Guns and Granola? Patch Readers Sound Off on Some CT Grocery Stores Allowing Open Carry

By WENDY ANN MITCHELL (Patch Staff)

It all started on January 6 when Donald Borsch, Jr. was shopping with his 5-year-old daughter at Caraluzzi’s Market in Bethel while openly carrying his handgun. A customer complained to the manager and soon after posted a one-star review on their Facebook pages.

After hearing about the incident, some Newtown residents called for a boycott until Caraluzzi’s bans firearms in its stores. Residents against open carry in grocery stores posted one-star reviews on social media which created a firestorm of angry comments.

On Jan. 26, Connecticut Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy and Representative Elizabeth Esty called for the Connecticut Food Association to ban open carry of guns in retail stores.

After Borsch broke his silence, writing a letter to the editor about the incident, Patch readers on both sides of the debate responded:

“Despite the fact that perhaps this person might be responsible, if we need to carry a gun to food shop then we are failing as a human race. This obsession with guns and the right to carry is extremely disconcerting. When we can get along without guns then we will have evolved into a better human race. More guns is never the answer. We have failed our country and our children with our obsession with guns and our priority should be education. We still have a lot to learn.” ~Anne Nelson, North Stonington, CT

“Lately I have been seeing many articles about fear caused by open carry and even concealed carry weapons. I am amazed to see so few articles about fear of criminals.” ~D.L. Blazek, Beaumonth, CA

“Gun owners as a whole, are the only people is it still ok to discriminate against. It’s a fear no different from racism or bigotry. Living in Illinois, I had to wait 40 years to LEGALLY CARRY A FIREARM, and I do not take that right lightly. I will legally carry every day and everywhere I can legally do so, to keep myself, my family and frankly everyone around me, safe. Disarming me will not make me or you safer, but will do the exact opposite. Don’t listen the politicians who preach gun control while standing among 10 armed body guards and private security detail. If that’s ok for them, why is it not good enough for YOUR FAMILY? We are the good guys. Criminals are the bad guys. Prosecute the criminals, not those who try and protect themselves.” ~William Frazier, Shorewood, IL

“I am opposed to open carry laws because they make me feel less safe. How do I know whether the person I see on the street, in a retail environment, in the library, in a bank, etc. openly carrying a hand gun or other firearm has a license or even with a license isn’t going to fire the weapon accidentally or on purpose. Just what purpose does this gun serve Donald Borsch Jr. shopping for groceries with his 5-year-old daughter? Is he a cop and was he on his way to drop off his daughter at day care before his shift started? I could find no reason in his letter to convince me that he needs to openly carry a gun. How do I know that someone with a gun isn’t reaching for it instead of a wallet or cell phone?” ~Joan S., Cheshire, CT

“The anti-gun people ignore that fact that gun crimes are committed by people with illegally obtained guns. They just want to take guns away from law-abiding people. Criminals can always get a gun from somewhere. The anti-gunners never want to hear the truth.” ~Alma Wine, Reisterstown, MD

“The way I feel about guns in any store is the person carrying has been vetted by local law enforcement and then state law enforcement along with federal background checks before they get a permit to carry so they would be the ones I trust most in a store. The other people in the store could be wanted felons, career criminals, etc. .Who would you trust more? I’ll stick with the person who’s been approved to carry.” ~Peter Krol, Stafford, CT

“Often I shop in the Newtown Caraluzzi’s. I invite Mr. Borsch to shop here also. If some damn fool comes in with malicious intent with a weapon, I’d be grateful to a good guy with a gun like Mr. Borsch, to take him down.” ~Vera Karger, Monroe, CT

“I’m very distressed that Florida may enact such an open carry legislation. Once enacted, who knows if the open carry person is: 1. Legally authorized? 2. Is or is not mentally stable? 3. Isn’t angry at his relative and trying to shoot them in public or anywhere else? 4. will respond appropriately if and when involved with an active shooting situation? 5. Will be respectful if asked to either leave somewhere that guns are not invited? 6. If involved in an active shooting situation, can guarantee that they will not shoot the wrong person? 7. Won’t get shot by the police because the police will not know for sure if they are the bad guy or the good guy? 8. If involved in an active shooting situation, will not sue the police for shooting them accidentally.” ~Pete Rundel, Land O Lakes, FL

