When I walk into any business that displays a "No concealed weapons allowed" door sign, I think that if I were a knife- or gun-touting criminal looking for a victim, this would be a great place to commit a crime. The criminal would know that each law-abiding citizen inside the building who possesses a concealed weapon permit (CWP) has safely placed his or her weapon into the locked trunk of their car.

The honest citizen with a CWP ID card has gone to an eight-hour class and knows the penalty for a violation of the permit guidelines. The S.C. Law Enforcement website (www.sled.sc.gov) lists the prohibited carry locations and the penalties for doing so.

So let's go back to the criminal entering the weapon-free building. Who in their right mind would think for a second that this thug would not violate the law?

Let's create a scenario where a criminal has the intent to commit a robbery inside one of two of convenience stores. One store displays the no weapons sign while the other does not. Which store will the criminal most likely attack? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to intelligently answer that question.

The same scenario holds true for restaurants and bars that serve alcohol. The criminal or thug will conceal an illegal weapon, sign or no sign. The restaurants you choose to patronize should not be selected because of the absence of a concealed weapons sign.

John Rothwell

Bluffton