Open letter from Starbucks CEO

[Viper45]

An Open Letter from Howard Schultz, ceo of Starbucks Coffee Company | Starbucks Coffee Company

I agree with this statement.

We believe that gun policy should be addressed by government and law enforcement—not by Starbucks and our store partners.

I even understand him not wanting their stores being the soapbox for pros/anti to fight their battles; especially as it sounds both sides are acting like idiots.

Recently, however, 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. Some anti-gun activists have also played a role in ratcheting up the rhetoric and friction, including soliciting and confronting our customers and partners.

Not only do I believe the quote below is hypocritical to the first in my post, I believe that many "partners" will openly display "No Firearms" signs and feel like they are backed up by Starbucks policy; enough though technically he says it's not. Give an inch...

For these reasons, today we are respectfully requesting that customers no longer bring firearms into our stores or outdoor seating areas—even in states where “open carry” is permitted—unless they are authorized law enforcement personnel.

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Now that said, this doesn't really effect me as I prefer the two local Castle Rock coffee shops, Lost Coffee and Crow Foot, for those that live there. But now that Starbucks has gone public I feel many more places, possibly businesses I like, will follow suit. Keeping track of where I can and cannot CC right now is already a PITA.

 

[KCcarguy]

This sounds like an opportunity for self-promotion. Even in states like Oklahoma, open-carriers are few. And I doubt this is a real problem for Starbucks locations. He's trying to appeal to his base.....I would guess most Starbucks regulars are not gun-rights activists.

 

[hearno]

This sounds like an opportunity for self-promotion. Even in states like Oklahoma, open-carriers are few. And I doubt this is a real problem for Starbucks locations. He's trying to appeal to his base.....I would guess most Starbucks regulars are not gun-rights activists.

Agreed. I absolutely support the right to carry a gun, I don't like open carry. No one should know you're packing until you have a reason to remove it from its holster.

 

[KCcarguy]

Agreed. I absolutely support the right to carry a gun, I don't like open carry. No one should know you're packing until you have a reason to remove it from its holster.

Yeah, I'm the same way. I have a handgun permit, but I don't see the point. I'm not sure if it helps or hurts the cause of gun-owners. However, I'm not going to tell someone else they can't if it's their legal right to do so.

 

[grey_ghost]

This is a typical knee-jerk reaction to the Navy yard shooting, though it is interesting he didn't go ahead and just ban them outright. I'm sure this is because he's worried about the loss of business. An articlehttp://http://abcnews.go.com/Business/t/story/starbucks-guns-unwelcome-banned-20288279 today talked about how a similar business Peet's Coffee has already banned guns in their stores.
Ironically I think this makes their customers less safe; it ensures these shops will always be filled with unarmed potential victims.
I'm a huge coffee aficionado so fortunately this business change doesn't impact me; I only drink GOOD coffee

 

[bofa]

Good thing all he can do is ask... (in certain states)

 

[KidVermicious]

I've got no love for Starbucks, but he's just trying to keep his company apolitical.

Here's what happened - back in 2010, the Brady Campaign decided it needed some publicity and targeted Starbucks for a boycott because Starbucks wouldn't come out and ban firearms in its stores. Starbucks responded by saying that they comply with local gun laws, and where local laws allow open carry, Starbucks doesn't prohibit it. So a bunch of Second Amendment supporters and open-carry extremists started a "Starbucks Appreciation" campaign, and made a point of going to Starbucks with weapons on their hips and conducting pro-gun rallies outside Starbucks stores, etc. This caused several other anti-gun activist organizations to call for more boycotts, and some extremists started going to stores and confronting the open-carry cowboys, and now Starbucks is caught in the middle of a fight it never wanted to be in.

Don't blame Starbucks for any of this. Starbucks has been unfairly targeted and wrongly represented by both sides. Starbucks is not anti-gun. Starbucks is not pro-gun. Starbucks just wants to sell crappy overpriced coffee to douchebag hipsters and wanna-be yuppies, and it wants both sides to leave it alone so it can do that. The only way it can make that happen now is by prohibiting open carry in its stores and waiting until the cowboys go away and take the anti-gun nuts with them.

 

[RunninInGA]

Sooooo just don't OPEN carry into a Starbucks and you'll be fine. Concealed means concealed.