“Personally, I have no problem with gun owners who follow the law and have the right to carry. I do have a problem someone who does something “just because they can!” Here are my issues: Who would it have hurt for this man to simply show compassion and maturity to just cover the gun as requested? How would a customer know this man or know he was past military and trained? What would stop a random nutcase from grabbing the gun out if this man’s holster and going postal? Caraluzzi’s did nothing wrong! Just because the man entered their store with an exposed gun and they chose to honor one person’s request ( and I’m sure there were others thinking the same thing) does not mean they are taking sides! In my opinion, this whole controversy has gotten way out of control. People have become so self-centered. We have become a “ME first” society!” ~PD, Danbury, CT

“No one in that grocery store was keeping the supposed “offended” person from leaving. No one forced that “uneasy” patron from remaining in the same vicinity as the legally carrying citizen. I’m tired of a bunch of pansy [expletive] whining sissy pants dictating how I or my fellow man conducts themselves. This is a free country damnit, and I aim to keep it that way.” ~ZB, Bernards Township, NJ

“Interesting how when these responsible gun carrying citizens save the day, risk their lives and stop killers in movie theaters and elsewhere- we hear little about it, a mere mention. Yet all gun owners are vilified when a massacre - not a “shooting,” a massacre like Sandy Hook takes place.” ~Mary M., Riverside, CT

“Of course when I see a man or woman in a grocery store with a gun on their hip - uhhhh, never seen that EVER - I of course assume that they’re an Iraqi war veteran with a fine storied history of service and know without asking that their mental faculties are completely in order. And I know this because? No, I don’t think I know this. Help me out Don, how do I know this? Not sure what this dumbob is trying to advertise, but he is not reassuring anyone by having his warm gun by his side. Strictly ShopRite for me these days.” ~WB Shanks, Newtown, CT

“If Caraluzzi’s had the normal “no firearms” sign and or door stickers prominently located, Don Borsch would had been in violation. The person in violation here is the one who complained, asking for rules to be changed to suit one person. The NRA should camp out near the complainer’s home and ask them if they are important enough to have their own set of laws. The store manager was trying to be diplomatic, but he could had just have easily said, “Ma’am, it’s store policy.” All this hubbub over one nervous person and we want to change something that is working, “Legal Ownership.” The anti-gun folks will always be just that. I don’t have a problem with that. We are Americans and allowed to have opinions. The store will have to decide which group of people will shop there, but a good store in no time will be back to normal. A play should be written about this called “Much Ado About Nothing.” ~Thomas D., Schaumburg, IL

“I think the “Groceries not Guns“ movement is nothing more than a continuation of the negative anti-gun narrative that seems to grab the headline, and that newspapers seem to enjoy creating a major cover story. Quite frankly, these stories usually exacerbate the divisive gun debate between “us and them.” It is very disappointing to me, that this issue continues to divide us. I whole heartedly support Mr. Borsch and his right to open carry and act in a responsible manor as a legal law abiding citizen. I am quite comfortable in knowing we have people like Mr Borsch surrounding me and my family when we are out and about with our daily routine.“ ~NB, Sandy Hook, CT

“I too am a combat veteran and carried an M60 machine gun and a 45 caliber automatic pistol in Vietnam. My 2nd Amendment right to carry a firearm to protect myself and anyone else that may be attacked by someone who doesn’t think the laws of this country pertain to him or her are protected by many Americans on battle fields around the world, 301 of which I knew as comrades in arms, buddies and friends who did not come home, 214 from my unit alone. So when one or two or a pack of non believers of the 2nd Amendment right to bear arms tries to harass or tries to coerce others into their small world and minds, it really irks me to no end.“ ~Howard Young, Eldred, PA

