for its violation. They certainly do that for things us mere citizens could violate. If you speed, you get a speeding ticket and have to pay it out of your own pocket. 

If local governments ban firearm carry in parks, even when state law says they can't, no penalty. Well, duh! No wonder they keep doing it.

The citizens of Tennessee who treasure their freedom need to rise up in protest! 

Here's how: Do the exact same thing I did, and do it often! Show them you don't appreciate them not following state law. Record them violating the law. 

Also, call and write Attorney General Slatery to ask what he will do to make sure that state law is followed. 

South Carolina Firearms Carry Now Legal for Georgians! © 2016 by Phillip Evans

Yay! As of Friday, June 3rd, 2016 Georgians who possess a current Georgia Weapons license may now carry their firearms in the great state of South Carolina. Uncork the champagne and blow the noisemakers!

SC Governor Nikki Haley, and the SC Legislators who passed HB 3799 deserve our thanks.

However, there are still some flies in the soup.

In South Carolina, you must hide your pistol from plain view with a cover garment, purse, fanny pack, or some other concealment option. There, your license to carry does not include carrying openly. That could get you jailed, and that's not good.

Most criminals are opportunistic, and will attack someone they believe to be unarmed. If you cannot carry your pistol openly, then a criminal could believe you to be unarmed. In SC you are prohibited from preemptively deterring such an attack, but can only respond once it begins by pulling your concealed weapon and firing it if necessary. 

I prefer to not shoot anyone, and am glad that in my home state of Georgia, I can and do carry my Glock 23 or CZ75B openly. My visible gun lets most criminals know it might be best to choose a different target. Sure, a few crazies may try to attack me to get my gun, but I have a some tricks up my sleeve to deal with that if and when that should happen.

It's ironic that two southern states that are supposed to be about freedom, Florida and South Carolina, feel that an openly carried pistol is just too much for citizens to handle, even though open carry is legal in 45 other states.

Also, in SC there's just too many off-limits places. Any publicly owned building, whether a library, museum, or visitor center is illegal to carry a firearm in. SC really needs to get true state preemption. 

Do criminals avoid public buildings? 

If not, then I should be able to carry anywhere a criminal can carry. Most public buildings in SC have no weapons screening at all. So maybe I'll carry in them anyway, since I will have to conceal anyway. I'll only carry my gun for the purpose of keeping myself and my family safe, so they shouldn't mind if I break a malum prohibitum law designed to penalize the good guys instead of the bad guys.

Will I bite the hand that feeds? 

Yeah, a little. Making me look like any other unarmed person makes me a potential target to most criminals. That's not good. It's also not good that it will take more time to draw from concealment if I have to draw my gun. I can draw much faster with my open carry holsters when nothing covers them to get in the way. That time delay could be critical.

So what am I going to do in SC? Same thing I will when I visit Florida. I'll openly wear an empty holster with a lid cover that looks like it could have something in it. That's perfectly legal in both Florida and SC. I may even wear a t-shirt that states I am lawfully armed.

It's high time that both Florida and SC get on the freedom train with 45 other states and decriminalize the open carry of pistols. 

Agree or disagree with open carry being a good idea or not. At least you should be able to agree with me that I should not be subject to being put behind bars just for wearing a holstered, visible pistol.

Just who is it that says our Second Amendment Rights must be exercised in secret when going about our business in public? Busybodies?