Toby Keith doesnât want firearms inside his new restaurant in Woodbridge, Virginia. The reason?
Well, claiming the restaurant werenât anti-gun, the executives of âI love This Bar & Grillâ cited âinsurance regulationsâ as the reason they chose to adopt a âno weapons policy.â
Brian Crosswhite, owner of The Cajun Experience. (Photo Credit: Wearechefs.com)
Okay, whatever. Itâs a free country, itâs a privately owned business, Toby Keith and his corporate pals can do what they like. If they donât want responsible citizens carrying concealed in their restaurant as a means of self-defense in case of an emergency, thatâs fine. Weâll go spend our money elsewhereâŚ
But where do we go?
Thanks to a new website created by chef and business owner Bryan Crosswhite, that question is now a bit easier.
See, Crosswhite has launched 2amendment.org, an online registry of pro-Second Amendment businesses and restaurants. Members of 2amendment.org receive a decal that they can stick in their window, next to other signs and stickers, that inform patrons that the store or restaurant is gun friendly.
âWe want to make it something for business owners who are pro-Second Amendment,â Crosswhite, owner of The Cajun Experience, told Emily Miller of the Washington Times. âA sticker on the door, just like Zagat [Survey], and that way people who want to do business with pro-Second Amendment companies will automatically connect with those Second Amendment companies.â
Thus far 10 businesses have signed up since the website went live Sunday night. A phone app is also underway, Crosswhite told Miller, and it should be ready in about a month. Users who download the app have access to the database on their phones.
âWe have individuals who want to spend money and spend money with people who are like-minded,â noted Crosswhite.
Itâs a good idea. However, Crosswhiteâs not the first person to create an app that helps users discern between pro-gun business and gun-free businesses.
Back in March, programmer John Peden released the âGun Free Zoneâ app, which is a community-sourced database that allows users to identify and/or report whether businesses in their areas are gun free or gun friendly via their smartphones.
Pedenâs GFZ had approximately 11,000 users and 25,000 marked locations soon after it launched.
So, between Crosswhiteâs website and Pedenâs app, technology is making it easier for gun owners to make informed decisions about where to spend their hard earned money.