Plain Dealer: Business as usual, even with guns

August 19, 2004
Cleveland Plain Dealer

by Christopher Montgomery

Concealed-law policies cause few protests from either side

Hand-wringing and speculation abounded earlier this year over the implications of Ohio's new concealed-carry gun law for businesses.

If you enacted a strict policy denying entrance to gun-carrying customers, would you lose their business and invite the wrath of pro-gun groups? If you didn't put such a policy into place, would you alienate customers opposed to the new law?

Now, nearly five months after concealed-carry went into effect in Ohio, the law's impact on business is more akin to an inconsequential ripple than a cresting wave of uncertainty. Whether or not businesses put prohibitive policies in place, it appears, has meant little in dollars and cents.

Between early January, when Gov. Bob Taft signed the concealed-carry bill, and April 8, when it became law, companies and business owners across Ohio had to decide what their gun policies would be. For retail chains with operations in other states where concealed weapons were already permitted, the decision was easier.

One of those chains was Tops Markets, a supermarket operator that, in addition to its Ohio presence, has stores in New York and Pennsylvania, which both have concealed-carry laws on the books.

"We can't say to our Ohio customers that you can't carry [weapons], because how are we going to know? Enforcement would be impossible," said Stefanie Zakowicz, a spokeswoman for the Buffalo, N.Y., company. "It would be almost disingenuous to say we have a policy."

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Zakowicz said Tops got the most customer feedback on its "nonpolicy" in the first few weeks after the law went into effect.

"It has completely died down since then," she said. "It is a nonissue right now."

The same goes for Giant Eagle Inc., a supermarket chain that allows license-holders and has stores in the concealed-carry states of Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia, as well as Ohio.

Tops and Giant Eagle did hit a few minor speed bumps at the beginning. Managers at two of the chains' stores posted "no-guns" signs because they were unsure about the ins and outs of the new law. The signs came down within days.

While both companies said they removed the signs as a matter of company policy, one Ohio group is taking at least some of the credit for what it sees as victories in the fight to ease gun bans.

Ohioans for Concealed Carry one of the main backers of the concealed-carry law and a vocal critic of newspapers (including The Plain Dealer) that have published the names of license-holders encourages its supporters to avoid businesses that post signs prohibiting firearms.

The group collects the names and addresses of such businesses from volunteers and compiles them into a "Do Not Patronize While Armed" database on its Web site. It also sells cards its supporters can leave behind at those establishments.

The cards read: "We have noticed your sign, and are going to respect your wishes by shopping elsewhere. You lost my business today and in the future."

The group has also mailed about 700 letters to gun-restrictive businesses and is planning to send 200 to 400 more each month. Chad Baus, an Ohioans for Concealed Carry volunteer and vice president of two car dealerships in Archbold and Wauseon, Ohio, said it's all part of an education effort.

"We had predicted that there would be some knee-jerk reactions to the law," Baus said.

For business owners worried about liability issues, the group is quick to point out that there's an immunity clause built into the law protecting them from the fallout of any concealed-carry incident on their property. And at the very root of the group's cause is the argument that pro-gun policies at businesses are a deterrent to criminals.

"If you put up those signs saying to stay away if you're armed," Baus said, "you may be communicating things inadvertently to criminals, too."

Evidence suggests the group's efforts are paying off. Deacon's Chrysler in Mayfield posted no-guns signs when the law took effect and then took them down a few days later after two longtime customers complained and the dealership popped up on the Ohioans for Concealed Carry Web site.

"I'm not going to turn a customer away because of [his] political beliefs," said Jim Deacon, the dealership's president.

Other dealers are sticking with their bans even though some gun supporters have disagreed.

"I've had people throw business cards in my face from the [National Rifle Association], saying that they're not going to patronize the dealership anymore," said Frank Faragone, general sales manager for Ganley East in Wickliffe. "It's hurt me from making some sales."

But Faragone said the dealership's no-guns policy hasn't led to a meaningful drop in business.

The signs were provided by the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers Association, though the group didn't take an official stance on the issue. Gary Adams, the association's president, said most of his member dealers have posted the signs and that the impact has been minimal.

On the flip side, some business owners have posted signs that welcome customers who are legally carrying firearms. They include George Rachid, co-owner of a JR Foods convenience store in Lorain.

"If I get robbed," Rachid said, "I hope that maybe two or three of my customers will have concealed-carry."

Rachid said he hasn't received any complaints from customers opposed to concealed-carry.

That lack of a backlash applies to many businesses with gun bans, as well, even if they're listed in the Ohioans for Concealed Carry database.

Migelito's Pizza in Mayfield is one. It's been business as usual there since it posted no-guns signs, and the restaurant has no plans to alter its policy, said manager Dan Wise.

"We just didn't see any need to allow weapons," Wise said. "I'm sure our pizzas aren't that bad that people would want to come in and shoot us."

For some businesses, particularly those that cater to families such as Malley's Chocolates and Putt-Putt Golf & Games in Willoughby the feedback they've gotten from their no-guns policies has been overwhelmingly positive.

Looking only at the data available on the number of concealed-carry license-holders, the underwhelming business impact isn't surprising. According to the Buckeye State Sheriffs' Association, which gathers license information from Ohio's 88 counties, 26,307 licenses were granted through the end of July. That's a tiny fraction of Ohio's adult population.

"We've been telling businesses that they need to take that into account, that people with concealed-carry are very small in number," said Toby Hoover, executive director of the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence. "The majority of people don't share their opinions."

The Ohio Chamber of Commerce, for its part, has remained neutral. On its Web site, the chamber provides information to businesses that want to pursue prohibitive policies and those that want to allow gun-carrying customers.

"We just want to be sure that all of the bases are covered," said Tony Fiore, director of labor and human resources policy for the chamber.

So far, it seems to be working.

"I haven't heard or seen of anyone having a problem with their customer base at this point," Fiore said.

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The Truth about Concealed Carry and Business

What Business Owners Need to Know About CCW