Do criminals obey signs?

I was disappointed to see a sign in a local theater here in Cedar City indicating that firearms are prohibited in the theater. This Westates theater is the only business I know of in Southern Utah that posts signs indicating firearms are not welcome. Not all businesses are so myopic.

Persons bent on criminal behavior, by definition, disobey the law. Naturally, criminals will also ignore or disobey this theater's no-firearms signs just as Sulejman Talović did when he shot 9 people in Salt Lake's "gun-free" Trolley Square Mall in just one minute on February 12, 2007 -- before any law enforcement officer could intervene.

The only customers who will obey no-firearms signs in Westates theaters are law-abiding people. All innocent persons -- including employees -- who chose to enter this theater are left vulnerable to, and defenseless against, criminal attack due to its no-guns policy. The rest of those who obey the theater's sign are like me -- we respect their policy and get our entertainment elsewhere.

I am a Utah Concealed Firearm Permit holder and instructor. Utah Concealed Firearm Permit holders:
• Have been trained in safe gun handling.
• Have been trained in the laws of deadly force.
• Have been fingerprinted and have passed an FBI background check.
◦ No felony convictions.
◦ No drug or alcohol convictions.
◦ No domestic violence convictions.
◦ No mental impairments.
• Have a significantly lower crime rate than the general public.
• Have a significantly lower crime rate than law enforcement officers.

What does Westates know about the rest of their customers?

Westates theaters do not provide security screening comparable to that found in true gun-free areas (ie airports and court rooms). I must therefore conclude that their sign is intended only to keep law-abiding persons from bringing self-defense guns into their theaters. Because their policy does not allow their customers the means to protect themselves, and because their theaters fail to provide alternative protection, I must conclude that safety is not their true motive for posting no-guns signs. I will not expose myself, my family, my friends, and my neighbors to the inherent dangers of a business that provides a safe workplace for violent criminals.

In order to help my fellow law-abiding gun owners avoid violating Westates' no-guns policy, I will pass the word to my fellow permit holders that their guns are not welcome in their theaters.