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Leave your guns at home, says Starbucks
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Coffee chain Starbucks says guns are no longer welcome in its cafes, though it is stopping short of an outright ban on firearms.
The fine line the retailer is walking to address concerns of both gun rights and gun control advocates reflects how heated the issue has become, particularly in the light of recent mass shootings.
Most US states allow people to openly carry licensed guns and many companies do not have laws banning firearms in their stores. But Starbucks has become a target for gun control advocates, in part because of its liberal-leaning corporate image. In turn, gun rights advocates have been galvanized by the company’s decision to defer to local laws.
In an interview, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said the decision to ask customers to stop bringing guns into stores came as a result of the growing frequency of “Starbucks Appreciation Days,” in which gun rights advocates turned up at Starbucks cafes with firearms.
Schultz said the events mischaracterized the company’s stance on the issue and the demonstrations “have made our customers uncomfortable.”
Schultz hopes people will honor the request not to bring in guns but says the company will nevertheless serve those who do. “We will not ask you to leave,” he said.
The Seattle-based company was planning to buy ad space in major national newspapers today to run an open letter from Schultz explaining the decision. The letter points to recent activities by both gun rights and gun control advocates at its stores, saying it has been “thrust unwillingly” into the middle of the national debate over firearms.
As for the “Starbucks Appreciation Days” being staged by gun rights advocates, it stresses: “To be clear: we do not want these events in our stores.”
But the letter notes that Starbucks is standing by its position that the matter should ultimately be left to lawmakers. Schultz also said he doesn’t want to put workers in the position of having to confront armed customers by banning guns.
Several companies do not allow firearms in their stores, however, apparently with little trouble.
Representatives for Peet’s Coffee & Tea and Whole Foods, for example, said there hadn’t been any problems with enforcing their gun bans.
Gun reform group Moms Demand Action, formed the day after last December’s Newtown, Connecticut, school shooting, has been organizing “Skip Starbucks Saturdays” to urge the company to ban guns.
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