Starbucks in the Crosshairs

I’ve had an on-again-off-again relationship with Starbucks for as long as I can remember.  Their prepared drinks are spendy, but as a guy who grinds his own, I’ve found their Cafe Verona to be very versatile, and the Ethiopian Sidamo balances nicely with steamed milk.

I’d never really considered their policy on guns.  Heck, it’s a coffee shop.  It’s frequented by pseudo-intellectuals whose offspring are white kids with dreadlocks.  Despite the lack of any signage stating so, I’d always assumed they wouldn’t be too fond of guns.

Therefore, it came as something of a pleasant surprise to find out that they’re not caving to pressure from the Brady Campaign to ban guns from their stores.

I may have to spend more money there.

Long story short, California has an open-carry movement.  They’ve been somewhat visible and active, and although I’m still not sold on the idea of open carry as activism, I have to give them credit.  They’ve conducted themselves marvelously, and they’ve drawn attention to the cause.

The Brady Campaign, in an effort to maintain some sort of post-Heller relevancy, promptly went into apoplexy.  Their website is emblazoned with a parody of the company logo.  Basically, they’re slamming a business as a way of furthering their political goals:

Given the absence of meaningful regulation of open carry in the vast majority of states, more and more Americans will be faced with the intimidation and danger of confronting guns in public places. (…)  Businesses should bar the open, as well as the concealed, carry of firearms on their premises.  [emphasis mine]

Two other chains, including California Pizza Kitchen, recently chose to ban carry after concerns raised about the issue.  To their credit, Starbucks has refused to buck to the same pressure.

According to a company statement,

Advocacy groups from both sides of this issue have chosen to use Starbucks as a way to draw attention to their positions.

While we deeply respect the views of all our customers, Starbucks long-standing approach to this issue remains unchanged. We comply with local laws and statutes in all the communities we serve. (…) The political, policy and legal debates around these issues belong in the legislatures and courts, not in our stores.

As the public debate continues, we are asking all interested parties to refrain from putting Starbucks or our partners into the middle of this divisive issue.

That’s more than fair.  In fact, their actions so far have been pretty brave.  The two things a corporation fears more than anything else are negative publicity and exposure to liability.  I can be sure their attorneys have claimed they risk both.  As they have a fairly liberal clientele, I’m sure they’re losing a few customers and getting some nasty correspondence at the corporate level about this.

I certainly don’t expect them to be handing out NRA recruiting materials, but for a company in their position, this takes guts.  I’d urge all gun owners to send their corporate office an email or (better yet) a letter congratulating and thanking them for this.  They’re being told they’re losing money from some quarters.  We need to remind them it was worth it.

While you’re at it, spend some money there.  Coffee’s good for you.  To those who choose to carry there, please continue to present yourselves as dignified, temperate ambassadors of the 2nd Amendment.  You’re doing good work.