Starbuck's Caving In

[indydrew1]

I was mad at Starbucks at first, then I saw the post with AR's AK's and shotguns and well I understood a lot more. No rational person can expect a business that sells coffee to allow loaded long guns in there business. It's not allowed at GUN SHOWS, but Starbucks is just supposed to let it slide when they sell coffee. There is zero need for this other then....LOOK AT ME!!!!!!

 

[echoagain]

Ditto what Tomc1947 said. Unless a business is deliberately pro-gun, the open-carry crowd isn't doing them any favors by staging an open-carry love-fest in their place of business. It will likely make a lot of their regular customers nervous (rightly or wrongly). They're trying to make money for their shareholders, not get dragged into a hot political issue. If I were a typical business owner, I wouldn't appreciate any political group using my business as a forum for their political demonstrations (regardless of my personal positions). As far as I know, Starbuck's never had an issue with gun owners, until some gun owners created a problem for them. Even now, they are just trying to ask for some voluntary discretion on their private property. Seems reasonable to me.

 

[VUPDblue]

Merged....again.

 

[indydrew1]

Please tell me how this has anything to do with rights, and it's not just LOOK AT ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Tlam13]

Have to keep in mind where Starbucks was started... Liberal Seattle. They're going to lean to the left...

 

[bwframe]

Another article that makes the same point:

Our own worst enemy | The Bang Switch

Guy

Wow, that was penned by our very own MAC. He appears to have a documented premonition that this would happen.

 

[45 LongColt]

I don't know why any of you are surprised. Starbucks was never an advocacy organization. They were just following local law without comment, and when both sides made it a point to drag them into the fray they bowed out as gracefully as possible. Read the piece again: They won't ask anyone who behaves themselves to leave or refuse to serve anyone carrying a pistol. In fact, there is no mandated action at all, just a declaration that weapons are unwelcome. The entire point of the memo is to make it clear that Starbucks isn't in the business of taking a position on open carry. Given the way open carry advocates and opponents alike have forced them into the middle of the debate I'm surprised it took so long to make such a statement.

And it's still terrible coffee.



That is not at all what is claimed. It is not accurate to portray Starbucks as an organization that advocates open carry. They never have been that, and dragging their brand into the debate is not the sort of thing that engenders corporate goodwill.

But they are taking a position. By ASKING that we not carry in their stores, is indeed, taking a anti gun position. Will they also ask law enforcement to not carry? We are just as legal in carrying, as law enforcement. I will NOT be giving anymore money to Starbucks.

 

[SkullDaddy.45]

Please tell me how this has anything to do with rights, and it's not just LOOK AT ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But they are not saying Starbucks doesn't want you to carry AKs or ARs or even shotguns. If they came out and said that they feel that all long guns are not permitted on the property I guess I understand that, hell even if they stated that they don't want patrons to OC I might buy into that. But they do not want ANY law abiding citizen to enter thier shop while legally carrying any firearm. They have chosen which side of the 2nd Ammendment they are on.

 

[actaeon277]

Wow, that was penned by our very own MAC. He appears to have a documented premonition that this would happen.

With the media hyping up the boycotts (the ones that never seemed to be effective here), and that the owner is probably surrounded by liberal friends who harp on him all the time, you could pretty much have made that bet that it would have happened if no gunners would have shown up.
Then people would be blaming gunners for not showing up.

 

[bwframe]

With the media hyping up the boycotts (the ones that never seemed to be effective here), and that the owner is probably surrounded by liberal friends who harp on him all the time, you could pretty much have made that bet that it would have happened if no gunners would have shown up.
Then people would be blaming gunners for not showing up.

Did you bother to read the linked article?

 

[dwh79]

I agree some people may have gotten out of hand and took it to far however I can not see that being anything but a small number and wish they would have just kept the same policy but Starbucks is a liberal company so we should not be surprised.

 

[SERparacord]

Starbucks has changed nothing. They are just sick of the political mule muffins. They'll serve you gun of not.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

I drove past the SB in Bedford Wednesday afternoon...I don't think they'll be second guessing this decision any time soon.

 

[jrogers]

The pro gun activists, like pro abortion activists, have gotten into people's faces. Starbucks wants to stay neutral. No OC. But if you carry concealed then they do not care.

The people who want to ban all abortion and restrict if not eliminate women's access to affordable reproductive health services are generally the ones who get into people's faces.

 

[Indy317]

Add to that, some Pro Gun websites and FB pages are already blaming this on "OCing idiots". So now we are divided.

