New poll: Starbucks is Right to Request No Guns in Stores

In this Wednesday, March 20, 2013, file photo, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz speaks at the company's annual shareholders meeting,in Seattle.

Komo News

Starbucks chief executive Howard Schultz has made it clear he doesn't want customers bringing guns into his coffee shops. Now a new poll reveals Americans agree with him by a two to one margin. 

 Quinnipiac University in Connecticut found 66% of registered voters say the Seattle-based coffee chain's no-gun request is a good idea. Twenty-three percent call it a bad idea. 

 Quinnipiac polls are known for their thoroughness, with results regularly featured in the New York Times.

This one makes me laugh at the gun-rights fanatics who, like children whistling in the dark, keep telling us most people agree with them.

Starbucks Poll Finds Most Support New Gun Policy

Most Americans approve of Starbucks' recent request that customers leave their guns behind when visiting their stores, according to a new HuffPost/YouGov poll.

According to the new poll, 57 percent of Americans approve of Starbucks' new policy asking that gun owners not carry weapons into its stores, even in states with laws permitting open carry. Thirty-two percent disapprove.

Starbucks Gun Policy in Action

Florida Woman Shot at Starbucks by Friend who Forgot Gun Was in her Purse

Raw Story

Police say a loaded handgun in a Florida woman’s purse accidentally discharged when she dropped it in a St. Petersberg’s Starbucks on Saturday. The bullet from 51-year-old Pamela Beck’s gun struck her friend, 38-year-old Amie Peterson, above the knee. The wound was not serious and Peterson was released from the hospital late Saturday night.

Beck, who does not have a concealed weapons permit, told police that the gold-plated .25 caliber semi-automatic pistol had been given to her by her father a year ago, for protection, and that she had forgotten that she placed the gun in a spare purse. Before leaving for the Tyrone Square Mall in which the Starbucks was located, she switched purses to the spare one.

St. Petersburg Police spokesman Mike Puetz said that her purse “hit the ground hard” and the gun fired.

Police consider the shooting accidental, but have referred the case to the Pinellas County State Attorney’s Office because Beck lacked a concealed carry permit. Prosecutors are still deciding whether to press charges.

Kim Russell - Spokesperson for Moms Demand Action

Boycott Starbucks This Weekend

Huffington Post

A gun control advocacy group pushing for Starbucks to ban weapons inside its stores is calling for a nationwide boycott against the coffee giant this weekend.

Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, which formed in the wake of the Newtown, Conn. killings, is protesting the company's policy of allowing customers to bring guns into restaurants in “open carry” states, where residents are allowed to carry firearms in public.

The group points out that Starbucks has taken a stand on other issues -- particularly in banning smoking in front of stores -- and believes the company should now come out against guns.

“Starbucks calls themselves a progressive company but by not taking a stand on guns, they’ve become a rallying place for ‘open carry’ supporters," Shannon Watts, the organization’s founder, told The Huffington Post. The organization has named the boycott “Skip Starbucks Saturday" and plans on making it a regular event.

Starbucks Shooting in Florida

Local news reports

One person is recovering after being accidentally shot Saturday at the Starbucks coffee shop inside Tyrone Mall, police say.

The incident happened around 5 p.m., and the female victim, who was not identified, suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Police gave no details about how or why the firearm discharged or who was carrying it. Tyrone Mall is located at the interesection of Tyrone Boulevard and 66th Street in St. Petersburg.
The store closed for the remainder of the night.

Starbucks management issued a statement:

"At Tyrone Square Mall, our primary concern is always for the safety of our customers and store employees, and we are thankful that the injuries sustained are reported to be non-life threatening. Our thoughts are with the victim’s family, and we wish her a speedy recovery."

Now that's just not true.  If their primary concern was really for the safety of the customers they wouldn't allow guns on the premises.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Jimmy Kimmel at Starbucks

Have you noticed how we stopped hearing about this? I have a theory about that. As illustrated in this video, the gun-rights advocates who made this such a big deal appear totally ridiculous. Given a year or so of distance, even they realize how foolish they were. What do you think?

