A policy at a new restaurant owned by country music star Toby Keith has some gun owners singing the blues.
According to WTTG Fox 5, Keith's new restaurant in Woodbridge, Va., displays a sign on the front door that reads, "NO GUNS PERMITTED."
Virginia is a gun-friendly state, the station reports, and citizens are allowed to openly carry a weapon into a bar or restaurant, as long as it's clearly visible. State law does, however, reportedly prohibit most citizens who are legally carrying a concealed weapon from consuming alcohol, but they are also allowed to go into a bar or restaurant.
[pullquote]
Eatery owners are allowed to have a "no firearms" policy, which is the rule at Keith's restaurant.
Many gun-rights advocates upset over the rule at Keith's establishment have turned to Facebook to voice their disappointment, with one poster saying the rule announces to criminals that "anyone leaving your establishment is likely completely defenseless and easy pickin's for a robbery," WTTG reports.
Another person said the policy is "sad" and it creates a "more dangerous environment."
Still, other patrons are okay with the rule.
Ohio resident Jayne Marconi, visiting Virginia, tells the station, "Anywhere there's an establishment that serves alcohol, I'm going to tell you right now, alcohol can make you do funny things. So that [the "no guns" sign] absolutely makes me feel more comfortable."
And Clator Butler, who lives in Woodbridge, says it's a non-issue.
"It's a private business," said Butler, "and [the business] has the right to set the rules that it wants."
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
