Starbucks Say No to Guns!

Manny Steele, Ernie Otten, and others are going to have to find a new place to show off their guns.  In July a group supporting open carry took a little walk through Sioux Falls and ended up at Starbucks for a refreshing iced latte.  It appears that next year they will have to go to Gary's Gun Shop instead.

Starbuck CEO in a reversal of policy has asked that people stop using the store as a staging ground for political posturing.

Here is what Howard Schultz has to say...

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.... 

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.