There all sorts of new gun laws being introduced this year by the Virginia legislature, but Starbucks is getting all the buzz when it comes to gun enthusiasts.
The coffee chain is getting a lot of attention over their policy to allow customers to openly carry firearms in states that have open carry laws, including Virginia and California.
California in particular has become a battleground as gun rights activists have taken to gathering at their local Starbucks for cappuccinos and muffins. Other chains, such as Peet’s Coffee and Tea and the California Pizza Kitchen have banned guns at their establishments.
In Virginia, gun owners have taken to Starbucks as a place to advertise their open carry rights as well.
From the AP story:
Welch, a 71-year-old retired property manager who lives in Richmond, Va., doesn’t see any reason why he shouldn’t bear arms while he gets caffeinated.
“I don’t know of anybody who would provide me with defense other than myself, so I routinely as a way of life carry a weapon — and that extends to my coffee shops,” he said.
According to Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, his group isn’t planning any displays at any local Starbucks, at least nothing out of the ordinary.
“We open carry all the time in Virginia, its old hat for us,” said Van Cleave in an interview with BizSense, “I go to eat all the time, and there is hardly any place that has had a no gun policy, and I’ve open carried in tons of places all the time.”
In Virginia, Van Cleave said any business owner has the right to ban guns on the premises if they want to.
Today the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence was to deliver a petition to Starbucks at the company’s original store in Seattle asking them to change their corporate policy to ban guns on the premises.
What do you think? And for business owners, especially retailers, do you have a policy when it comes to guns?
There all sorts of new gun laws being introduced this year by the Virginia legislature, but Starbucks is getting all the buzz when it comes to gun enthusiasts.
The coffee chain is getting a lot of attention over their policy to allow customers to openly carry firearms in states that have open carry laws, including Virginia and California.
California in particular has become a battleground as gun rights activists have taken to gathering at their local Starbucks for cappuccinos and muffins. Other chains, such as Peet’s Coffee and Tea and the California Pizza Kitchen have banned guns at their establishments.
In Virginia, gun owners have taken to Starbucks as a place to advertise their open carry rights as well.
From the AP story:
Welch, a 71-year-old retired property manager who lives in Richmond, Va., doesn’t see any reason why he shouldn’t bear arms while he gets caffeinated.
“I don’t know of anybody who would provide me with defense other than myself, so I routinely as a way of life carry a weapon — and that extends to my coffee shops,” he said.
According to Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, his group isn’t planning any displays at any local Starbucks, at least nothing out of the ordinary.
“We open carry all the time in Virginia, its old hat for us,” said Van Cleave in an interview with BizSense, “I go to eat all the time, and there is hardly any place that has had a no gun policy, and I’ve open carried in tons of places all the time.”
In Virginia, Van Cleave said any business owner has the right to ban guns on the premises if they want to.
Today the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence was to deliver a petition to Starbucks at the company’s original store in Seattle asking them to change their corporate policy to ban guns on the premises.
What do you think? And for business owners, especially retailers, do you have a policy when it comes to guns?
I think it is great that Starbucks wants abide by local laws as well as make money off of gun owners and has put business sense ahead of the anti-rights agenda pushed by the gun ban lobby. There has been no incidents involving law abiding gun owners who carry openly or otherwise in businesses and those customers who don’t carry are likely safer in places like Starbucks that don’t discriminate against gun owners.
David Adams
Legislative Committee Chairman
Virginia Shooting Sports Association
Starbucks is only a “battleground” insofar as the Brady Campaign has chosen to make them one. Virginians haven’t chosen Starbucks to “advertise their open carry rights as well” either. There are plenty of businesses in Virginia who respect the rights of gun owning Virginians. I open carry regularly and I’ve never been asked to leave an establishment that isn’t a posted “no guns” establishment (I just refuse to patronize the posted ones). It isn’t that Starbucks is out of the ordinary that is causing the issue, it’s that the Brady Campaign has specifically targeted them and made them an issue.… Read more »
If the nervous Nellies at Starbucks, etc. decide to put up “No Guns Allowed” signs, it will only keep out law-abiding citizens that own firearms. Remember–criminals don’t care about rules or laws or signs of any sort. That’s why they’re criminals.
Seriously, if an armed robber holds up a California Pizza Kitchen, will the manager remind the thug about the “No Guns Allowed” sign before or after he gets pistol-whipped into a coma?
Gun control laws only control law-abiding citizens.