Starbucks has just issued a statement respectfully asking customers not to bring firearms into their cafes.
This comes as quite a shock to many, especially those who participated at the Starbucks Appreciation Days at some of its cafes – to promote carrying guns openly.
Starbucks made an announcement saying that they no longer “want these events in our stores.”
Although this is not an outright ban on guns being brought into the cafes, recent gun-crazed mass shootings are getting out of hand and it is time to address the issue.
Starbucks chairman and CEO Howard Schultz said the company has suddenly become part of the bitter national debate on tougher gun control. “We’ve seen the ‘open carry’ debate become increasingly uncivil and, in some cases, even threatening,”
In a blog post on the company’s website, Schultz said:
“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.
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.”
Starbucks outlets “are places where everyone should feel relaxed and comfortable” and “the presence of a weapon in our stores is unsettling and upsetting for many of our customers,” concluded the CEO of the company.
So, carrying a gun around a cafe is not the most comforting sight? That does not really come as a surprise.