Starbucks Shooting - Cops Involved in Murder Suicide

Boston.com reports

A Hamilton police sergeant was found dead inside his sport utility vehicle late last night in an apparent suicide, hours after he allegedly shot and seriously wounded a Beverly police officer, officials said.

A late-night police search culminated back at the scene of the first shooting, outside a Starbucks off Route 1A in Beverly, where the body of Sergeant Ken Nagy was discovered in his Saab SUV.

The obvious inference is that trained and qualified people sometimes go off the rails. This is true of law enforcement as well as civilian gun owners.

My contention is the percentage is too high and certain reasonable restrictions would bring it down.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

The Starbucks Statement

The Los Angeles Times reports

In a statement released Wednesday after this post was published, Starbucks reiterated that its policy is to comply with the law in the communities where its stores are. “As the public debate around this issue continues, we encourage customers and advocacy groups from both sides to share their input with their public officials," the company said. "We are extremely sensitive to the issue of gun violence in our society and believe that supporting local laws is the right way for us to ensure a safe environment for both our partners (employees) and customers."]

Humorous Observations about Starbucks

Lloyd Garver wrote an article for the Taunton Daily Gazette about the Starbucks situation.

I’ve always been confused by Starbucks, the great American institution and symbol of yuppies and carefree consumerism.

This is the place where the smallest cup of coffee is called a “Tall.” Depending on what you order, you can easily spend two or three bucks for a cup.

In other words, it’s the sort of place with the kinds of products mocked by right-wing opponents of vegetarians, elitism and free-range chicken potpies. That's why I was surprised to learn that some gun-toting, Second Amendment-loving customers were sitting in Starbucks, sipping tea.

He mentions the controversy within the gun rights community of whether these open carry folks actually benefit the cause, but mainly the article is pointing out the incongruity of your typical gun owner and the Starbucks atmosphere.

It just seems weird to think of Starbucks being a hangout for urban cowboys and cowgirls. You’ve got to admit that it’s odd to think of someone who spent the last few hours cleaning his gun standing in line so he can say, “I'd like a decaf grande cappuccino, with a biscotti on the side.”

Being a fan of legend, I hope he’ll add something from the tough cowboys of the Old West like, “And barista, you make that soy instead of milk ... or else.”

What's your opinion? Aside from the humor, the article points out a serious concern.

In many states, people who carry their guns openly don't need a permit or any sort of training. That’s right. No gun safety training at all. In other words, if you happen to be sitting next to someone who is wearing a gun while he spoons the whipped cream from his drink, you might want to move to another table.

Do you think this might be a place where gun laws are too lax? Not only do the States that allow open carry not require any training, more and more states are allowing "shall issue" concealed carry licenses. Doesn't this ensure that some people who should be disqualified are passing as law abiding? Is the ratio so great in favor of the truly responsible that this is just a price we must pay for freedom? It doesn't seem right to me.

What do you think? Please leave a comment.

Starbucks Trying to Stay Out of the Controversy

The Seattle Times reports on the attempts of Starbucks to stay out of the gun debate.

The big example is Starbucks, which has been selected by advocates of the "open carry" movement as a place to show up with unconcealed firearms. Open carriers and gun-control advocates (peacefully) confronted one another recently at the Starbucks in Pike Place Market.

Starbucks says it will follow the law; thus, in states where it's legal to openly carry a firearm, those customers are welcome. "The political, policy and legal debates around these issues belong in the legislatures and courts, not in our stores," the Seattle-based coffee company said in a statement.

That might be an artful way to avoid controversy. Unfortunately, it probably won't work. With Starbucks' size and iconic place in corporate America, it was the perfect way for the Virginia-based group OpenCarry.org to gain international exposure for its cause.

It also received a backlash from gun-control proponents. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence has an online petition urging Starbucks to keep guns out.

I found it interesting that several pro-gun writers blamed the Brady campaign for putting Starbucks on the spot. This article says, "The big example is Starbucks, which has been selected by advocates of the "open carry" movement as a place to show up with unconcealed firearms."

I was wondering though if the statement by the famous coffee chain was in fact an attempt to stay out of it. Couldn't it be construed as supportive of the gun movement? Saying they'll follow the local laws is in effect siding with the gun folks, is it not?

Where do you think this is heading? What's next?

Please leave a comment.