"Sweet Success" or "How I flipped a CPZ"

[Pecker]

I live in Lakewood and a new store was opening up in the downtown area. It was a bakery/gourmet candy/amazing popcorn shop that I was dying to try out. My wife had a baby recently and my mom was in town from out of state and was also eager to try the shop. So my mom went and bought some amazing cupcakes. A week and a half later my wife and I sneak out for a 30 minute date and we head to the bakery to get some more cupcakes. The place has two entrances and another patron held the door for us as we came in. I get in to the store, I'm about to purchase some items then I notice the "No Guns" sign on the other entrance, sure enough, there was a small "no guns" sign on the entrance I came in at.

My wife was a bit disappointed but understanding when I told her we had to leave.

When I got home I found the shops website and send the stores owner the following email:

You just opened your Lakewood store. My mother checked out your store and bought us some amazing cupcakes for my wife's birthday. Today we had a sweet tooth and just went out to check out your shop for ourselves. Another customer held the door for my wife and I as we walked in. We were excited to hear that there was a cupcake happy hour.

Yum, we were thrilled. We have a house full of guests and a dozen cupcakes would have filled the bill nicely.

That's when the problem happened. I was looking towards the other exit and I noticed your "No Guns" sign.

That's when I had to leave promptly, without purchasing anything.

You see, I possess a Concealed Handgun License in the state of Ohio and I was carrying my legally owned firearm at the time. I made sure to leave promptly when I noticed the sign.

By possessing a Concealed Handgun License I have had to prove the following:

- I've never been convicted of a felony
- I've never been convicted of a drug offense
- I've never been adjudicated with any mental defects or disabilities
- I've passed a thorough criminal background check
- I've passed state mandated training to carry a handgun in public

Statistics show that those that hold CHL or CCW permits commit crimes at rates far less than the general population. In fact a recent study even showed that a police officer is 3 times more likely to be convicted for a violent crime then a conceal carry permit holder.

I can flood your inbox with statistics, but ultimately the biggest statistic is $22.

Your store took in $22 less revenue than it could have today. After I saw the sign, my wife and I (oh, she occasionally carries too) walked out, drove up the road and bought some dessert at another bakery in town.

I will not shop at your store until the "no guns" signs are removed.

Please let me know if your store changes its policy. In the meantime I have forwarded your store's information to Ohio for Conceal Carry and your establishment will be included on our "Do Not Patronize While Armed" database.

In less than 24 hours I received the following reply:

Those signs come down before we open on Monday.

Sure enough, I verified today and the signs were down. Interestingly, the first signs were combination "No smoking/no guns" signs. I'm almost curious if they came that way from a health department or local govt agency. But I can't verify that, just a speculation. Went I went back today, the "no guns" portion was cut off and just the "no smoking" portion of the sign remained.

I'd like to thank the owner of Campbell's Sweet Factory in Lakewood for his quick action.

Now, please, stop in, buy some cupcakes and enjoy, but please no OC demonstrations "thanking" them for supporting gun rights. I don't know any more about the owner of the store's position other than he quickly had the signs removed. I don't want to read more into it than that.

[Kgolf31]

I'll stop by and support the local business if I'm around the area.

[95oRANGEcRUSH]

That's awesome. I like reading success stories like this.

[docachna]

Now that you have a good relationship with the owner, next time you're in, I would absolutely ask him/her where those signs came from. If, in fact, some govt agency is distributing them, I think they may have some 'splainin' to do....

[djthomas]

Could have been left over from the previous tenant. Great work!

[mreising]

A combination No Smoking/No Guns sign could be one provide by one of the compliance sign "services".

[WayneB]

Nice work. Good news! Thanks.

[Jake]

Great work!

Not to nit pick, but this...-

I've passed state mandated training to carry a handgun in public

should have said "concealed in public".

I'm pretty sure he got the jist.

Again, nice job!!

[phoneguy]

Excellent well written letter, I'm going to copy it to use as a templare for my own future use if you don't mind.

[bearkitty]

Awesome job! I'll be sure to stop there the next time I am in the area.

A combination No Smoking/No Guns sign could be one provide by one of the compliance sign "services".

