Articles Celebrations Obituaries

Pistols and pizza: Johnny Brusco's allows firearms in restaurant

By Brian Bishop and Madison Mathews
Press Staff Writers
bbishop@johnsoncitypress.com, mmathews@johnsoncitypress.com

 Printer-friendly version

 Email Article

Since the legislation passed that would allow people with concealed carry permits to bring firearms into restaurants that serve alcohol, Johnny Brusco’s general manager Kyle O’Keefe has given some serious thought to getting his own permit, so he could carry his own gun into work to make himself feel safer at night as he closes down the restaurant.

“I feel that people who are going to be carrying handguns illegally are going to carry them anywhere they want to and they’re not going to have any regard whatsoever for the law. People who carry legally should be able to carry anywhere they want to,” O’Keefe said.

Unlike other restaurants and bars in the city, Johnny Brusco’s plans to allow concealed carry permit holders to bring their firearms into the restaurant.

“That law isn’t really going to affect our restaurant a whole lot. It’s probably going to affect nightclubs and bars a lot more than it would us. We’re more of a family-type restaurant. There’s really not a whole lot of drinking going on here,” O’Keefe said.

O’Keefe said given the steps one has to take to obtain a permit, he doesn’t believe people will risk losing it over drinking a beer during dinner while they are out at a restaurant. He also thinks people might think twice before carrying a gun into an establishment illegally wanting to stir up trouble, knowing there will be others carrying guns also.

“It’s better to have people with a good head on their shoulders carrying guns in your establishment, knowing that there’s probably people out there without a good head on their shoulders carrying a handgun in your establishment,” O’Keefe said. “I think it just kind of levels the whole playing field in favor of the sane, normal people in society.”

Although Johnny Brusco’s is going to allow people to carry firearms into the restaurant, there are plenty of other restaurants, such as Numan’s Cafe and Sports Bar, The Peerless, Bailey’s Sports Grille, Amigo’s, Poor Richard’s, Fuddruckers and more, that are heavily opposed to the idea of people carrying guns wherever alcohol is served. The legislation allows restaurant owners to place a sign forbidding firearms from their establishment if they choose to opt out of permitting people to carry guns into their restaurant.

Derrick Byrd, manager of Poor Richard’s On Campus, recently posted a “no weapons” sign to the entrance of the restaurant.

“I think it’s a terrible idea. Weapons shouldn’t be a part of anywhere where alcohol is being served. No matter if you’re drinking or not,” Byrd said.

Byrd said Poor Richard’s has never had any trouble with weapons before, that doesn’t mean it would stay the same forever.

“Things can happen. It’s just not a good idea,” Byrd said.

Jim Kalogeros, owner of the Peerless, echoed Byrd’s sentiments.

“I don’t support guns in any way. Why would anybody even carry a gun? They might kill somebody,” Kalogeros said. “I wouldn’t want them in here with a gun, because I would even be afraid to ask them to leave.”

While most restaurant owners have been keeping an eye on the legislation, there are a few who have yet to make a decision about allowing people with concealed carry permits to bring firearms into their restaurants.

A corporate release from Cheddar’s states, “Cheddars has not yet reviewed the recently enacted legislation. Cheddar’s takes no position in this matter and intends to comply with all existing laws, including all existing laws of the state of Tennessee.”

But O’Keefe doesn’t see the point of passing a law if there’s automatically some way for people to circumvent it.

“That doesn’t seem fair. The reason we’re not putting up a sign is because, honestly, we don’t feel that it’s an issue. I don’t think it’s nearly the issue that people are making out of it,” O’Keefe said. “I think it’s going to end up taking people off the illegal-carrying side and move them over to the legal side, as long as restaurant and bar owners don’t ruin it for everyone by putting up signs.”