When I sent this letter to the Virginian Pilot in response to their anti-gun editorial, I never thought they'd actually print it. Shows how much I know. (Had I known they'd actually print it, I would have had a lot more to say.)

My mom pointed the letter out to me. It is in today's edition, but letters to the editor are only available to paid subscribers. She also noted that the food regulation is only for establishments with licenses to sell hard liquor. Beer and wine permits have no such stipulation. I told her to let me know when she finds a "bar" that only sells beer and wine.

UPDATE: I knew my letter seemed terse, so I checked the archive I had saved on my computer. They cut out a few lines, but didn't really change the meaning of of the letter. Here is what I originally wrote:

Your anti-gun rhetoric and lies are appalling. "Packing heat", "Billy the Kid". Could you be more cliche?

The reason gun owners carry openly in restaurants is because concealed carry in restaurants is ILLEGAL. They are merely abiding by state law.

Since Virginia has no bars every establishment is effectively a restaurant. That means that while they may serve alcohol, they also serve food and some people are there just to eat. You may find this hard to believe, but some of us can actually go to a restaurant and not get snockered or even consume alcohol. There is no reason to disarm us, just because you are pounding boilermakers at the next table.

Given that it is already illegal for any Virginian to be out in public with a BAC over .08, restaurants shouldn't have any drunk people in them at all. Thus I fail to see a problem with people carrying firearms in restaurants. Period.

Your use of the term "gun show loophole" illustrates your strong anti-gun bias. There is no such thing as a gun show loophole. All gun dealers are REQUIRED to conduct background checks, no matter where they sell the firearm. Your insinuation that they are somehow exempt at gun shows is dishonest.

But then, I've come to expect that from your paper.

It looks like they mostly just cut out the insults flung at them. Oh well, it is their paper.