I believe that private property rights are the second most important rights we have, second only to life.
All other rights hinge on private property rights. Without being able to own and CONTROL private property, all other rights can be eliminated by manipulating private property.
Freedom of speech? What's it mean without a place to practice it?
Religion? No good if I can't practice it.
If I can control property, I can build a church. If I can control property, I can stand there and speak and no one can tell me I can't.
Without private property, I am under someone else's control.
I expect to be able to control my property and I expect other people to do the same.
Government buildings restricting my rights are one thing.... that's MY property (and yours). It doesn't belong to the government, it belongs to US. The government, which also belongs to us, should not be able to tell us that we can't do peaceful things on property that belongs to us. Silliness.
Business is different. It's private property. Aside from a few restrictions regarding race and creed... they have the right to control who accesses their property, under what conditions and why.
I don't buy the "there are no viable options" argument. What if that place goes out of business? Are they going to be forced to stay open because there "are no viable options"? Horse hockey. Patronizing a business is voluntary.
Freedom of speech... I can put up signs that say "No shirts with profanity in this establishment." and I can kick people out who ignore the rule and I can have them arrested for trespassing if they do not comply.
Freedom of religion... not on MY property. You can't come in hear and just start worshipping satan and the "monks" from the airport aren't allowed either, if they're proselytizing. Believe what you want but what you DO or BRING to MY property is MY choice, not yours.
Freedom of the press... Not on my property. You can stand OFF my property and take pictures, yell questions, write articles about what a jerk I am... but not ON my property.
The right to "bear arms".... it's MY option on MY property. Just like speech and the press and all the other rights (except life). My property, my rules. If you don't like it, go somewhere else.
Now, on the flip-side, I do support boycotts of businesses that restrict concealed carry. Why? I think it's unreasonable and it's my right to boycott them if I think they're being stupid. Just like the guy who wants to wear the t-shirt with profanity can boycott me if he thinks my restriction is unreasonable. It's called freedom. If there were some rationale explanation for banning concealed carry in businesses, I might support doing it. There's not, least none I've ever heard or seen, so I don't.
However, not supporting it and even actively trying to convince people not to do it isn't the same as believing that it should be illegal or it violates my rights. It doesn't.
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Nobody plans to screw up their lives...
...they just don't plan not to.
-Andy Stanley
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