Concealed carry (photographer) at Starbucks, Austin, TX 8:24:13 10am (courtesy The Truth About Guns)

So here I am, blogging at Starbucks in Austin, carrying concealed in the liberal heart of red state Texas. The city of tall men and beautiful women may not be entirely representative of Starbucks foot traffic around the country but a random survey of a dozen of their caffeine palaces reveals that the Moms Demand Action anti-ballistic boycott has had no effect whatsoever on Starbucks’ bottom line. Not that the boycott was the point, exactly. The anti-gunners asked supporters to forgo their Joe and donate the money to MDA instead. As you’d expect, their main mission’s media manipulation. Mission accomplished. Starbucks’ gun policy brews ‘grande’ protest msnbc.com proclaims, mistaking minuscule for tall (if you know what I mean). Gun control group: ‘Skip Starbucks Saturday’ usatoday.com reports obsequiously enough. Meanwhile, back in the real world . . .

nada. TTAG’s highly caffeinated Armed Intelligentsia report (in the comments below) that they’ve seen no diminution of devotees at local branches of the Seattle coffee purveyor. No surprise there.

Despite the ever-so-supportive mainstream media, fueled and emboldened by the bloody shirt waving that followed the Newtown spree killing, anti-gunners still don’t have anything remotely resembling a “base.” A timesdispatch.com report from the Mayors Against Illegal Guns “No More Names” bus tour’s Virginia stop tells the tale. Richmond rally supports more checks for gun purchases reports that a participant was “Speaking to a sparse crowd — perhaps 15 [carefully photographed] local supporters.”

No More Names "rally" in Byrd Park, VA (courtesy timesdispatch.com)

No need for complacency. Gun rights are far from secure, especially in California, New Jersey, Connecticut, Illinois, etc. Not to mention the federal level. But right now, right here, it’s safe to say that the civilian disarmament industry’s rallies are nothing more than clouds in my coffee. The Moms Demand Action Starbuck boycott was in vain. Great name, though.

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76 COMMENTS

  1. Good for Starbucks to defer to each state’s laws, etc….As for the anti’s, I expect anther big push around the one year anniversary of Sandy Hook, especially since many Americans have some off time (if they have a job) around the holidays to soak up a serving of DiFi and Chuckie on the tube.
    And once more during the election run, if the House remains firmly GOP then I think it’s all on Obama to keep doing EO/EA’s, including items coming from foreign countries.

  4. Coffee is more important to the average American then gun control.
    I know it is to me ……….slurp……..

    • Still working on convincing my mom to go with me. She’s the only one in my family that have not given it a shot.

  6. I hope they continue to waste time and resources on this pointless endeavour. The more they push, the more out of touch and silly they will continue to appear.

  7. Moms Demand Midol is just another collection of nitwits assembled by a skilled huckster who is trying to get on the Joyce Foundation — MAIG — Brady axis of evil gravy train.

  8. Anyone remember when the World Wildlife Association sued the World Wrestling Federation over the rights of WWF? I think the Muscular Dystrophy Association should put these ladies in their place. At least the true MDA does in fact care for the children.

  9. Just came from a busy Starbucks here in the People’s Rebublik of MA. The woman who took my order hadn’t heard about the “boycott” until yesterday and she thought that it was stupid. She said that their instructions were to observe local laws. I said, “That will never work” with a smile. She smiled back and thanked me for boycotting the “boycott”. Yup, the progressives will never rest until their agenda is fulfilled. I guess that means that we will never get to rest either. 8~(

    • In other words, The Price of Liberty is Eternal Vigilance.

      Nobody seems to know who first said that – all I’ve found out for sure is that it probably wasn’t Thomas Jefferson; maybe it was some abolitionist named Wendell Phillips. http://freedomkeys.com/vigil.htm

  10. hhmm… I used the excuse of today to patronize my local Starbucks this morning. Looks like a booming day. A whole road bike peloton showed up. Waiting for the good juice that I crave along with my morning nicotine fix should not have to be this painful. I did wait, patiently, wondering how long it takes for each drink and extrapolating exactly how long before I got that much needed morning stuff.
    Yes I can admit, I am a coffee addict. My life does not start the day until some java has passed into my system. My entire morning routine revolves around the coffee ritual, and Starbucks is one of my sanctuaries.
    The tweeters, and bloggers, wanna be poets and authors were all there caffeinating and bashing away on their electronics. The tip tap, and occasional smirk from the poet in the corner set this day, no different from any other, or was it?
    The steady low murmur of conversations carried across the room, punctuated by the barista calling out names in a shrill voice. The screach made the hair stand up on my neck. And so life was normal, life was moving on, and not one person in the place gave a rats ass about million mom’s or their boycott. So much for rallying the base to make a stand on an issue.
    Loss of life is tragic, whether you are a WWII Vet, or a 13 month old baby. Life is precious. We seize the moments and the time we spend together because today is a present to us all.
    The preservation of life is also important. Most people gloss by the thought of self responsibility and self defense. It never enters their mind, because we clearly have the police to save us. We can go about our normal uneventful lives with not a single worry. Evil no longer exists in our conscious memory because we have placed the burden on others.
    We all to often forget the burden of mankind has placed upon each of us. To be truly free means accepting responsibility in life. We simply move though our lives oblivious, until that is we don’t. This can be caused by an Epiphany which drives us from our slumber or the shock of facing evil head on and be completely ill prepared to do anything about it. The later is considered pure luck.
    The idea of self defense is a corner stone to such responsibilities. We can not, and should not ignore this task, for it is upon each of us as free men to handle this for ourselves, family, and for our community.
    Until such time that this ideal is widely accepted, we will continue to see sheep and victims cry out why! Why, is because you chose your path, or through legislation chose this path for others. I for one refuse to be a victim, and you should not be allowed to force my choice.
    For if upon the day when something truly evil this way walks, you will pray, and thank all that is good, that people like me happen to be near you. That is your choice. Your choice of victimization and praying that someone who chose a different path is there to save you. I may not agree with your opinions, but I will shake your hand when you thank me for saving you from yourself.

