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Should travelers boycott Arizona because of gun laws? Frommer leans towards yes
Arthur Frommer, longtime travel book guru, posed a question about Arizona's "open carry" gun laws. In Arizona, Frommer found out, people can bring loaded guns to political rallies. That's what happened in Phoenix earlier this week when some of the protesters, who showed up outside the convention center where Barack Obama was speaking, visibly wielded guns--including an assault rifle. Such action is legal in Arizona, something Frommer feels alarmed by.
In Arthur Frommer ONLINE yesterday, he wonders if travelers ought to boycott Arizona in protest of such open carry laws since he thinks a gun law that allows people to bring loaded firearms to political protests violates citizens' safety. He doesn't want to travel to such places. As he wrote, if a gun had gone off, mayhem could have happened.
It's not that Frommer objects to guns--or at least he doesn't say if he does or doesn't. He thinks there's a problem when a person carrying a gun in public does so in a way that puts people in danger.
Last year, I expressed my concern about guns being allowed into US national parks for similar reasons. Of course, others have a different opinion and some expressed those in the comment section. Some comments pointed out issues I that hadn't thought of. Some state roads and US highways, for example, pass through national parks. If a person is carrying a gun in his or her car and happens to be traveling on such a road, he or she would be in violation of a gun carrying law if guns were not allowed in a national park.
Still, there's Frommer's point that if people are allowed to have their guns with them as a means of intimidation, and other people are traveling through such spots, doesn't that put people not involved in jeopardy? I seem to remember from US history classes that even when the west was wilder there were some places where people who were carrying guns had to leave them outside a town or saloon. Or, maybe that's just the Hollywood version.
Filed under: News, Consumer Activism
Reader Comments (Page 12 of 12)
Tom Aug 21st 2009 9:26AM
When the House and the Senate, and Obama ( born in Africa ) and the like ban all guns, Who will protect us from the G O V E R N M E N T ?. iT HAS TOO MUCH POWER OVER THE PEOPLE AS IT IS RIGHT NOW.
Alan Pearson Aug 21st 2009 1:19PM
Really, I forgot--which boycotts are in progress? I can't remember where I'm not supposed to go, what I'm not supposed to eat or who I'm not supposed to listen to. I hope someone helps me....
I live in Utah. We were "boycotted" by NOW in the late seventies for the LDS Church's stand on the ERA. Gay groups considered this same thing after Prop 8 passed in CA. Utah is -- doing just fine, thanks! I have visited Arizona often. I recomend it for it's breathtaking scenery, it's spectacular recreational sites, it's wealth of southwest culture and history. Once you've sampled it, you'll be planning your next visit.
salome Aug 21st 2009 10:29PM
there is a psychiatric name for this guy's problem.
Has to do with thoughts and ideation that an OBJECT ITSELF can harm you.
for him,it's a "gun",another it might be a #10 can.
that's why some of us living in libtard cities and states have to disassemble our weapons,lock the triggers and keep them in locked strong boxes so they don't come out when they feel like it and reproduce.
Now criminals have no such ideation or lawful thoughts and will carry concealed,so as NOT TO OFFEND, and cities like chicagO,ny ,etc will gladly accomodate him and the homies will see the newbie and flash the hardware.
who cares ?
Ray Aug 21st 2009 6:51PM
Me thinks Frommer should check the various state laws BEFore he wirtes any articles - only six states ban the openc arry of firearms and in 31 of them, there is no permit required to do so - I guess he needs to restrict his carry to safe places like New York City, Newark and Chicago where strict gun laws keep everybody safe.
bob Aug 22nd 2009 7:47PM
My family and I have cancelled our travel plans for Arizona. We'll not be spending our dollars in that redneck dustbowl again.
Some of the people Aug 23rd 2009 10:27AM
I am as startled as any when I see a person carrying a weapon. Then I become a bit more rational. If the person wished to cause harm he or she would not be so obvious about showing a weapon. If one wishes to suppress harm they might openly carry a weapon.
