Thursday, June 13, 2019

FSNB Bank changes gun policy



When we moved to Cookeville, TN, we decided to open an account locally. One option was the FSNB branch located in Walmart. But, there was a problem. FSNB was posted. We decided to bank with another local bank.










Each time I walked by the FSNB in Walmart there was that sign, so I decided to write to FSNB about their ban-

Thursday, June 06, 2019

John Davis, Chairman of the board, President, and CEO, FSNB Bank

Dear Mr. Davis:

I recently saw your sign at the FSNB branch in the Walmart in Cookeville, TN. That sign prevents honest, permitted citizens from doing business with you. Many of us do business with Walmart each day. We (permitted citizens) have, at significant personal expense, gone through training, had criminal background checks done, and been issued a permit by our respective states.
I would hope that you will reconsider this policy. If you keep your properties posted, I hope that you are providing armed security. If not, you are placing your customers and employees at a greater risk, for by posting, you are notifying the criminal element that there are probably not any armed citizens in your bank branch. You thus create a risk-free workplace for the armed felon.

There is a lesson to learned from the attacks in schools,  government buildings, etc. The lesson is that felons will be happy to see your signs if they decide to target your branch. The odds will be in their favor.

Again, I urge you to reconsider this policy. I would like to be able to tell all my friends and readers that they are welcome at your bank.

Respectfully,

Liston Matthews
Cookeville, TN


Here is the positive response I got the next day from Mr. James Cerrone of FSNB:

Mr. Matthews,
Shortly we will be removing the sign and following Walmart’s lead.  Bottom-line we will comply with whatever standard they require since we are inside the WM.   Thanks for your input.


. . . And Here is a photo taken today, Thursday, June 13. Note the absence of the NO FIREARMS sign.

Thanks so much to the folks at FSNB for this very good change in policy.














Wednesday, June 12, 2019

The Failure of Gun Control in Virginia Beach

Gun-control failed again in Virginia Beach, and it failed big. A disgruntled city employee quit his job and then came back to kill 11 of his coworkers.

The news media and gun-prohibitionists called for more more gun-control while ignoring all the failed gun-control regulations that were in place.

These gun-prohibitions didn’t keep us safe in Virginia Beach. Why would new laws work any better?

Read the rest of this from my friend Rob Morse at Slow Facts HERE.

Sunday, May 26, 2019

No universal background checks on guns

Here is the letter I wrote the Cookeville Herald-Citizen, published on May 14, 2019:

The Thursday letter questioning Rep. Rose indicates that the writer either doesn’t know all the facts, or he is purposefully misleading readers. 
Here’s how the mentioned background checks would create issues for lawful gun owners. These universal check laws seek to require a check each time a firearm changes hands. For example, the law passed in Washington state does not allow for handing a friend or relative a firearm at a shooting range, without first going through a check. Then, when the firearm is handed back, the original owner would also undergo a check. Never mind that he may have lawfully owned the gun for fifty years. Yet, background checks have not been shown to reduce crime, the purported objective. 
The writer uses the phrase ‘we all know’ several times. In one instance, he states, “We all know most people approve of background checks.”  The fact is, background checks have not been shown to keep guns from prohibited persons. With half a billion guns in circulation in the United States, that's just a pipe dream.
The writer states,  “...their (NRA) members send them millions each year because they scare people into believing their right to bear arms will be taken away.”  But when Kamala Harris says, “We need a … renewal of the assault weapon ban,” that sounds like taking away the right to bear arms, doesn’t it? When Julian Castro supports “gun buybacks", of guns the government never owned, what does that sound like? When Bernie Sanders says we need to, “ban the sale and distribution of assault weapons”, uh, is this starting to have a familiar ring?
History has shown that universal background checks (registration) have no good upside, yet plenty of bad downside. 
Liston Matthews
Cookeville
The letter I was referring to was published here:


Thursday, May 2, 2019

Three hundred fifty thousand

Today, this blog surpassed 350,000 page views.

A big thanks to all who have taken some of your valuable time and spent it here.


Tuesday, April 30, 2019

What now, NRA?

Rob Pincus and Joshua Prince
prepare to address the NRA at the NRAAM
Do you remember Union Carbide?
Montgomery Ward?
Sears, Roebuck, and Company?
ITT Technical Institute?

What do these have in common?

Two of them have ceased to exist, one is on the ropes, and what was left of Union Carbide after the Bhopal gas leak was purchased by Dow Chemical in 2001.

Each of them was at one time a thriving business. Sears was a major mail-order powerhouse. Ward's was a big retailer. ITT Technical Institute helped many through technical career education.

Today, people are still ordering items mail-order, only online and not from Sears. Many are still getting technical educations, but not at ITT anymore. Chemicals are in use everywhere, but not produced by Union Carbide. People still shop at local department stores, but not Ward's.

The point of this narrative is to point out that any entity is subject to eventual demise, perhaps through a catastrophic industrial accident as happened to Union Carbide. Perhaps simply through poor business practices or failure to meet customer needs.

Saturday, April 20, 2019

The most important questions

Did Jesus really rise from the grave on Easter?

Was he really born of a virgin?

Eternity hangs on the answers to those questions. If the answers to those questions are true, then he is worth listening to.

He claimed to be the Son of God, which is a huge claim. He was cruelly executed for making that claim.

Did He lie?

Was He crazy?

Is He truly Lord of all?

What do you think?

Are His claims at least worth exploring as much of the world celebrates Easter tomorrow?

Does your eternal future depend on the answers to these questions?