Starbucks – LonelyMachines

Was It Worth It?

Congratulations are due to everyone who decided to open carry at Starbucks. The company has implemented a new policy under which guns are no longer welcome on their property.

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.

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.

The policy doesn’t just make open carry unwelcome; we are asked not to carry guns at all.

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Civil Rights

Three years ago, Starbucks found themselves an unwilling party to controversy when the California open-carry movement decided to make a stand of sorts in their restaurants. Despite pressure from the gun-control lobby, the company refused to ban guns, and they asked the gun culture to allow them to remain neutral on the matter. It was a fair decision, and it was more than a little brave of them.

Apparently, that just wasn’t good enough for some folks, and the decision was made to stage a Starbucks appreciation day. Of course, nobody asked the company whether they wanted such an event foisted on them, and they chose to close their Newtown location early rather than become a ideological battleground over open carry.

Yep, that Newtown. The one in which Adam Lanza went on a shooting rampage that killed twenty children and six teachers less than a year ago. Are people really so crass and self-absorbed that they thought this would be a good idea?

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Civil Rights

Starbucks in the Crosshairs

2 comments

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.