Kicked out of Woodman's Gorcery Store in Onalaska Wisconsin

Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 5:23 pm

Jan. 25, 2010 WOODMAN'S GROCERY STORE IN ONALASKA WISCONSIN!

Customers asked to leave because they were armed and open carrying.

Woodman's Grocery discriminates against gun owners in general and is holding to a Liberal bias against guns and gun owners. They are anti- 2nd Amendment.

Call to Woodman's Corporate. . . . .Quint Woodman, executive in charge of corporate policy. Around 1:00pm Tuesday January, 26 2010

The full transcript of that call is right here. . . http://rightspokenhere.blogspot.com/ Click the URL for the complete conversation.

Update by admin: Woodman's has reviewed any alleged policy and has opted to take the high road and not discriminate against the lawful behavior. Lawful open carry (WI) or container carry (IL) is fine. Follow the law and Woodmans has no problem with you.

Cadet Joined: Dec 15, 2009 Posts: 60

So your 2nd amendment rights include the right to take your gun onto another person's private property?

If someone you don't know shows up at your door with a gun, are you going to invite them in?

Lieutenant Joined: Nov 12, 2009 Posts: 2429

the argument for open carry always is, what if somebody grabbed your gun and started shooting.

they are right there is no reason for cops to be carrying around guns, after all the 2a says " the people" it doesn't say the goverment has the right to bear arms.

how many cops have had their guns grabbed from them and use to commit mass shootings?

Lieutenant Joined: Nov 12, 2009 Posts: 2429

mercutio34 wrote:

So your 2nd amendment rights include the right to take your gun onto another person's private property?

If someone you don't know shows up at your door with a gun, are you going to invite them in?

how are you planning to stop them from coming in?

Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 5:56 pm

Well this is very disturbing. We do a very large amount of shopping at Woodman's. Easily the majority of our groceries are purchased there. We eat organic, so even though there's only two of us we still spend a lot of money.

I've never seen any no-gun signs. I am going to write a letter to their corporate office and hopefully we can see this policy reversed. Obviously they are woefully ignorant when it comes to guns. Do they actually think a sign saying no guns is going to stop criminals? It's an invitation for criminals.

That being said, the real purpose for the signs is feel-goodyness when it comes to safety (not to mention liability) for them. They will have to weigh any benefits of feel-goodyness to the negatives of negative press, alienation from firearms owners, and not to mention having blood on their hands when someone commits a violent crime in one of their "gun-free" stores. Perhaps the violent crime will be perpetrated with a knife like the lady who was nearly killed in the Wal-Mart in...Colorado I believe. Lucky for her a senior citizen with a CCW permit was able to neutralize her attacker after she had been repeatedly stabbed. Soon enough to prevent her death!!!!

At Woodmans, I guess we can all throw tomatoes and cabbage at a violent psychopath instead.

Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 5:59 pm

mercutio, this is not an argument about private property rights. No one has made it that, and I won't allow you to try to turn it into that.

This is a discussion about policy at a private business. Policy that affects us, policy that we hope will be reversed, and if not this discussion will be about boycotting the store. I for one hope we can get this changed because my wife like's Woodman's.

Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 6:07 pm

Thanks for putting your conversation with Woodmans on your blog for all of us to read. I was also on the phone today talking to a warden from the DNR trying to get answers for why we cant carry in the state parks.

Member **Founders Club** Joined: Dec 12, 2007 Posts: 4436

Of course the owner should be able to decide what is and isn't allowed on their private property.

However, if that private property is a business there is no reason that we can't push to have the restriction lifted.

There is an articles in this months 1st Freedom (NRA magazine) about a website that tracks which restraunts and bars in Arizone allow CCW. It pointed out that with the 3% of the AZ population that is licensed to carry with an average of 4 people per family they are missing over 500,000 customers that eat out on average 5 times a week.

I'll try to find that article and post it here because we, the gun owners, can affect change if we all work together.

