Gun nuts cry bitter tears on Twitter over Whataburger's ban on openly carried guns inside restaurants

Burger-craving gun lovers are outraged over Whataburger’s policy against openly carrying firearms inside the fast food chain’s Texas restaurants.

The state will allow licensed gun owners to legally carry handguns in belt or shoulder holsters starting in January -- although individual business owners will be allowed to ban weapons if they display signs that conform to strict rules on appearance, wording and text size.

The company’s president and CEO, Preston Atkinson, said he personally enjoys hunting and holds a concealed carry permit – but he said the restaurant’s customers have said they’re uncomfortable eating around others who are openly carrying rifles and pistols.

Gun lovers expressed outrage on Twitter over the company’s decision.

Some gun lovers compared the company’s decision to ban openly carried firearms – although concealed weapons are still permitted, as they have been for years – to the owner of an Indiana pizza shop’s stance against serving food at a same-sex wedding.

Other gun lovers made racist statements, as so frequently happens during political debates.

Many Twitter users failed to understand that Texas law allows individual business owners to prohibit firearms on their property.

Some would-be heroes warned the fast food chain that their customers would be endangered by the decision.