Texas3006.com entry statistics for the month of January

[LSUTiger]

One thing I just found out from a C level guy is that the 06/07 signage that went up at my work place immediately prior to Jan. 1 was at the request of one of our customers!!!



Our management had no intention of posting otherwise. Many at the office are LTC and/or Pro 2A gun owners. Including the C level guy(s).

[The Annoyed Man]

From: The Annoyed Man
To: sschaefer@gracegrapevine.org

Hi Shonda,

Please see the email I’ve copied below the line beneath my message.

I have donated to and purchased from your store a number of times since first moving to Texas in 2006. But because of your decision to post 30.06 signage on your store, I will no longer participate in your charity. I fully understand why you would want to prevent people from open-carrying handguns in your store, and posting the 30.07 sign alone would have accomplished the purpose of stopping that practice. But, I have lawfully carried a concealed firearm into your store every single time I’ve been there; and going forward, your posting of a 30.06 sign prevents me, as a law abiding citizen, vetted by the state—having passed a MUCH more stringent background check than many of your customers could pass—from carrying a concealed firearm into your store at all. Of course, the sign will not stop anybody who is NOT licensed from carrying a gun into your store, as it quite literally ONLY applies to people who are licensed to carry.

In view of your decision to post the 30.06 signs specifically, I will no longer be patronizing your organization, either as a donor or customer. Like I said, I can understand why you would not be comfortable having someone carrying a firearm in the open, and a 30.07 sign by itself would have been enough to prevent that. However, by posting the 30.06 sign, you have barred ALL forms of licensed carry.

Regrettably,

The Annoyed Man
Grapevine, TX

_____________________________________________________________

Hello annoyedman!

This is a notification that a new entry has been added to a city included in your watch list.


Graceful Buys was added in the city of Grapevine. The type of restriction is: 30.06 & 30.07 Sign


You may view the entry at http://www.texas3006.com/view.php?id=5441 for more information and to check for any additional comments!

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I will be trying to find another charity to support with my donations and purchases.

Well...... I just got the reply:

Mr. Annoyed Man,

Thank you so much for reaching out, and for your past support of GRACE. The donations you’ve given and the patronage at our stores has helped many families in our community who suffer from domestic violence, homelessness, hunger, abuse and other crisis situations. We couldn’t have done what we’ve done without people just like you!

I understand your position completely, and I respect your decision to stay compliant with the laws (as ever changing as they seem to be!). We will be saddened to lose a customer and a friend over this issue, and hope that at some point you will reconsider. Sadly, the need for GRACE’s services still exists and families still need our support. So we’ll be here for them, and for you!

Again, thank you for your feedback. It is always refreshing to hear opinions and perspectives in such a professional and respectful manner! (I think some of our politicians could take note!)

Shonda Schaefer, Executive Director
GRACE - Grapevine Relief & Community Exchange

She doesn't get it.

I responded with:

Shonda,

If you ever reconsider and remove your 30.06 signs (you can keep the 30.07 signs, they don’t bother me), I will be happy to restore the relationship to its former status.

The one thing I don’t understand is why you made the decision to bar entry to people who have never done GRACE a lick of harm, many of whom have supported your mission. I specifically mean those of us who discreetly carried concealed firearms. We are not all men, either. My wife [The Annoyed Woman] is licensed to carry and you have effectively banned her from your store too. There are 2,149 carry license holders in Grapevine alone - all of whom your 30.06 signs have made unwelcome.

I do realize that you owe me no explanation, but just know that I am probably far from being the only person who is bewildered (and hurt) by your decision.

Best regards,

TAM

[flintknapper]

Good effort TAM, it was well done.

Recently I noticed signs at a Gas Station/Convenience Store I have used for many years. Thinking it most uncharacteristic of the owner (whom I know), I contacted them. Found out...they no longer own that store, but did get the Presidents view on the matter of OC (see below).

My original post here on the subject:

Quite shocked today to see compliant 30.06 and 30.07 signs at my favorite convenience store/gas station.

This establishment is one of eight in town that are owned by a gentleman I know...and it seems uncharacteristic of what I think his views are.

While in the area, I checked two other stores that he owns and no signs are posted there. I emailed his company inquiring and will call him personally on Monday, but I suspect the manager of that store most likely put the signs up.

I will report back, but I can't help but think some of these new sign postings are the result of misinformation.

If it proves not to be the case...I will let you know, but so far the posture of businesses in our small college town (Deep East Texas) has been 'wait and see' or business as usual (no signs of either type).

