Writes J. Ryan Alford:

My wife and I (with our two kids) often walk to the grocery store in Midtown Atlanta whenever we have a short shopping list. Whether or not we bring our guns, we always keep our Georgia weapons carry licenses with us instead of our drivers licenses, especially when we’re on foot. On one such trip, I remember the clerk’s face twist in utter confusion at the small piece of plastic I handed him to buy some wine. Two other clerks and a manager had to be called to sort out this form of ID. It was quite a scene.

Since then, I’ve developed the habit of showing my weapons carry license whenever I’m asked for ID (again, regardless of whether I’m actually carrying). You wouldn’t believe the unmitigated shock, horror, and bewilderment I’m met with time and again. “Do you have a gun on you?!”, I’m asked in breathless apprehension. “We can’t accept this,” I’m also told, at which point I politely explain that it’s  a government-issued photo ID with my birth date and that there is no reason why they should reject it.

As amusing as it is to see people’s reactions, I also see it as a productive way of promoting gun awareness. That’s why I’m always careful never to be rude. Plus what a mitigating effect it has to be on would-be attackers to know at any point anyone could be carrying!

Keep up the great work, Lew!

The Best of Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.