Am I on the set of “Gunsmoke”—I just came to buy groceries!!!
I put the 24 oz. box of Frosted
Mini-Wheats in my grocery cart and headed for the checkout. I looked up and had
a sudden adrenalin rush. Am I imagining things? Am I on the set of an old
episode of Gunsmoke? Is that Marshal
Dillon twenty feet ahead of me on the right? Where’s Festus; where’s Doc? Are
we headed for the Long Branch Saloon to see Miss Kitty? As Frank on Everybody Loves Raymond would say, “holy
crap.” I think I actually spoke those words. Right there in front of me was a
guy (definitely not law enforcement) with a pistol holstered on his right hip.
I came out of my shocked state and realized—this isn’t Gunsmoke (an old TV
western for readers too young to have seen it); I’m in my local Kroger store—right
here in Moneta, Virginia. This was a surreal moment; I felt totally unsafe. A
day or two later I wrote the letter copied here to the store manager.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
October 22, 2015
Frank Bryant, Store
Manager
Kroger
80 Westlake Rd.
Hardy, Virginia 24101
Dear Mr. Bryant:
On Friday, October 9th,
I was shopping in your Westlake Kroger store. After finding the cereal I
needed, I looked ahead in the aisle and was totally shocked. About 20 feet in
front of me was a man with a pistol holstered on his right hip. He was clearly
not a part of law enforcement but rather a citizen who has chosen to open-carry
a handgun. To say the least, I had a surge of fear. I had three choices. I
could leave my cart and leave the store; turn around and go down a different
aisle, or go past him allowing a wide space between us. I chose the latter. There
was young man at the checkout wearing a nametag that said Store Management. So, I said to him, “I just saw a man on the
cereal aisle that was openly carrying a handgun.” “What is the Kroger policy
about carrying a gun in the store?” He said, “our policy is that if it is legal
in the county, you can carry a handgun in the store.” I paid my bill and left.
To say the least, I
am disturbed by this policy. I have shopped in your store since this event. Every
time, I constantly scan the customers to see if anyone is armed. Anyone who is armed is dangerous and it’s
unconscionable that I have to be anxious every time I come to your store. As a
consumer, I do have choices, even if they are not all convenient. Until Kroger
develops a policy that allows all customers to feel safe in Kroger stores, I
plan to do the following:
·
I will shop at your store as little as possible.
·
I will share this story with my friends and
family.
·
As appropriate, I will send letters to newspapers
about gun safety, gun violence and my experiences in area stores and other
public institutions.
·
As much as possible, I will not patronize stores
or attend programs in institutions that allow concealed or open-carry of
handguns.
As a customer, how do
I know this man had a permit to carry a handgun? As a customer, how do I know
this man had a background check? As a customer, how do I know this man is
emotionally stable? How do I know he doesn’t have problems with anger
management? Perhaps Kroger will need to find ways to assure customers these
questions have been answered if non-law enforcement people are allowed to carry
handguns in your stores. Maybe Kroger will develop a policy that does not allow
citizens to carry handguns in your stores; that policy would make all of us
much safer.
Respectfully,
Cc: Smith Mountain
Lake Chamber of Commerce
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Think about
unintended consequences…
Open and concealed carry of handguns in public spaces jeopardizes
my safety. It is a public health/public safety issue. I follow news stories
about gun safety and gun violence on The
Trace. Try it yourself—you will be enlightened. Hopefully you will join the
chorus of voices speaking out about the need for common-sense gun control laws
that will protect us from ourselves.
Several months ago, my husband and I saw a man proudly wearing his handgun on his hip while eating lunch at Vinnie's. I, too, found it disturbing and scary. I finally settled myself down by rationalizing to myself that he was probably just showing off...but, what kind of a person needs to wear a gun as an accessory to a restaurant? Yep, scary!
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