That is very likely. When my brother took ownership of his shop he immediately started getting mildly threatening letters about posting all of the "legally required" signage, or face fines and shutdown. Of course they will conveniently take your credit card and send you everything you need - overnight! Sure enough, there was a GB in the packet. He sent the whole package back with letter and a photo of the CC Welcome sign he posted instead.

[techmike]

Great job!!

[Brian D.]

Awesome job! I'll be sure to stop there the next time I am in the area.

A combination No Smoking/No Guns sign could be one provide by one of the compliance sign "services".

That is very likely. When my brother took ownership of his shop he immediately started getting mildly threatening letters about posting all of the "legally required" signage, or face fines and shutdown. Of course they will conveniently take your credit card and send you everything you need - overnight! Sure enough, there was a GB in the packet. He sent the whole package back with letter and a photo of the CC Welcome sign he posted instead.

Here at OFCC Forums we've discussed those compliance sign services and the dupilicitous tactics they use to...sell more signs. Maybe if someone
got the state Attorney General's office fired up over it there could be some action taken.

[Werz]

Here at OFCC Forums we've discussed those compliance sign services and the dupilicitous tactics they use to...sell more signs. Maybe if someone got the state Attorney General's office fired up over it there could be some action taken.

I'm reasonably certain that's not going to happen. However, we might be able convince the Ohio General Assembly to adopt Texas-style specifications for the signs. Some of the nicer venues really hate big ugly signs which are truly "conspicuous," and they may think twice about posting them.

[mreising]

Here at OFCC Forums we've discussed those compliance sign services and the dupilicitous tactics they use to...sell more signs. Maybe if someone got the state Attorney General's office fired up over it there could be some action taken.

I'm reasonably certain that's not going to happen. However, we might be able convince the Ohio General Assembly to adopt Texas-style specifications for the signs. Some of the nicer venues really hate big ugly signs which are truly "conspicuous," and they may think twice about posting them.

I've always thought that a 24"x36" sign, in Day-glo green, with 2"-high purple lettering should be mandated by law. I think it would stand out enough that nobody would miss it. Of course it should posted on both sides of every entrance.

Seriously though, a large, standard sign would be better than the way it is now, with some places posting small, see-through stickers because they want it both ways. If such signage was standardized, I would like to see the legislation also include language that suppliers of those signs be required to place them in an envelope, with a clearly worded statement, in large block letters, that the signs are entirely voluntary, except for government buildings. Personnel Concepts, on of the compliance sign places,has a slip of paper that is essentially a copy of the statement from the AG's booklet that says "private employers may, but are not required to post the sign", In the packet I got from them, that slip of paper looked like it was a photocopy and it was about 1"x4", with 10 point Courier font, so I am sure many recipients of those packets don't even notice the slip.

[Pecker]

Here at OFCC Forums we've discussed those compliance sign services and the dupilicitous tactics they use to...sell more signs. Maybe if someone got the state Attorney General's office fired up over it there could be some action taken.

I'm reasonably certain that's not going to happen. However, we might be able convince the Ohio General Assembly to adopt Texas-style specifications for the signs. Some of the nicer venues really hate big ugly signs which are truly "conspicuous," and they may think twice about posting them.

I've always thought that a 24"x36" sign, in Day-glo green, with 2"-high purple lettering should be mandated by law. I think it would stand out enough that nobody would miss it. Of course it should posted on both sides of every entrance.

Seriously though, a large, standard sign would be better than the way it is now, with some places posting small, see-through stickers because they want it both ways. If such signage was standardized, I would like to see the legislation also include language that suppliers of those signs be required to place them in an envelope, with a clearly worded statement, in large block letters, that the signs are entirely voluntary, except for government buildings. Personnel Concepts, on of the compliance sign places,has a slip of paper that is essentially a copy of the statement from the AG's booklet that says "private employers may, but are not required to post the sign", In the packet I got from them, that slip of paper looked like it was a photocopy and it was about 1"x4", with 10 point Courier font, so I am sure many recipients of those packets don't even notice the slip.

I noticed that a movie theater I have visited on a monthly basis for a couple years is posted. They have a 1.5"x1.5" pictogram of a gun with a line across it. Black ink on clear vinyl. This is then posted on a window that is tinted. It wasn't until I was on my way out during the daytime (bright light outside the theater) that I was able to see it. It's near impossible to see on the way in unless you know exactly where it is.