“That a patron of the grocery store was frightened by your gun, and the manager politely asked you to cover it up, in no way infringed on your rights or your manhood. You could have left the store and found a grocery where everyone had a gun on their hips, you definitely would have been more secure! The defense that your gun is like a hunters knife, or a carpenters nail gun, doesn’t hold up. Hunters usually take their knives on the trail with them and use it for putting up tents and foraging, NOT for mass killings of children! You mention that I and other law abiding citizens need only fear criminals with “illegal guns,” not trained citizens like you, but where do these “illegal” guns come from, besides the citizens who purchased them and the manufacturers who made and sold them for a profit? I have a right to ask that you and the manufacturers and the distributors of these guns, have insurance and be liable for the use of this weapon BY the criminal or the sick person whose hand gently pulls the trigger which releases the lead that causes irreplaceable harm on little children.” ~Arthur Fishman

“If I see anyone open carrying anywhere I leave and I don’t go back and I don’t give a damn how much of an “expert” the person claims to be. And you know why? Because half the police officers who are shot in the line of duty are shot with their own firearms. If you’re not a cop IN UNIFORM and on-duty, then you have no reasonable excuse to be open carrying a firearm in a supermarket or a restaurant and I don’t give a damn what YOU think the constitution says.” ~Ron Webber, Commack, NY

“The movement to outlaw guns in grocery stores is very troubling. There are already many stores that prohibit guns. There should be many stores that allow them based on the judgment of the store owners. Those people who want to rely for safety on signs in the window prohibiting guns should be allowed to have stores that support their view. Those who feel safer in stores with law abiding people willing to carry firearms responsibly should have that opportunity. Those who believe with Senators Murphy and Blumenthal and Ms. Esty that they feel safe with protection provided by a sign in a store window should have the option of shopping in such stores. Those who feel safer with law abiding people around who can actually counter violence stop it should have this option. In truth, most people will not make their shopping decisions based on this issue, but will continue to shop in wonderful food stores like Caraluzzi’s that offer great value, service and atmosphere or in other stores that offer products and services that they desire. I think, for most people, a store’s gun policy is pretty far down on their criteria for where they want to shop.” ~Bill Kingston, Bethel, CT

“I live in Massachusetts I am a gun owner. Those people who do carry open or concealed have so many hours of training, and legal forces under their belts. For any one of them to use these weapons is us of self defense is 100 percent justified. It’s also a good deterrent to those of use who don’t open carry to have the safety of those who do. Be rest assured that those who are carrying are doing so just for personal protection. It amazes me that anyone who does not carry would be upset. You or they should be upset with the thugs that have them who are not licensed. That’s the problem. Its never about them its always about us who have back ground checks, FBI scans, State police checks. I hope this helps your article.” ~Freddy Macky, MA

“As a licensed carry holder in Georgia, I have no problem in open carrying inside a grocery store. I for one prefer to conceal carry so as not to draw attention to myself.” ~Tony Ashe, Buford, GA

“While I am a retired teacher and a Connecticut Pistol Permit holder, I make a choice whether to open carry or not. I make a choice where I carry either concealed or open or to carry or not. My wife is also a permit holder and she makes the same decisions. As to Sandy Hook we both cried when we heard, but it wasn’t the gun that did it. It was a deranged killer who shot and killed his own mother and was able to do that because she was lax. Sad, as it made us it also made me realize I would have no protection inside a school if the same occurred where I worked. How would I protect myself and my children in the classroom? The law as it is right now is fine. People need to stop being so political about their lack of understanding and get trained/educated. Permit holders in Connecticut are highly vetted by local and federal agencies before they are issued a permit. People should feel safer not the other way around. ” HCB, CT

“I, too, am tired of the political double-standards which have overtaken our society..” L Flannery, Stamford, CT

“As far as I am concerned the Newtown Organizations have a right to be angry but they don’t have a right to scapegoat all gun owners as they do. They are willing to try to destroy Caraluzzi’s to get their way and I would hope that gun owners would pick up the slack in the business if they do try. These organizations are acting more like a low grade mob than an organization of concerned citizens. I would hope they would modify their behavior because I find it difficult to be sympathetic to a mob mentality.” ~ Daniel J. Mizak M.D. Trumbull,CT