 

[Painless]

I agree with the last poster, just conceal your firearm and don't worry about it. I carry everyday all day and no one is the wiser......Blake

 

[shadow247]

Sooooo just don't OPEN carry into a Starbucks and you'll be fine. Concealed means concealed.

I'll continue to open carry thank you. I will be applying for my concealed permit soon, but open carry will be my first choice. Why? Because when I need it, there won't be time to pull my shirt up and unholster my gun.

 

[RunninInGA]

I'll continue to open carry thank you. I will be applying for my concealed permit soon, but open carry will be my first choice. Why? Because when I need it, there won't be time to pull my shirt up and unholster my gun.

No need in debating with you - you'd clearly be right and I'd be the dumb ass trying to tell you what to do. Please be sure to sign up for training classes while you're waiting on the carry permit to arrive.

:gun4:

 

[shadow247]

No need in debating with you - you'd clearly be right and I'd be the dumb ass trying to tell you what to do. Please be sure to sign up for training classes while you're waiting on the carry permit to arrive.

:gun4:

Not saying I'm right, just stating my preference. My main reason to get my CC permit is so I don't have to worry about wearing a coat in the winter. I train pretty regularly with my firearm, practice loading often, and clean it after every time I actually go to the range. I can now load the mag, rack the slide, and de-cock with my eyes closed. Once I get my CC, there will be situations that I am forced to conceal, such as being at work, going to the movies, and when I go down to North Carolina since their Open Carry laws are pretty wacky.

 

[bofa]

The only place I would consider open carry is in the woods.

If you spend so much time practicing with your firearm, why not practice lifting your shirt as well? It becomes one fluid motion once you get used to it.

 

[zopperman]

all of these threads make me want to move to a state where the constitution exists....

try open carrying into a starbucks in NJ (my home state) or Philly where I live now, you'll be tackled to the ground and arrested in a second.

 

[nevada]

yup, they finally folded.
its not surprising really. i didnt think it would take this long.
they are based out of hippyville.

 

[bofa]

all of these threads make me want to move to a state where the constitution exists....

try open carrying into a starbucks in NJ (my home state) or Philly where I live now, you'll be tackled to the ground and arrested in a second.

The irony of your post and your location should be enough to wake up some people...

 

[RunninInGA]

all of these threads make me want to move to a state where the constitution exists....

try open carrying into a starbucks in NJ (my home state) or Philly where I live now, you'll be tackled to the ground and arrested in a second.

Voice your opinion with your tax dollars - take them to another state that respects your rights and freedoms. Maybe then, they'll get the idea.


ETA: Weren't you living in DC recently?

 

[zopperman]

Voice your opinion with your tax dollars - take them to another state that respects your rights and freedoms. Maybe then, they'll get the idea.

i have to finish school first and get a job somewhere

Actually, PA isn't too bad, it's just Philly that feels the need to implement stricter laws because the "gun problem" here is so bad, so no one can have pistols. and in my apartment lease it says "no weapons of any kind"...


Yeah, i interned in DC over the summer which has equally strict laws. I lived in Arlington, VA the summer before that and that was the only time I was allowed to have any type of gun.

it's my last year of school in philly now and if all goes well I'll wind up back around DC after school

 

[LandCruiser]

I hate weighing in on the anti side of the debates, because I think that there is a coordinated agenda to undermine Constitutional 2A rights, but I've never been a huge fan of open carry to make a political point. It irritates the anti-gun leftie weenies and leads to situations where everyone overreacts and starts do delcare "gun free zones," whether they have legal authority to do so or not. In many states the "no gun" declaration has no legal bearing and it's more of a polite request, and if you CCW who the hell even knows?

I open carry only when I hunt, since a hunting sidearm tends to be much larger and heavier than something you'd want to conceal. I don't want the bad guys to know I have a gun, I don't want some liberal d-bag to call the cops because I'm open carrying so that I can be harassed since the mere SIGHT of a gun caused them to experience a sense of irrational fear.

If I ever move to some remote frontier town in the wilderness where a gun is like a hammer or any other practical tool, I'll probably open carry since everyone in an area like that is on the level and won't freak the hell out.

 

[hikenbike]

Good thing all he can do is ask... (in certain states)

A key point is " we want to give responsible gun owners the chance to respect our request"

He certainly has every right to pull his franchises out of any area he pleases.