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Anti-gunners' caricature of Starbuck's non-discrimination policy as to customers legally carrying guns
Last March experts were lauding Starbucks for its best business practice of accepting legal customer gun carry. Subsequently the Brady Campaign attacked Starbucks' policy to stem the rising tide of gun carry, and particularly "open carry," in public.
The Brady effort appears to have badly failed. First, the Brady fundraiser to combat open carry has only raised $20. Second, the group's protests and petition driver against Starbucks' policy in particular has failed - in fact a few days ago Starbucks reiterated its policy to accept all legal gun carrying customers to the examiner.com:
"Starbucks long-standing approach to this issue remains unchanged. We comply with local laws and statutes in all the communities we serve. That means we abide by the laws that permit open carry in 43 U.S. states. Where these laws don't exist, openly carrying weapons in our stores is prohibited."
The Brady campaign effort also appears to have backfired. By encouraging firms to review their policies, at least one company has acted to clarify that legal customer gun carry is in fact welcome in their establishments.
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Schnucks grocery store chain has clarified that customer gun carry is welcome in its stores.
Lori Willis, a Schnucks spokeswoman, said the company's policy change came about during a routine review of its policies." Schnucks has not barred weapons in four other states - Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, and Tennessee - where the company has stores and where there are concealed-carry laws on the books. And there haven't been any problems in those states, she said.
"As the discussion continued, we decided to make the change in policy based on the idea that any customer who has a valid license to carry a concealed weapon should be allowed to do so," Willis said. "It really seemed to us as if it were a nonissue."
Presumably, Schnucks, having removed their no-gun signs, also welcomes open carry where allowed by local law in Missouri. In any event,
The Post-Dispatch goes on to report that Target and Dierbergs also welcome concealed carry.
"We decided the Legislature had given our customers the right to carry, and we were going to honor that," said Steve Radcliff, Dierbergs' director of risk management.
And in Arizona, Monkey Burger now offers a 10% discount to concealed carry permit holders.
Perhaps its time the for the Brady Campaign, an anti-gun rights group which sells the personal information of its declining membership list to raise money, to realize that when it comes to public acceptance of gun carry, as bob Dylan tells us, the times, they are a changin':
Comments
This is some of the best news I have heard in a long time because it means Americans and not the courts are defining acceptable social behavior in public. I personally do not carry in public but I feel a lot safer in Starbucks where it can be done than in a Peet's where a criminal knows he is not facing any opposition if he decides to use his gun. Any store that says it follows the law or allows open or concealed carry gets my money over one that does not. I trust my fellow American for the most part and those that screw up end up in jail. I never drank Starbucks before but I do now whenever I stop for some coffee. I probably know every Starbucks between Sacramento and the SF Bay area now that is within a mile or so of the freeway. Again my pulic thanks to Starbucks and the other businesses that at least follow the law if not encourage self protection if done in a legal manner. I would just like to see more of it in california and someone boot Saldana (anti-gun) out of office.
Looks like a good article except for the part where the article states this;
"The Post-Dispatch goes on to report that Target and Dierbergs also welcome concealed carry.
"We decided the Legislature had given our customers the right to carry, and we were going to honor that," said Steve Radcliff, Dierbergs' director of risk management."
The legislature does not grant rights, it only limits rights. In this instance, the legislature has not limited the right of the citizenry to exercise their second amendment rights.
Just a few days ago (early NOV2010) sales & profit figures were announced. Compared to last year, Starbuck's doubled their income, while Peet's only increased 25%.
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