Response to an email I sent them:

Mr. McK:
I am not sure if you are aware, but we sold that store about a year ago. We no longer have any control over how they manage that facility. We currently own only one store in Nacogdoches which is Check Point 21 on University Drive (Exxon next to McDonalds). We also own stores in Mt. Enterprise, Corrigan, Woodville, San Augustine, and Rusk. We are also in the process of constructing one in Huntington. We also still have our fuel island (open to the public) at our corporate office on the loop next door to Rex Perry Autoplex.

At this time we do not have any intentions of positing either sign or restricting the carry of firearms by licensed citizens at Check Point stores or our corporate offices; however, I would ask that you take into account the nature of our business and be somewhat sympathetic to the position we are in when it comes to concealed and open carry. We have had a number of stores robbed at gun point over the years, so this does put us in a somewhat precarious situation. Our stance is to take a wait and see approach.

I think we all have to agree that there could be unintended consequences to this law even though I am personally in favor of it as a private citizen. I believe that we have the right under the law to ask to see the permit of someone openly carrying a firearm; however, I do not think this is a good business practice or necessarily a safe one for our employees. I recently read that you are welcome to carry in Wal-mart, but you will be detained at the front entrance until a member of management verifies that you are licensed to carry the firearm. Personally I think this policy by Wal-Mart will be viewed almost the same as the prohibition of open or concealed carry.

I totally understand that there is no issue with someone like me or you openly carrying a firearm, but we would be foolish to think that some thug will not also take advantage of the law if they believe no one will confront him about whether or not he is licensed to carry or even own a firearm. On the other hand I agree that these laws should be a deterrent to those who choose not to follow the law.

As far as now we have no intention of restricting open or concealed carry. I am not speaking on behalf of the company nor making an official statement for the company, but as I said I was thrilled to see the passage of this law as I’m sure most Texans were.

We appreciate your comments, and comments like yours help to enforce what we believe to be true which is the general public does not want to see these signs posted. We have been approached on this subject many times in the past few months, and I cannot remember one person that was urging us to post the notices.


Stacy Dial
President & COO
Denny Oil Company/Check Point Convenience Stores
Phone: 936.564.4697 ext. 223
Fax: 936.560.4382
P.O. Box 631626
Nacogdoches, TX 75963

I wrote back:

Hello Stacy,

Thank You for your quick and thorough reply.

No, I was not aware of the sale of that store, but did notice the absence of a 'RXXX's' sign while I was there. It caused me to wonder if the business had changed hands or if a newer 'RXXX's' sign was being made. The 30.06 sign seemed so out of character to me that it prompted my questions.

I certainly do understand property rights and support 100% the prerogative of a business owner to make decisions with regards to business practices. I would never challenge that.

Your 'Check Point' store location is where we will shift our business to and encourage others to do the same. The location is viable for me...but even if it were not, I would make the effort to go there.

I believe it is a wise and fair decision to adopt a "wait and see" policy (even if unofficial). My real concern was the possibility that a business is unaware or misinformed of the requirements and would perhaps post unintentionally.

It would seem the opposite is true...and that you are in fact well educated on the subject, good job!

With respect to WalMart, I have not seen anything official posted by the Company but the situation you alluded to has been all over the internet on various Firearms Forums, etc.

It is not currently in practice at our local store.

I believe the confusion and concern was/is with the wording of the TABC sign required of them to maintain their liquor license. I will keep you updated if anything changes.
However, that brings us to the subject of a business asking Open Carry customers to provide 'proof' of licensing. A business can indeed 'ask' but the customer has no legal obligation to comply. Though I suspect most would...just to keep the harmony.

I can't help but think it would create such an awkward situation for both the customer and employee that neither would invite it. The legal authority you DO have...is to 'inform' the customer that a particular mode of carry (Open, Concealed or both) is not allowed.

At that juncture...the customer must comply or be guilty of criminal trespass. With respect to Open Carry a business could ask you to leave or conceal. Honestly, I don't think you will see much of it. Only about 4% of the adult population in Texas has a CHL/LTC and even fewer will OC.

Again, Thank You for your time and consideration.

John McK

His Reply:

You are most welcome, and thank you for your comments. I welcome any and all comments related to this new law. You are correct that much of the confusion has been caused by misinformation surrounding the TABC. I will not say that they have led to that confusion, but I have not seen them do much to dispel any circulating myths. We belong to the Texas Food and Fuel Association, and they have done a wonderful job, in my opinion, of educating fuel distributors and c-store owners about their options under the law. I have several friends and a few employees who are themselves licensed. They have educated me immensely since the passing of the law.

I have to be somewhat guarded in my comments, but I believe that you and I are on the same page (based on our limited interaction) when it comes to the right to own and carry firearms and a general disdain for the intrusion of government into our lives.

