As Rittenhouse Stands his Ground, the Bad Man of Bodie Haunts America Once More

A few years ago in the tony Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale, while on a business trip, I stepped into a P.F. Chang’s for lunch and immediately thought of the Bad Man of Bodie.

Stores and restaurants in Arizona who prefer their patrons not pack heat on their premises must post garish signs opting out of the state’s “constitutional carriage” law that enables anyone over 21 to carry a concealed weapon just about anywhere without a permit.

That’s because I was greeted with a sign emblazoned with a red circle and diagonal line atop the black silhouette of a handgun. Bold, ominous words…