During the month of June 2014, Moms Demand Action (an organization that fits the Southern Poverty Law Center's definition of a hate group) posted a photo on social media of a group of men openly carrying slung rifles during a political protest. The men were members of Open Carry Texas, and the protest took place in a Target store three month prior, in March. Open Carry Texas has since ceased carrying into businesses during protests.

Those last articles of information were purposefully left out of the post, leading some supporters of further gun control laws to believe that men were openly carrying rifles at that very moment. The post also included a call to action for people to flood Target's Facebook page with what amounted to little more than hysteria and hatred for an action that isn't even done anymore.

What IS done, though, is the lawful carry of holstered handguns, plainly visible with no attempt made to hide them. This is what most people mean when they refer to "open carry," which is legal in 45 states (and 31 of those do not require permits). The hate group known as Moms Demand Action is pushing for this act to be banned in Target stores, even though it is perfectly safe and has nothing to do with the photos they have posted. That is why we have started this petition.

This petition is to show that all those who have signed it disagree with the intellectually dishonest tactics being employed by gun control groups in general and Moms Demand Action in particular. Regardless of your opinion of openly carried handguns, a change in policy should be enacted at the state level by those who spend their whole careers making and reviewing laws.

Target is only trying to sell things. It is a business, not a political platform. Tell Target to leave open carry up to the States.