At a Colorado restaurant, your burger may just come with a side of S&W .40.
That’s because at Shooters, in Rifle, Colorado, waitresses and patrons are encouraged to carry their firearms in the open. The practice of carrying guns in the open is one that the owners consider an extension of Constitutional rights.
“We encourage it, and the customers love that they can come here and express their rights,” said Lauren Boebert, owner of Shooters. “This country was founded on our freedom. People can come in carrying their gun, and they can pray over their food.”
Gun-activists have been catching heat for recent demonstrations of open-carry. A number of chain restaurants have moved to make it known that they do not support the practice and that engaging in open-carry on their premises will result in denial of service. In fact, the National Rifle Association (NRA) even released a statement condemning the practice. The NRA had stated that, while legal, it was an ill-advised practice that did little to assist the promotion of gun rights and advocate for such issues in the United States. The NRA later retracted that statement after extremists began moaning over the NRA’s almost-reasonable statement.
Shooters would seem to disagree.
“The people who are here, they want to be here, they like the food, they like our means of transporting the food with our firearms at our sides,” Boerbert said.
Fortunately, shooters does not serve alcohol, as alcohol and firearms are certainly not good bedfellows.
So the next time you’re making your way through Rifle, Colorado and want to stop for a quick bite to eat, remember, that your waitress may be carrying a sidearm. So, tip accordingly.
