Buckhorn Grill regrets allowing Open Carry members to gather at its restaurant last Saturday

As other media outlets and I reported, up to 100 members of Bay Area Open Carry, wearing unloaded guns and ammunition clips strapped to their belts, turned up at Buckhorn Grill in Walnut Creek's Plaza Escuela last Saturday to enjoy a meal and to demonstrate their legal right in California to openly bear arms.

The meetup of Open Carry, a loosely organized group of gun advocates, was initially planned for California Pizza Kitchen, but the group learned from CPK that they were not welcome. They changed their meetup location to Buckhorn Grill after receiving permission from the management.

Well, now the management of the Buckhorn Restaurant Group is regretting that decision and is issuing this apology to customers, which a reader passed along to me:

To our Customers:

Buckhorn Grill would like to apologize for some misunderstanding about our “no weapon policy” in any of our restaurants. We have not in the past nor shall in the future allow weapons in our restaurants from our employees, vendors or customers.


We made an exception on February 6, 2010, and regret this decision now. We were misled with some facts. The local police were involved and we knew none of the weapons were loaded, but it still caused tension with the large mob of people arriving as a group instead of individually. It was supposed to be a group luncheon, and it turned into a meeting. It was an organized propaganda meeting with an agenda. Flyers were handed out and none of this was Okayed with management. There were supposed to be only 50 people, and at least 100 were there. We were told that the luncheon would be an hour, and it turned into two hours We only have about 70  seats, so some of our customers had no place to sit.

We apologize for any inconvenience to our regular customers, it will not happen again. We want to have a safe place for you to dine, and a safe place for us to work. Thanks for your support and understanding.


Tom McLaughlin,
Regional Manager


John R. Pickerel, Owner
Buckhorn Grill

Open Carry guys miffed that California Pizza Kitchen doesn't want them

On the heels of an announcement that CPK won't allow members of those unconcealed-firearm totin' guys into their restaurants, members of Open Carry have vowed to boycott the pizza chain.

"Add them to your boycott list," says one member in the group's online forum

Members of Open Carry, a Bay Area group that advocates the open display of firearms (unloaded, as allowed by state law) had planned one of their "demonstrations" at California Pizza Kitchen in Broadway Plaza on February 6. Members of the group have recently shown up, with their guns and ammunition strapped to their belts, in a coffee house in downtown Livermore and in other spots.

Apparently, the group has called off their February 6 demonstration, because they have been told they are not welcome.

Lamorinda blogger friend, the EastBayDaze, who comes "out" as a Second Amendment advocate, also says the Open Carry guys have decided to call off their demonstrations at Peet's coffee locations.
 
One Open Carry member shares his letter to CPK on their forum, saying:
 

"As a long-time fan of your establishment, it is, with regret, I am boycotting your establishment. Our Constitution, the "law of the land," and numerous court rulings, support the right of all Americans to keep and bear arms.Criminals do not open carry. Honest, law-abiding citizens, however, do. I ask you: Which would you prefer in your establishment? Criminals carrying concealed weapons? Or honest, law-abiding citizens who open carry? One is a very strong deterrent to the other--one guess as to which."

But another says:

"To all criminals....

California pizza kitchen is a soft target. Feel free to enter and have your way with everyone there, They are all unarmed. Bring all your criminal friends. There is one hot waitress there, she will be available."

Regarding those gun-totin' guys coming to Walnut Creek: the police chief responds and a member explains why they're holding it in a certain downtown restaurant

In response to my post about a planned exhibition in Walnut Creek next month by gun owners who support the open display of handguns, some readers asked how the City of Walnut Creek or the police plan to respond. Members of this loosely organized group, who call themselves Bay Open Carry, plan to be at downtown's California Pizza Kitchen on February 6, with their unloaded weapons in full display.

Police response to such an open display of handguns became something of an issue in Livermore earlier this week. This was when one member was giving an interview to an ABC7 TV reporter. Walter Stanley, who carries an unloaded pistol on his right hip and two full ammunition clips on his left, raised alarm when someone called in a report to police of a man with a gun seen in downtown. Officers pulled up, just as Stanley was talking to the reporter, ordered him up against a wall and to raise his hands. The officers checked to see that his weapon was indeed unloaded.

Open Carry members say that it is legal to carry a weapon as long as it is out in the open and unloaded. The gun carrier also has to be at least 1,000 feet from a school.

Okay, so I'm assuming that Open Carry members plan to act within the law if they do make it to Walnut Creek. However, they will be gathering in CPK, which is centrally located in Broadway Plaza. Talk about trying to get attention! Also, as some readers pointed out, CPK is known as a family restaurant.

So, would the presence of guys (or gals?) walking around with guns openly displayed--even if they are unloaded--be upsetting to the clientele? And do the police have any plans to intervene, respond to calls of concern, or to be present.

Here is what Chief Joel Bryden had to say in response:

"Our officers will respond to any calls for service relating to this issue and take appropriate action based on what we find at the scene. Appropriate action could include checking a weapon to make sure it is unloaded."

And, here are some views an Open Carry member, writing on the organization's message board, about why he participates, about the planned event, and about the choice of California Pizza Kitchen for their display::

--About why he participates:

For me, it's to remind people that we live under the Constitution and we all have rights that cannot be taken away from us. I think here, in California, a lot of people dismiss the second amendment as being antiquated and rather useless in today's society. I can understand how somebody can come to that conclusion, but I feel that if more law abiding citizens owned and carried firearms, we would have far less crime and criminals would be afraid of committing crimes.

--Would CPK have a right to ask these gun-totin' guys to leave?

Businesses absolutely have a right to ask us to leave, and sometimes they do. I'm unaware of any case where an open carrier has refused to leave after being asked. We respect business' property rights and we comply with their wishes. If a place of business such as CPK doesn't want our money, someplace else will.

--As for whether the presence of Open Carry members, with their weapons, would upset other CPK diners:

I've eaten at restaurants where uniformed police officers came in and ate there, I wasn't afraid of anything bad happening. I've been in a restaurant where a group of non-uniformed police officers came in to eat too. At least, I thought they were police officers. But how could I tell? I wasn't going to ask them for ID if they were behaving perfectly normal. Why should the presence of a uniform make any difference?

Quite simply, criminals do not walk around with guns in openly displayed holsters. If somebody is open carrying, then they are on the up and up. When I open carry, I'm especially on the up and up because I'm trying to paint gun owners in a good light and be a "model citizen."

Another member is warning that there will be a strong LE (as in law enforcement) interest in the Walnut Creek Meetup. That being the case, the member has some strong advise for making sure their weapons are secure.  He suggests the acquisition of "a retention type holster (Blackhawk or similar) for your rig prior to the Walnut Creek Meetup if at all possible."

"I know these can be a bit pricey for some ($35-$60),," he continues, "but are great for that extra little bit of insurance that your gear cannot be easily removed or fall out."