We welcome your business at our location on University Drive. If you have any problems with the service at that location, please let me know. We do our best to offer a high level of service, but we are not perfect and manage to get a bad apple in the bunch every now and again.

Thanks again and we look forward to serving you at Check Point 21.

Stacy Dial
President & COO
Denny Oil Company/Check Point Convenience Stores
Phone: 936.564.4697 ext. 223
Fax: 936.560.4382
P.O. Box 631626
Nacogdoches, TX 75963

The point of all of this...is to simply to suggest that we get 'involved' in making contacts. Most businesses will at least listen to our concerns. If we choose only to gripe about a situation on an internet forum, little will be accomplished. Even less...if we are divided on the subject.

Good Job TAM and all others attempting to do the same.

Flint.

[The Annoyed Man]

From: The Annoyed Man
To: sschaefer@gracegrapevine.org

Hi Shonda,

Please see the email I’ve copied below the line beneath my message.

I have donated to and purchased from your store a number of times since first moving to Texas in 2006. But because of your decision to post 30.06 signage on your store, I will no longer participate in your charity. I fully understand why you would want to prevent people from open-carrying handguns in your store, and posting the 30.07 sign alone would have accomplished the purpose of stopping that practice. But, I have lawfully carried a concealed firearm into your store every single time I’ve been there; and going forward, your posting of a 30.06 sign prevents me, as a law abiding citizen, vetted by the state—having passed a MUCH more stringent background check than many of your customers could pass—from carrying a concealed firearm into your store at all. Of course, the sign will not stop anybody who is NOT licensed from carrying a gun into your store, as it quite literally ONLY applies to people who are licensed to carry.

In view of your decision to post the 30.06 signs specifically, I will no longer be patronizing your organization, either as a donor or customer. Like I said, I can understand why you would not be comfortable having someone carrying a firearm in the open, and a 30.07 sign by itself would have been enough to prevent that. However, by posting the 30.06 sign, you have barred ALL forms of licensed carry.

Regrettably,

The Annoyed Man
Grapevine, TX

_____________________________________________________________

Hello annoyedman!

This is a notification that a new entry has been added to a city included in your watch list.


Graceful Buys was added in the city of Grapevine. The type of restriction is: 30.06 & 30.07 Sign


You may view the entry at http://www.texas3006.com/view.php?id=5441 for more information and to check for any additional comments!

Texas3006.com Staff


To disable these notifications, you may tweak them in your My Panel area.
Email ID: QKhz2xUWWc1F


Do not reply to this email, this address is not monitored. For assistance, contact us at https://www.texas3006.com/help
You can also join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/texas3006

I will be trying to find another charity to support with my donations and purchases.

Well...... I just got the reply:

Mr. Annoyed Man,

Thank you so much for reaching out, and for your past support of GRACE. The donations you’ve given and the patronage at our stores has helped many families in our community who suffer from domestic violence, homelessness, hunger, abuse and other crisis situations. We couldn’t have done what we’ve done without people just like you!

I understand your position completely, and I respect your decision to stay compliant with the laws (as ever changing as they seem to be!). We will be saddened to lose a customer and a friend over this issue, and hope that at some point you will reconsider. Sadly, the need for GRACE’s services still exists and families still need our support. So we’ll be here for them, and for you!

Again, thank you for your feedback. It is always refreshing to hear opinions and perspectives in such a professional and respectful manner! (I think some of our politicians could take note!)

Shonda Schaefer, Executive Director
GRACE - Grapevine Relief & Community Exchange

She doesn't get it.

I responded with:

Shonda,

If you ever reconsider and remove your 30.06 signs (you can keep the 30.07 signs, they don’t bother me), I will be happy to restore the relationship to its former status.

The one thing I don’t understand is why you made the decision to bar entry to people who have never done GRACE a lick of harm, many of whom have supported your mission. I specifically mean those of us who discreetly carried concealed firearms. We are not all men, either. My wife [The Annoyed Woman] is licensed to carry and you have effectively banned her from your store too. There are 2,149 carry license holders in Grapevine alone - all of whom your 30.06 signs have made unwelcome.

I do realize that you owe me no explanation, but just know that I am probably far from being the only person who is bewildered (and hurt) by your decision.

Best regards,

TAM

Well, I got her reply to my last response:

Thanks TAM! Of course I am disappointed that you feel hurt by this policy decision, and trust me, it wasn’t made lightly. These changes put us all in a position of divisiveness – which I don’t enjoy! But, I understand your position and hope that in the future we can still count you as one of our friends and supporters!

I'm done pursuing this with her. There are other charities, and it is evident that they are not going to change their minds.

[flintknapper]

You did everything possible TAM, good effort.