Here's What Blaze Readers Think of the Open Carry Activists Featured in Those Viral Videos

Following announcements from Sonic and Chili’s asking customers to leave their guns at home, some Blaze readers lashed out at open carry activists’ tactics and wondered if they were doing more harm than good in the fight to advance Second Amendment rights.

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We reviewed many of the comments on TheBlaze’s story outlining the restaurants’ new policies and found little support for the open carry activists who recently attempted to visit a Sonic and Chili’s openly carrying semi-automatic rifles. The video of their demonstration went viral earlier this week, and guns were essentially no longer welcome at either restaurant within a few days.

“These open carry activists are helping our cause about as much as Bloomberg,” user SuperDiz commented.

“Yeah, it’s a little over the top,” another user, Rob, agreed.

“I am all for the 2nd amendment but seeing two guys at a table with guns would make me leave the restaurant. Conceal Carry is a different story,” user Cosmos102 wrote.

Piling on, user MinistryOfTruth commented, “I understand the Open Carry advocates point, but their methods are what cause them problems. Who brings a rifle or a shotgun into a restaurant?”

“These douche bags need to stay in their basements. They aren’t doing the 2nd Amendment any favors,” yet another user, Gladileftcalifornia commented.

User Ero_Sennin said, “I prefer to conceal carry anyway. These guys hurt our cause more than they help it.”

Commenter HottsGateOutfitter criticized the restaurants over the new anti-gun policy, saying “Why don’t they just hang a sign out front that says criminals welcome.”

However, there were a few readers who were in support of the open carry activists' methods.

"You’re part of the problem. Open carry is the ONLY thing that will get Americans over their irrational fear of guns," user GoodStuff wrote.

"Too bad society has been conditioned to fear people who open carry, let the free market decide I guess is all I can say on this," another user, APLINGTJAYONIA, added.

There were also some readers who vowed not to visit Chili's or Sonic anymore after the policy change.

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Read our original story and review other comments here.