Keep Your Guns at Home
Going into Starbucks’ outlet in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on a normal day, you will find a majority of their customers hanging around in groups, enjoying their lattes and carrying their weapons along.
Yet, on July 28th, 2013 a pro-gun event was held at Starbucks in Sioux Falls. Where Starbucks’ local manager and the company’s headquarters in Seattle, gave the permission to have the event held at one of their outlets. Where there were 60 attendees who carried weapons such as handguns, shotguns and semi-automatic rifles.
On August 9, gun enthusiasts held a ‘Starbucks Appreciation Day’, where they shared their pictures on social media, thanking Starbucks for holding their event at their outlet.
That resulted in a viral outbreak on social media, where Starbucks customers threatened to boycott the company on its Facebook page. Starbucks’ spokesperson responded, that it will allow pro-gun fans inside their outlets in “open carry” states only.
Shannon Watts – founder of gun control group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America responded saying: “we’re moms – we make 80% of spending decisions, we don’t want to expose our kids to loaded assault weapons while we’re getting lattes.”[1]
She also wrote a letter to Starbucks’ CEO Schultz on the 8th of August stating the following:
“Starbucks bans smoking within 25 feet of its stores in areas where smoking would otherwise be legal. The company also bans firearms from its corporate headquarters and prohibits all employees from carrying guns – even in states where laws would allow them to do so. Like any private business, Starbucks has the legal right to prohibit firearms in its stores in the interest of its customers.”[2]
Finally on September 18, and as a response to the pressure from anti-gun advocates, Starbucks made a decision and a policy where it asked its customers to leave their weapons at home. Instead of making a full gun ban, the CEO made a “respectful request” that coffee lovers keep their firearms out of Starbucks outlets.[3]
His move towards this policy came after the event that took place on July 28, where he stated:
”We’ve seen the “open carry” debate become increasingly uncivil and, in some cases, even threatening. Pro-gun activists have used our stores as a political stage for media events misleadingly called “Starbucks Appreciation Days” that disingenuously portray Starbucks as a champion of “open carry.” To be clear: we do not want these events in our stores.”[4]
The anti-gun group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America hailed Starbucks for its new policy that was put in place after months of debate around this topic.
Shannon commented: “Because Starbucks is a business icon, this policy change represents a sea change in American culture, which is finally shifting away from allowing guns in public places,” [5]
Starbucks has taken an action against gun violence, and this is just the beginning. We hope that this decision will open the door for further stores and actions to be put in place against gun violence, and allowing guns in public place.
GUN VIOLENCE 