By: Ted Nugent
As the world’s No. 1 gun-grabber crusher, I’m giving my buddy Toby Keith the benefit of the doubt.
He and his “I Love This Bar” restaurant in Virginia have come under sustained fire by his fans and gun owners due to the “no guns permitted” policy at the restaurant.
Now, while I’m no bottom-feeding barrister, chances are this flawed decision was made by his ace professional restaurant management team after reviewing various Virginia laws, insurance policy considerations and other legal requirements.
Due to the embarrassing, litigious world in which we live, business decisions have to be scrutinized and implemented that minimize the risk of being sued, and if sued, reduce the likelihood of the suit being successful. Regretfully, this is now American Business 101.
What Toby and his restaurant management and legal team have most assuredly run into are various sundry laws and regulations that have been passed and stacked over many years. To knowingly ignore these laws and regulations potentially puts Toby dead square in the sights of prosecutors and other legal sharks looking to make it rich at Toby’s expense.
Let’s get one thing straight: Toby is as pro-gun, pro-Second Amendment and pro-freedom patriot as they come. I spent my 60th birthday with Toby blasting numerous weapons of varying calibers including the ultimate rock-and-roll fun gun, the mighty .50 caliber “Ma Deuce” machine gun. The Texas Hill Country is littered with acres and acres of Uncle Ted part-time spent brass.
Let’s get another thing straight: No one in the history of the planet has been more vocal in support of the Second Amendment than yours truly. If I thought anything about the decision by Toby’s management and legal team were boneheaded or in any way anti-Second Amendment, you can bet I would have climbed out of my deer stand and called Toby immediately.
If you don’t like the restaurant’s decision, you can ignore it and risk being tossed out of the restaurant and possibly having the cops called on you if the restaurant’s staff happens to see your concealed weapon, or you can go to restaurant across the street. Individual choice is a beautiful thing.
Whichever decision you make, before firing another verbal salvo at Toby, you might want to check into Virginia’s gun laws and then work with your state representative to get those onerous and counterproductive laws changed.
It’s easy to chuck rocks at someone, especially those in the public eye. What’s more difficult is staring at the guy in the mirror and being able to say you have done everything in your power to straighten out the legal quicksand anti-freedom infringement slop that has been passed on our watch.
Join the NRA and support our Institute for Legislative Affairs. Put your money where your mouth is, and things will change.
As for me, I love Toby’s bar. The next time I’m in the neighborhood, I will be there and invite all my NRA buddies to meet me at Toby’s new juke joint for a yummy fried bologna sandwich with Toby’s favorite love song “Stranglehold” blasting through the speakers.