“Regarding the complaining customer whom Mr. Borsch decries, she and other customers have the right to feel safe, that their lives are unthreatened, that she may pursue happiness in the aisles of brussel sprouts without fear. In fact, the right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” is “inalienable” (Declaration of Independence). Mr. Borsch tells us that he is a careful and skilled gunman, for which I respect him, and that customers do not need to fear him. A bystander, however, cannot know this. Bystanders do not know if a particular gunman passed a background check, or if he has mental health issues, or if he has that gun in order to keep his ex-wife away from the child, or if the gunman believes the grocery store is likely to be burglarized any minute, requiring him to use his gun, or if, indeed, he is a careful and trained gunman. I hope that Mr. Borsch, who has a 5-year-old daughter, always locks his gun away, with ammunition stored elsewhere. Eight children and teens die every day in this country from guns. More toddlers are killed by accidental shootings than police are killed in the line of duty. More teens commit suicide by shooting themselves than by any other method. The states with the highest gun ownership rates have the highest gun fatalities. Statistically, a gun in the home greatly increases the risk of death in the home, so, statistically, guns do not protect one’s family.“ ~Katherine Allen, South Orange, NJ

“I am not sure why folks feel the need to carry guns. I’ve never felt insecure to the point where I’m afraid to go into a grocery store. Last year in the United States, we had more than one mass shooting (four or more people shot in one incident) per day. People keep buying more and more guns and the end result is more and more shootings. It’s time to get over these fears. Rather than have an arms race, how about if we get back to sanity.” Matthew Purtill, Ankeny, IA

“We live in a time, and particularly in a place, where the word GUN makes our hair stand on end. I understand Donald Borsch Jr., a law-abiding man (his words) wanting to carry his gun freely wherever he goes, after all, we live in a FREE society. The reality is that, all law-abiding people are not afraid of law-abiding people. Law-abiding people are afraid of not being able to differentiate between the good and the bad law-abiding person. Those of us who lived through the massacre of 20 babies and 6 adults in Sandy Hook, CT and the ones since, react negatively and fearful when seeing someone carrying a gun anywhere in public. Unfortunately, no one has been able to come up with a magic wand that would allow regular people to tell the difference between the good and the bad. Until that happens, law/abiding gun owner, please cover your gun when out on public.“ ~Martha Torres, Sandy Hook, CT

“I wonder if these people that get so alarmed by guns shy away from police officers cause they always have a gun on them? I’m friends with a lot of police officers that only have a gun as a part of their uniform. Not all of them practice with their firearms as frequently as some common CCW permit holders. These laws they are putting in place would not have stopped Sandy Hook, they are only taking away law abiding CCW permit holder’s rights. The criminal is not going to see a gun-free zone sign on the front door of a school and decide he better not go in. The politicians have armed guards, why can’t our children?” ~Randin, Norwalk CT

“Donald Borsch Jr. was carrying on private property and should respect the wishes of the private property owner. I’m sure he would feel similar about his private property rights.” ~Gary Gara, Branford CT

“Store policy should state state if open gun carry is permitted. Where ever store policy is not stated then assume (restrictive) open carry is not permitted. A shopper can choose to shop at places to accommodate their carry choice.” ~Mr. R. Blinder, Denville, NJ

“Imagine if a robber entered a pub full of armed police. I would feel safe in that pub. But the robber may wet his pants seeing all of those guns peering back. Do you remember that all four hijacked jetliners on 9/11/2001 were full of disarmed passengers? Hope his daughter picks up a Ladysmith pistol and holster in her future.” Jim Honec, Newport News, VA

