Starbucks: Guns No Longer Welcome In Stores
Starbucks’ gun policy is changing. Earlier this year the coffee chain gained attention for its welcoming attitude toward their customers who openly carry firearms while getting their java. In a rather surprising reversal, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is now asking coffee drinkers to leave their weapons at home. However, Schultz stopped short of banning guns from stores.
Why the change of heart? While it is entirely possible that the recent Navy Yard shooting in the nation’s capital that claimed more than a dozen lives influenced this decision, Schultz explains the real motivation for the policy change.
As Yahoo! News reports, Starbucks has become a focus for many gun advocates who have taken to holding a number of “Starbucks Appreciation Days.” These events involve gun owners gathering at a local Starbucks bearing their firearms.
One “Starbucks Appreciate Day,” planned for a cafe in Newtown, Connecticut in August, was canceled after the store closed early. The cafe was near Sandy Hook Elementary School, where 20 children and six educators died after being shot by a gunman in December.
Schultz says that they have tried to discourage these events, but that is not enough. He says guns in Starbucks have never been encouraged but that the cafes usually just follow local laws. According to Chicago Tribune, Schultz says the company does not wish to become the focus of a highly controversial debate over gun control. However, the “Starbucks Appreciation Days,” he explains, “have made our customers feel uncomfortable.”
It is important to note that Starbucks isn’t banning customers from carrying firearms into their cafes. The request also does not include law enforcement officers. As the Starbucks CEO puts it, “I don’t want to put our people in a position of having to confront or enforce a policy [when] someone is holding a gun.” The Starbucks CEO plans to run ads in a number of major newspapers featuring a letter explaining the new policy decision.
What do you think? Is Starbucks’ gun policy change a good thing or is it an infringement on legal gun owners’ rights?
[Image via JStone / Shutterstock.com]