Lieutenant Joined: Nov 12, 2009 Posts: 2429

last time i went to michigan, pre ccw permit, I looked at every place i went into and didn't see a no guns sign. same deal with Flordia,

how big do these signs have to be?

do they look like no smoking signs?

Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 8:10 pm

Just called kenosha woodmens and talked to a supervisor named Jenny. She was unaware of ANY policys against NOR posts signage to restrict OC.
I alsosa the N.R.A. Freedom article about Arizonas figures on how much business they loose not allowing CC or OC.
IM NOT FINISHED WITH THIS.

WOODMANS CORPORATE PHONE NUMBER
608-754-8382

Cadet Joined: Dec 15, 2009 Posts: 60

Shaun (and others), private property rights are precisely the central issue here. A private company has every right to set policy for shopping in their store. If you don't like it, don't shop there. Don't act like they "discriminated" against you.

Freedoms don't just apply to you. Freedom means that other people can disagree with you. Don't get mad whenever someone exercises that right. It is hypocritical to spend time arguing for your own freedom to own guns and then dictate how other people should treat guns on their own property.

It looks like the the managers of this chain didn't institute the policy because they thought it would make their store safer. From the responses provided in the call, it appears that they had gotten complaints about people carrying and the felt that their customers will be more comfortable shopping there if there aren't people walking around with guns. That is a perfectly reasonable corporate decision. And not a particularly liberal one either. Try open carrying in all the most conservative churches in your area. I'm guessing more than a few would ask you to leave your gun at home.

As to encouraging the store to change it's policy, that's great. The best way is to contact the store and clearly explain your position and why you think it should be changed, not berate them and accuse them of bias and discrimination like the caller in the OPs post did.

Private Joined: Sep 25, 2009 Posts: 146

Well, I've never been to a Woodman's before, but I'm sorry to hear about this.

The only issue I have is during your phone call where you seem to label all antis as liberals and all liberals as antis. I'd just be careful, because just because somebody is one doesn't mean they're the other.

My father, for example, is pretty much conservative, yet he has no idea why I own firearms.

My brother is fairly liberal, but loves coming to the range with me.

Other than that, I think your conversation was very revealing.

Lieutenant Joined: Nov 12, 2009 Posts: 2429

6010rocks wrote:

mercutio34 wrote:

So your 2nd amendment rights include the right to take your gun onto another person's private property?

If someone you don't know shows up at your door with a gun, are you going to invite them in?

how are you planning to stop them from coming in?

do you care to answer this question mercutio34?

how are you planning to stop them from coming in?

Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 9:49 pm

mercutio34 wrote:

Shaun (and others), private property rights are precisely the central issue here.

Mercutio, I respect your opinion but disagree. Property rights is not the central issue here. Further, if you are going to be open for business that is a totally different issue than your own home. And yes, I would let an armed person into my home. Maybe not you. . . but I already have others many times. LEOs and open carriers alike. I don't feel threatened nor do they.

A private residence is not open to the public. What Woodman's is saying is that you may not enter because you are armed. Discrimination. They could outlaw nose rings or leather biker jackets, or tattoos. If you have bad teeth, your check might not be any good. This is a building that is OPEN TO THE PUBLIC 24 hours a day.

My home is open to me 24 hours a day. If you want to enter, best ask me first. I don't have to ask to enter Woodman's. Well, maybe I have to ask but generally the public does not need permission to enter Woodman's.

They have issued an express permission with their signage, newsprint ads and flyers. They have asked you to come into their store without knowing your mind or your intent. A little different than you inviting me into your home.

True, business has the right to serve whom they choose. For example, you may have noticed all the No Blacks Served Here signs or the No Liberals Served or Jews Not Allowed or maybe you noticed the sign that said, if you hold to the Constitution, embrace Freedom and Liberty, exercise your 2nd Amendment Rights, and carry a gun, get the H-E-double hockey sticks out of here and here's a kick in the slats for good measure.

Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 9:55 pm

well said hardballer usa flag