Well, a small minority wanted to do an "all eyes on me/us" protest, and this was clearly what was going to happen. Despite all the fantasies of some OCers (notice I didn't say all), I feel the bulk of people in this country don't care to return to the days of everyone walking around with guns on their hips. Right or wrong, it causes people to picture the 'wild west', which people equate with lawlessness, backwards, etc.. The vast majority of the "I got told to leave x place" or "Stopped by the cops" have one thing in common, open carry. Not all the stories are bad, some are actually good, but I think things speak for themselves that when the bulk of people OCing are the ones getting hassled. Funny how we rarely hear of these issues when people CC. Of course it is all about the physics for the most part, no one is going to act on a firearm they can't see. And that is what this all comes down to, the physics of the situation. If a particular individual can't see it, they can't get all in a huff. The fact remains, had there never been people OCing in Starbucks, even though they were legal, none of this would have happened. Now we will absolutely see it spread to those places where the Moms from MDA likely frequent: McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Walmart, etc.. OCers will do their counter protest, thinking that what they are doing will actually help their side win. Some will go as far as OCing rifles, you know to show everyone that it is OK. Then more and more places will at a minimum ban OC, if not outright ban firearms.

Look on the bright side, we will likely be boycotting so many places, many of us will just have to settle for eating at home, growing our own food, getting movies from Netflix, and saving a ton of money in the process. Thankfully we might have some local mom and pop type places that are pro-carry, though I see the bulk of corporate businesses following the exact same lead as Starbucks.

 

[churchmouse]

Well, a small minority wanted to do an "all eyes on me/us" protest, and this was clearly what was going to happen. Despite all the fantasies of some OCers (notice I didn't say all), I feel the bulk of people in this country don't care to return to the days of everyone walking around with guns on their hips. Right or wrong, it causes people to picture the 'wild west', which people equate with lawlessness, backwards, etc.. The vast majority of the "I got told to leave x place" or "Stopped by the cops" have one thing in common, open carry. Not all the stories are bad, some are actually good, but I think things speak for themselves that when the bulk of people OCing are the ones getting hassled. Funny how we rarely hear of these issues when people CC. Of course it is all about the physics for the most part, no one is going to act on a firearm they can't see. And that is what this all comes down to, the physics of the situation. If a particular individual can't see it, they can't get all in a huff. The fact remains, had there never been people OCing in Starbucks, even though they were legal, none of this would have happened. Now we will absolutely see it spread to those places where the Moms from MDA likely frequent: McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Walmart, etc.. OCers will do their counter protest, thinking that what they are doing will actually help their side win. Some will go as far as OCing rifles, you know to show everyone that it is OK. Then more and more places will at a minimum ban OC, if not outright ban firearms.

Look on the bright side, we will likely be boycotting so many places, many of us will just have to settle for eating at home, growing our own food, getting movies from Netflix, and saving a ton of money in the process. Thankfully we might have some local mom and pop type places that are pro-carry, though I see the bulk of corporate businesses following the exact same lead as Starbucks.

This is exactly what took place. If you want to OC protest do not use a corporate chain store for the gathering point especially if they are not 2A (openly) friendly.

We let the PC crowd take over and this is the result. If a soccer mom is popping into a SB for the morning caffeine fix and a group of (law abiding ) OC'ers are gathered it makes her terribly un-comfortable and phone calls/e-mails are made. Who in this PC society (even ingo now) carries more weight???

Right wrong or indifferent this was done by our side.

 

[Expat]

Sharp as a Marble - On Starbucks

This guy is even an OC advocate in FL.

 

[88E30M50]

Please tell me how this has anything to do with rights, and it's not just LOOK AT ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That photo sums up what is wrong with the open carry agenda. I often OC and when I'm decently dressed, I OC at Starbucks. But, it is always about just buying coffee and not about the gun. In the years that I've been patronizing Starbucks while OCing, there have only been two times that the gun was obviously noticed. The first was when another patron thanked me for carrying. The other was recently when a loud table full of women sitting next to me suddenly got quiet and whispering among themselves. One of their hushed comments leads me to believe one of them pointed out the pistol. In neither case was I there to force my views on others, but simply there for coffee.

This photo really bothers me. Does this same couple go grocery shopping with the AR? Do they walk the dog with the AR? I'm guessing not. Instead, they are trying to jam their beliefs down others throats. I fully believe in OC and have participated in OC demonstrations. But, those were at a designated time and place and were on public property. It's a shame that the couple screwed up one of the few locations where pro and anti gun folks could hang out together in an environment that did not lean either way.

 

[jrogers]

Love the woman in the background rolling her eyes. I know precisely how she feels.

 

[ArcadiaGP]

Stopped by this morning for a final "Goodbye Starbucks" visit. Needless to say, they gave me whatever I wanted free.

The partners said they read the rules, and the manager spoke to them about it. They kept saying "We aren't doing anything about it..." and whatnot, things I already knew. They told me that my gun and I are VERY welcome in their store, and they would never act on some ridiculous thing like what Howard said.

I expected as much. I know they would never kick me out or treat me differently... but, alas. I explained it isn't a store issue, it's a company issue as a whole. They badmouthed the small groups that protested this sort of thing recently, and even a couple of quips toward Uncle Howard.

Told 'em I may stop by and say Hi every now and then. I've known some of them going on 10 years, used to work with them.