October 29, 2000

We were informed by a KC3 member that they had seen a sign on the door or their local Bell South Mobility store which read "No deadly weapons on these premises" and so we decided to see if something had changed since the last time we had been to our local cellular service provider here in Frankfort.

Sure enough, right there on the door was a sign prohibiting not just concealed carry but ALL firearms from the store. We asked the store clerk when this sign had been put up and why, but her answers were vague and defensive, almost coy.

When we called back the next day to speak with the manager, she was more cooperative but would only say that the signs were there "for the safety of our employees" and made allusions to "incidents that had occurred" but wouldn't provide any additional information about why the signs had been put up. She said that it was a decision made at the corporate level and that she had nothing to do with it.

When we told her that we were with KC3 and what the organization stood for, and that we intended to tell our members about the signs and encourage them to find another cellular carrier for themselves and their businesses, her first question was "What can I do to convince you NOT to do that?".

We told her that if she could persuade her bosses to take the signs down. We told her about the risks that she and her employees faced from armed criminals, not CCDW permit holders, if they left those signs in place. We told her that armed citizens prevent more crimes than the police every year and that in concealed carry states such as Kentucky the crime rates were lower than in states that restricted citizens' rights to self-defense. We told her that we refused to patronize businesses that discriminated against law-abiding citizens who refused to be victims. She said that she understood all that and understood our position, but the decision to post the signs was not hers. Then she provided us with the contact info for her superiors in the company.

To date, Bell South has not responded to our emails requesting an explanation for their posting of these improper signs, nor explained the circumstances that led them to adopt them. The signs are still on their doors.

We are, therefore, recommending that all of our members who now use Bell South for their cellular service or are contemplating doing so contact Bell South and cancel their service and change to another carrier. We have changed to Sprint PCS Digital and are most satisfied with it.

Please go to your local Bell South Mobility store and if they have a sign, politely tell them why you're there and explain to them why you won't be able to do business with them as long as those signs are in place. We know that if all of our members and their friends and families take this action that the signs WILL come down, but only if you act. PLEASE tell Bell South how wrong they are and make them pay the financial price for denying YOU your rights!