Restaurant Ban Reversal Success Stories From Memphis

[Pat McGarrity]

I'm pleased to report two successful cases of TFA Members lobbying restaurants to welcome LEGALLY armed patrons. One of our Shelby TFA goals for 2010 will be to post and maintain a list of carry friendly businesses/places so we can make a point to do business with those that support our gun rights, and identify those who oppose our gun rights that don't deserve our business.

First, Huey's midtown,

http://hueyburger.com/

at 1927 Madison. I had lunch there with my Dad a few weeks ago and noticed they had posted a no guns sign. After leaving a good tip, I politely asked our server to please pass one of our TFA PLEASE DON'T POST cards to the management. I drove by there yesterday and the sign has been removed. Big thanks to Huey's for choosing not to create a safe working environment for violent criminals! I doubt I was the only customer to address this, but I'll be sure to spend some more money there soon!

Next, BIG thanks & congrats to TFA Member, Mike Stansbury, who succesfully lobbied Lenny's at 521 S. Highland to welcome LEGALLY armed patrons. It is noteworthy to mention that Lenny's does not serve alchoal. Mike has set a great example of positive lobbying of businesses with the correct impression of Carry Permit Holders. Because we don't get unlimited free positive spun press, like the gun grabbers do, we win our battles most often, one heart and mind at a time, because the facts are on our side. Mike articulated our cause very well.

Her name is not mentioned below, or on the Lenny's website:

http://www.lennyssubshop.com/

but a big thanks is in order to the owner of Lenny's # 544!

Lenny's does employee an individual that voted to ban LEGALLY armed citizens in Shelby County parks. Matt Kuhn, Senior Director of Franchise Development, is one of the the anti-gun Shelby County Commissioners that supports a safe working environment for violent criminals.

http://www.shelbycountytn.gov/FirstPort ... hn_bio.htm


I invited Commissioner Kuhn to meet some of his CPH constituents that pay for our parks that he wanted to ban them from, but my e-mails and phone calls were never returned. Besides being bigoted against tens of thousands of Carry Permit Holders in Shelby County, his constituent service in non-existent. I hope for Lenny's sake, that he does a better job there...

In Liberty,

Pat McGarrity
Director - Shelby County TFA



From Mike Stansbury:



"Pat,

I have a little story for you that might just make a great presentation at a TFA meeting.

Next door to the TV station where I work, there is a small strip shopping center with a Lenny's Sub Shop in it. As it is so close to the station several of us tend to eat there at least once a week. It takes less than a minute to walk there from the front door of the station.

Several weeks ago, my best friend (also a HCP holder) told me that he had gone to the Lenny's the day before and noticed that the store had put up no carry signs. So, for lunch that day, he and I went over and sure enough, they had signs up, and they were the first completely legal signs I have seen. I have attached a picture I took of the sign to this email.

My friend and I went in and asked for the owner. She was not there but we spoke to the manager. We explained that we eat there very regularly and that so do many of the folks where we work. I further explained that roughly 30 people where we work have their Permit to carry and I would make sure to let them know about the signs. We each gave him a No Guns = No $$$ card and explained why we would not be spending our money there anymore and that I would post this info on several internet gun related forums. We thanked him for his time and again asked him to give the cards and our message to the owner and he said he would. We remained polite and courteous throughout the whole process.

We left and went to another sandwich shop for lunch. That night after work, I emailed the Lenny's Corporate offices, specifically to their Franchise relations person and again explained the whole thing to this person in my email. I honestly did not expect to hear back from them at all but if I did I figured it would be a form type email and would take a long time before I got a response.

To my surprise, I had a reply to my email the next morning before I went to work. it was not a form type email but a well written email telling me that each shop is individually owned and that they take our concerns seriously and would forward my email to the owner of what I learned was Lenny's store #544. My cell phone number was included in my original email and the lady asked me if the owner could call me to which I replied yes.

Again, I guessed it would be some time before I heard from the owner of store 544 if at all. To my total shock, I got a call from the owner 20 minutes later on my way to work. We talked for several minutes. She was in the Miami International Air Port between flights out of the country and took time to call me. I explained my concerns and that we as permit holders have had training, given our info and prints to law enforcement, passed background checks, and that we carry in accordance with the law. Criminals, who will ignore her signs, have passed no background checks, are already criminals and do not secure their guns in holsters. We are not the bad guys etc etc...you know the whole drill. She listened and she said she would think over what I said. She also said she would call me when she was back in Memphis the next week.

The next day, I got an email from her telling me that she had ordered the signs removed! She had thought about my argument and said that it made perfect sense. She had honestly never thought about it that way and she had only put the signs up because a lawyer friend of her's had advised her she should. But, she now thinks that was a stupid move. Further, since I had posted the info and the picture of the sign on several internet forums (http://www.defensivecarry.com http://www.tgo.com http://www.glocktalk.com http://www.xdtalk.com and a few others) Lenny's had gotten email from as far away as Alaska telling them that they would never patronize a Lenny's if they ever saw one. They got emails from nearly every state and many, many from the Memphis area.

I posted a follow up on the forums and thanked everyone for their efforts. My friend and I went and confirmed that the signs were gone and we went in and spent our money and thanked the manager, since the owner was still not back in town.

I later found out she owns another Lenny's and it was also posted but she took the signs down the same day that the other store took them down.

It was a great victory for our side and I thought you might want to hear about it and maybe I could get up and tell all the TFA guys about it sometime and show that if we stand together, we can really make a difference.

Mike"




http://www.tennesseefirearms.com