Read The Full Letter From The CEO Of Starbucks Asking Customers To Stop Bringing Guns Into Stores

Business Insider ^ | September 18, 2013 | Joe Weisenthal

[Timber Rattler]

The letter:

********************************************************

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Posted by Howard Schultz, Starbucks chairman, president and chief executive officer

Dear Fellow Americans,

Few topics in America generate a more polarized and emotional debate than guns. In recent months, Starbucks stores and our partners (employees) who work in our stores have been thrust unwillingly into the middle of this debate. That’s why I am writing today with a respectful request that customers no longer bring firearms into our stores or outdoor seating areas.

From the beginning, our vision at Starbucks has been to create a “third place” between home and work where people can come together to enjoy the peace and pleasure of coffee and community. Our values have always centered on building community rather than dividing people, and our stores exist to give every customer a safe and comfortable respite from the concerns of daily life.

We appreciate that there is a highly sensitive balance of rights and responsibilities surrounding America’s gun laws, and we recognize the deep passion for and against the “open carry” laws adopted by many states. (In the United States, “open carry” is the term used for openly carrying a firearm in public.) For years we have listened carefully to input from our customers, partners, community leaders and voices on both sides of this complicated, highly charged issue.

Our company’s longstanding approach to “open carry” has been to follow local laws: we permit it in states where allowed and we prohibit it in states where these laws don’t exist. We have chosen this approach because we believe our store partners should not be put in the uncomfortable position of requiring customers to disarm or leave our stores. We believe that gun policy should be addressed by government and law enforcement—not by Starbucks and our store partners.

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.

I would like to clarify two points. First, this is a request and not an outright ban. Why? Because we want to give responsible gun owners the chance to respect our request—and also because enforcing a ban would potentially require our partners to confront armed customers, and that is not a role I am comfortable asking Starbucks partners to take on. Second, we know we cannot satisfy everyone. For those who oppose “open carry,” we believe the legislative and policy-making process is the proper arena for this debate, not our stores. For those who champion “open carry,” please respect that Starbucks stores are places where everyone should feel relaxed and comfortable. The presence of a weapon in our stores is unsettling and upsetting for many of our customers.

I am proud of our country and our heritage of civil discourse and debate. It is in this spirit that we make today’s request. Whatever your view, I encourage you to be responsible and respectful of each other as citizens and neighbors.

Sincerely,

Howard Schultz

[momincombatboots]

Wow... didn’t see that one coming? This is ridiculous, reminds me of being ripped off by the 51st vote to stop obamacare. Liberals have no foundation, their belief is only in themselves and they will impose themselves upon you by being the bully. Making us laughingstocks for ever believing they tell the truth ever. I never believed Starbucks was genuine and I never went there. I support my local coffee shop.

[109ACS]

No problem Howard.

Since I carry a firearm with me at all times, I guess I won’t be going into a Starbucks in the future.

[Carriage Hill]

Whatever their policy, I’m not paying $6.50 for a cup of double-coco-moco-vanilla-latte-frappe-choco-sprinkles-anything-and everything-you-can add-to-the-cup, coffee.

[saganite]

Well. He’s managed to piss off everyone on both sides of the issue. That takes some doing.

[exit82]

Wow.

CEO just created a whole bunch of gun free zones.

Some loon just made note of it.

What about knives? Are they next?

[Erik Latranyi]

ATTENTION CRIMINALS:

Starbucks stores are now filled with unarmed customers who have larger than average amounts of cash on their persons.

Additionally, these stores have no security, other than cameras, so the money in the registers is unprotected.

Have a nice day!

[NY.SS-Bar9]

"The presence of a weapon Negroes in our stores is unsettling and upsetting for many of our customers."

Woolworth CEO circa 1952.

[Biggirl]

.....Maybe pressure from the Obama White House?

[jameslalor]

I stopped frequenting that company’s stores when they came out in support of gay marriage. That was a tough decision at the time, because they appeared to support the second amendment.

Thankfully though they’ve outted themselves as philosophically opposed to everything American, from guns to family, and now it appears that they’re opposed to making money as well since they’re trying to so hard to keep people from giving it to them.

[ltc8k6]

So just ban guns on your property. It’s your right to do so. Stop being wishy-washy and just say what you mean.

Responsible gun owners will always respect property owner’s wishes.

You’ll just lose business, but it’s clearly business that you don’t want anyway.

So why can’t you just say what you mean?

[tomkat]

re headline : No

[tired&retired]

“The presence of a weapon in our stores is unsettling and upsetting for many of our customers. “

Fifty years ago the customers said the same thing about blacks.

[elcid1970]

So...the CEO of a firm which makes a product said to taste like burned s***, and whose clientele consists mostly of urban liberal yuppies, decides to blow off conservative gun owning patriots.

Yeah, great business decision. No doubt about it.

[tired&retired]

To NY.SS-Bar9

I guess we were on the same wavelength... Sorry, didn’t read the comments prior to posting....

[Red in Blue PA]

Adios Starbucks! Good Riddance. (and I have your Gold Card BTW)

[Lazamataz]

It shall be easy for me to comply, since I seldom enter a Starbucks.... and now, I shall never enter one.

Win/Win.

[Red in Blue PA]

For those who champion “open carry,” please respect that Starbucks stores are places where everyone should feel relaxed and comfortable. The presence of a weapon in our stores is unsettling and upsetting for many of our customers.

Does this mean I can ask them to remove someone who may be unsettling to me? How does this work?

[ThunderSleeps]

I don’t open carry. But I do conceal carry, almost 100% of the time when I leave the house. I will continue to CC on those rare occasions I visit one of his stores. Frankly though, that’s maybe once a month, maybe. When I do purchase coffee (ok I admit it, vanilla lattes) I usually do so from a small locally owned and operated place, not a big national chain. If I were to stop going to Starbucks altogether I’m sure neither he nor I would miss it.

[Red in Blue PA]

From 1997. In DC. (And not by an NRA member)

3 Employees Killed At D.C. Starbucks

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/daily/march99/starbucks070897.htm

Good luck Starbucks. No more gun owners will be there to fend off any bad guys (not wishing anything of course, just showing what Gun Free Zones INEVITABLY do)