I will preface this article by saying I live in Louisiana, a state in which cute little signs on windows in store fronts do not have the force of law. In layman's terms, I'm not guilty of a crime by ignoring them and carrying my concealed firearm right through the door past them. Please, PLEASE, check your state laws before you do the same, as the consequences could very well include loss of your concealed weapon's permit. A Non-Permissive Environment is one in which state and local law does not preclude you from exercising your right to carry a firearm, BUT store policy does. In such locations many of us that choose to conceal carry are faced with a decision to make: Respect the opinion of the property owner, or disregard it in favor of exercising what we view as an inalienable right not subject to such restrictions.
Personally, and again I can only speak for myself and my state's laws, I now refuse to disarm. I have in the past, and upon further reflection decided that my right to protect myself trumps such nonsense. In cases in which armed guards, metal detectors, etc. prevent my entry into the establishment with my firearm I choose to disarm (because if I can't sneak a gun in, neither can anyone else) or not enter at all (I don't particularly like the idea of patronizing such establishments, and believe in voting with my dollars and feet.) Each person has to make that decision, and be prepared to suffer the consequences of doing so (being asked to leave if discovered.) The stakes are even higher if their is a possible misdemeanor charge attached to your non compliance.
On the other hand, I so strongly believe in my right to keep and bear arms and my duty to protect my family and those in the community that I find the idea of disarming to patronize a business to be extraordinarily upsetting. I'm not the media stereotype of a trigger happy, gun toting, toothless redneck that slept through his CCW class. I'm a military veteran, a regular at my local gun range, and intimately familiar with the operation and employment of my defensive firearms. A dozen men or women with my mindset and training is an ASSET in a world full of sheep that do not have the ability to defend themselves, and I wish more business owners believe the same.
That said, whether or not they see me as an asset or a liability, my actions will not change. I will continue to disobey arbitrary and capricious demands that I disarm so long as the consequences are not a felony. My right to protect my life and those lives around me is more important than a sign on a storefront window. If more people in the gun community though the same, and were as vocal as I were, perhaps the opinions around us would change, but silence is agreement. Every dollar we spend in such places is a dollar enabling those that would see us disarmed. - Phil Rabalais