“Customers have the right to patronize or avoid stores for their own reasons. If they feel that an establishment which allows armed patrons without exception is unsafe, they may shop elsewhere and urge their friends to do the same. There is no way for the owner or patrons to distinguish a “good guy with a gun” from an evil one. Even if Mr. Borsch were to become a hero one day and use his weapon to stop a crime, there is a reasonable likelihood of death or injury to an innocent bystander. The manager did not bar Mr. Borsch from the store, but merely asked him to cover his gun. It was Mr. Borsch who made this into a major issue. I wonder how he would feel if his daughter or another child, fascinated with his visible gun, reached up to release the safety, causing an incident like those that happen every day in this country. Reasonable people find ways of exercising their rights without infringing on those of others. Mr. Bosch’s right to swing his arm ends my nose begins.” ~Martin E. Cobern, Cheshire, CT

“I was raised with guns of various kinds. To carry the gun in plain view does not violate any law in CT. Our U. S. Constitution guarantees Americans “the right to keep and bear arms.” If those Americans who believe in this right do not speak up and protect this right, the Second Amendment may be taken away from us by ignorant and uniformed people. It is unfortunate that our First and Second Amendment rights are in jeopardy. If we lose these rights, what value does our Constitution have? Our First and Second Amendment rights have already been “infringed” by politicians, mostly Democrats, who listen to those who would diminish our rights and freedoms.” ~JimLiescheidt Bel Air, MD

“As he describes “the scene” in the grocery store, maybe there was some “overreaction” on some individual’s part. But, it does not take a “concealed” weapon for someone to kill multiple people. And how does a stranger know that the individual with a gun is a responsible gun owner and not some angry individual out to “settle some score?” ~Robert Plecs, Ledyard, CT

“Why do you carry in a place like the supermarket? Are you concerned for your safety after a bad experience? If you have a gun to protect you, why advertise it? To the person who wants your valuables, it lets them know the risks before they attempt to take what you’re trying to protect. To the criminal who is seeking a gun, it lets them know where to look and you’ve just become a target. As for the assumed customer who complained to the manager, is it possible that customer was also negatively affected by a bad shopping experience which included a gun? Perhaps that customer had a brother/father/relative who also used to carry (open or concealed), before an unforeseen bout with depression finally made the hand do something the rest of the body wishes it hadn’t? While the gun is still there, seeing the gun could trigger a whole bunch of feelings that customer didn’t expect to have to deal with while food shopping. Is it the customers problem to deal with being or feeling scared or is it easier to just ask the person with the gun to - not leave the store, just cover it?” ~Mike Nelson, Milford, CT

“ The problem I have is that he believes our country, USA is in such a dangerous condition he has to carry a gun for protection. After the three wars I have been in, Germany, Korea and RSV, I did not feel it necessary to carry a weapon after the war. Although, I still have a pistol I took from a German soldier, thank God I feel safe enough to contemplate its use.” ~Del C Revels, Tampa, FL

“Does Mr. Borsch carry his gun into the grocery store in the context of being part of “A well regulated Militia?” The answer of course is negative. This phrase is at the beginning of the Amendment and is the context for the remainder of the Amendment. It CLEARLY intends that the State maintain a structured and trained military such as the National Guard or the police. Is Caraluzzi’s such a threatening place that it is necessary to preempt the imminent threat of other shoppers? Is there mayhem awaiting in the produce section? Perhaps a homicidal deli man? Is it that much of an infringement to cover your weapon? We talk about the Wild West. Well, in most frontier towns, like Dodge City, it was required that guns must be turned in to the sheriff for the duration of your stay. And in some towns, even knives were turned in. I believe that in no case has a gun toting citizen actually prevented guns being used in a situation like Sandy Hook. In many cases, the person seeking to subdue an attacker has either been overcome or has accidentally shot an innocent bystander. I would have less of a problem with “open carry” if guns had to be handed in to the manager while shopping, going to church, entering a library, etc. This is much more lenient than Dodge City where guns were turned in at the edge of the town. If you can’t even use your shirt to cover your gun, Mr. Borsch, then “Get outta Dodge.” ~Ruth Mendez, Pound Ridge, NY

Related

• OPINION: The Man Behind The Gun at Caraluzzi’s Speaks His Mind on Open Carry
• Newtown Action Alliance Urges Businesses to Ban Guns After Bethel Open Carry Incident
• Residents Against ‘Open Carry’ Call for Boycott of Grocery Store

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