No one would logically argue that any particular public assembly was void of weapons just because they could see none. If this were the case, secret service would have much less to do.
Revered Jim Sep 19th 2009 9:59AM
How many fights or heated arguments have we all seen in our lifetimes? Now add guns to all these situations. Do you really think the murder rate will go down? How would you like to be a cop resonding to a shots fired call at a mall and when you arrive find several confused people shooting at each other. Who is the bad guy? Should you take a smoke break and come back when its all over? Yeah lets arm everybody. Give every kid in school a gun, everybody in a bar too. Who would want to live in a society like that?
redneck hillbilly Sep 19th 2009 9:58AM
Sure a few people have given guns a bad reputation. A gun is a tool, It does what it is told! If a person intending to do harm was in a state that has conceal/carry laws they tend to be less apt to continue when anyone on the street may have a weapon. The 2nd Amendment was put in the constitution for a reason people. The first step toward a dictatorship is to rid the masses of guns. Read your history and be glad we live in this nation. All you bleeding hearts can have my guns when you pry them from my cold dead hands!!!!!!!
tjm Sep 20th 2009 9:56PM
All you people now expressing your fear of Arizona and cancelling travel plans, etc. should come and visit places where gun laws are very strict so you should be very safe. Start in N.Y., where you can be gunned down , but not to worry cause you won't have a gun. If you make it through N.Y., come to New Jersey and visit Paterson, Passaic, Camden, Trenton , Newark- veritable war zones- but they have gun laws. How about our nation's capital- very strict, and usually at the top of the murder list. " Laws that forbid the carrying of arms... disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes... Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man." Jefferson's "Commonplace Book," 1774_1776, quoting from On Crimes and Punishment, by criminologist Cesare Beccaria, 1764
chuck Sep 28th 2009 2:20PM
im not to extreme in my thoughts left or right on gun control. me being an honorably discharged member of the armed forces...i agree to the 2nd amm. because i voluntered to protect from foreign and domestic.and keep america free. heres the thing. most law abiding citizens that own any weopon for self defense,for sport,for recreation,or collecting do not go out and commit crimes because they like us know that its a privilege more than a right that can be taken away from us at any time especially for misuse. and im sorry but theres no difference between a rifle primarily used for hunting to an ak, a bullet can kill from any gun..the law does not apply to people with felonies because thes people dont care. no law written will ever protect you from gettin shot by a career criminal.unfortunately these are also the people that usually commit the crimes. these laws keep getting re ammended because of our stupidity and paranoia against our fellow man. and people who never shot ,owned or held a gun fear what they dont know....and alot of people dont know about guns. they dont realize this was how america was born in the first place.by a gun.the ability to protect ourselves and our lifestyle. if wasnt guns it was knives andswords. if it wasnsnt knives or sword it was spears or rocks. point being anything can be a weopon. unfortunately guns get the bad rap becuse of the ease of kill. im in agreeance about responsible thinking such as the barrak event dont fet me wrong. but he hasnt taken away our guns yet and i dont think he even cares. its politics at best and he won his presidency already.hes got more important issus to worry about than a handful of rednecks parrading their rightfully ownd firearms. being a law abiding civilian now and owning a few fire arms my self have found out how much legally i cant do. so in summary for people who are pro gun ..simply exercise good judgement with your firearms .for the people anti gun ..if we get rid of guns..lets get rid of them all and then we can go back to sword or knives and still be on even playing field. and just rember this ...it only takes a skilled knife wielde 2.1 sec to cross 20 ft and make a fatal blow in a stand off. youll probably at that point wished you had a gun.
Lonny Oct 9th 2009 4:28PM
Frommer should consider boycotting state with high rates of violent crime. That would seem to be more in keeping with their goal of providing relavent information to help travelers be safe and have enjoyable travel experiences.
He will likely find that the high crime states are states with gun laws more to his liking. Trenton, New Jersey, Washington DC and Chicago have some of the strictest gun laws in the nation and I certainly wouldn't be recommending these as places to to wander off the beaten path at night.
