Reading these posts, my thoughts had been running in favor of the business owner. His business, his property...in fact, I had been thinking those who would carry when he didn't want them to were just being smug jerks.
But then I thought of something...
I have no patience for business owners who are supposed to be open to the public allowing smoking to take place in their business (restaurants, especially), making their business effectively off-limits to people like me who suffer from asthma, and cannot handle the smoke.
I don't give a rip that "it's their business, they paid for it, etc.)... Obvious example. I enjoy eating at On The Border. There's only one here in Amarillo, and I don't want to have to give that up so some smoker can sit there and smoke, making it impossible for me to eat there. I want to eat at that restaurant, and I want to be able to breath while doing so. Smokers have no right to take that restaurant away from me. So, I heartily support anti-smoking laws to keep that restaurant open to me, even if the owner of that restaurant doesn't want to do it. And though I love Rush limbaugh, I disagree with him on this one. Smokers can schedule their smoking around eating out, I cannot schedule my breathing in order to accomodate their "right to smoke".
Now a private club...restaurant...different story.
Now...transfer that principle to the carrying-concealed issue. A business owner, even if he's paying for it, has to surrender some of his rights if he wants to accomodate the public. He cannot discriminnate based on race...religion...whatever. His rights reign in his private home, of course, but not his business. If he wants to be open to the public. He must respect the public rights we all have.
Bottom line...I've reversed my thinking on this. A business owner should not be able to deny our Constitutional Rights, even in his business, if he wants to serve the public. And if he can't handle this, he can turn his business into a private club.
mistergus75