Yet another example of a position based on utopian theory not be very applicable in the real world. Communism is perfect on paper too.
jim Dec 27th 2009 3:41PM
The key to keeping peace within a community is to arm the citizens.Thank the next person you see carrying.You are safer because of them.
Bob Dec 29th 2009 2:05PM
Several points to consider.
The Constitution is a living changing document.
The Bill of Rights is not a part of the Constitution, but legally a supporting or founding document.
Changes to the Bill of Rights make the Constitution invalid. Considering the direction Liberals want to take our country their intent seems...
Recently four local cops were killed, one of their guns was taken. Should cops be unarmed as in England? Police departments...in fact the government has no more rights than you do because you are legally responsible for giving the government their rights.
Liberals like throwing around statistics (as does everybody), but Liberals refuse to identify their statistics.
Liberals...list one example in America in the last fifty years were violence broke out at a conservative protest, even the armed ones
Now list one example of a liberal protest that did not have violence break out somewhere (same parameters)
Conservatives are pacifists by their nature. Liberals are radical and violent by their nature. It is fact just watch the news...all the news not what is convenient
As for the armed people at the town hall meeting. There is not one gun owner in America who wants Obama killed, that would only hurt us. giving the liberals a martyr.
Ask the Chief
22yrs
Alpha Mar 26th 2010 7:58PM
You know what stop trying to take away my american rights! You need to worry about yourself and not about me smoking or carring a gun in a state you dont even live in!!!!! You can go ahead and put you trust in the police me i would take my side arm over a cop any day!!!!
Branson Jan 26th 2010 1:11PM
gun laws only work if people follow those laws. it is legal to carry a firearm in Arizona as long as it is not carried in an intimidating or threatening manner (aka brandishing). the kind of people you should be concerned about don't care about gun laws. If someone broke into your house in the middle of the night with a knife on their person it is armed robbery and in almost every state results in over 10 years in a federal pen. If someone is looking at a ten year sentence (min) the additional time for having an assault weapon is of no significant consequence. meanwhile if the homeowner's weapon is legally stowed it takes him far to long to get to it then the ammo then load it then try to ninja the cat burglar in the dark. If a criminal needs to worry about Joe Homeowner waking up with two Uzis and 30 rounds in each on his nightstand he's not going to be so quick to act on his impulses. gun control is a broken concept. if you don't like arizona's rules on this don't go there. I'm moving in. I salute you Arizona.
john perekovic Feb 23rd 2010 11:03PM
SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD PLACE FOR NEXT YEARS VACATION
Gary Mar 7th 2010 11:25AM
As a retired law enforcement officer I have no problem with the average law-abiding citizen carrying a firearm. Statistics show that areas with liberal carry laws (meaning they allow a person to carry a firearm with few restrictions) have lower crime rates than areas with strict gun laws.
While some may argue that the areas with liberal carry laws are generally rural would have low crime rates without the guns, there are also places like Australia where they confiscated all of the guns from their citizens. The crime rate significantly increased, especially homicides.
When only the criminals have guns, they feel confident that their victim will be unarmed. And when seconds count, the Police are only minutes away.
Jacob Jun 17th 2010 1:22AM
Even though you hate me for what I do and what I stand for. I thought I would just say I would still die to protect you as I feel that is my responsibility as a gun owner.
Dale Sep 19th 2011 12:03AM
So these so called liberals are offended when a lawful citizen chooses to avail himself of his Constitutional Rights! Where did you liberals go to school? Get a copy of the US Constitution and "READ" it. I doubt that you will understand what you read but maybe some of the great minds that penned the Constitution like Madison may have been very aware of the tyranny that some governments exert. Try walking down any present day Chinese, former Soviet Union or Nazi Germany street with a firearm and see what would happen to you.
I doubt few Arizonian's care if you gun haters ever set foot in this fine state, as a matter of fact Arizona may someday require these gun haters and anti US Constitution folks to get an Arizona passport to enter this fine state. Perhaps these liberals need a nap to awaken more refreshed and less hateful.