      • Thanks Ralph. I have been up early this morning getting ready for our radio show tomorrow with Tim Donnelly and getting everyone ready for the rally in Sacramento on September 7th.

        Been a busy morning, but I had the urge to write so there ya go lol

      • I believe that the gun grabbers and warmingists have stolen the tactics that the Church of Antismokerism used to demonize us and turn us into an “unprotected class.” Please see In Defense of Smokers. Then again, they might have learned them from the Reefer Madness crowd.

  11. Here in SC, our local talk radio station has encouraged local gun owners to buy a cup o joe in protest. I have never seen starbucks so busy.

  12. Just this past Thursday I spent two hours in my local Starbucks while I was waiting for my flat to get fixed. Passion and an XD 45 go very well together.

  15. I’ve only been to Starbuck’s once, when I was going to the movies and had about an hour to waste before the next showing of the feature. It was pretty awesome – I sat in one of the most comfortable chairs I’ve ever sat in, and they didn’t seem to mind me sitting there doing the crossword puzzle in one of the newspapers they had for the patrons’ convenience.

    But that’s the only time – I just think five bucks is way too much for a cup o’ Joe.

    • I don’t drink coffee. But once in a while i like a hot chocalate. Think I’ll mosey over to the local starbucks and have a cup today.

    • A venti Pike’s (or any of the other brewed coffees) really only runs me $2.46 after sales tax, here.

      • OK, I could have “inadvertently” exaggerated the price – it’s just that at the time, I was kind of stunned by the price. Maybe it was more like two, two-fifty (and I was about to go spend four or five for a thing of popcorn) but it was more than I’d pay at the automat. 🙂

        I also paid full price for the movies; the kid in the booth would say, “one adult?” and I thought, what do I look like, a kid?

        But then one day I looked up at the price list and found out that at 55+, I was eligible for a “senior” ticket.

    • Ha! You and Ralph just about made me lose my morning coffee (morning is a relative term in my house…).

      I guess I’m going to have to go to Starbucks today and order myself a grande Molon Latte. Stay jittery, my friends!

  17. Any business that has an assertion of a gun-free zone should consider themselves liable for their patrons safety.

    They are legaly liable in WI.

  18. I’m not normally a Starbucks customer but I did go by the one near work today. Business was booming as usual and the counter people said it was a normal Saturday crowd. They had not heard about the boycott either.

  19. The Starbucks I went to this morning was standing room only but then again it is always like that unless you get there right when they open.

    I would bet less than 1% were there as a sign of firearm solidarity well the rest were just there as usual.

  21. “the civilian disarmament industry’s rallies are nothing more than clouds in my coffee. The Moms Demand Action Starbuck boycott was in vain.”

    I see what you did there. I bet Carly would not agree, though. 😉

  22. When I visited Starbucks in a liberal enclave of suburban Portland, they were doing plenty of business. I thanked the woman working the register for the company’s passive support of the Second Amendment and paid with $2 bills.

    She reacted like I’d presented her with a non sequitur. I mentioned the gun control crowd was boycotting Starbucks today. She hadn’t a clue.

    Even when the occasional boycott was successful, I wonder how much an incentive that really is to change company policy.

  24. I not only stopped by Starbucks today for a cup of coffee, I stopped by a second one for another cup of my favorite cafe Americano. I understand Starbucks really is not taking a side but just the fact that the Moms are attempting to force the company to make them happy enticed me to go out of my way to have the second cup.

  25. I was hoping they would have reduced the line a little. My Starbucks in San Antonio was not only packed but sold out of my drink. I left a 2 dollar bill and a thank you note.

  26. Stopped by a local Starbucks into Seattle to see what effect the boycott was having, even here in “ultra liberal” Seattle. Plenty of people were there…

    Boycott FAIL.

    Got my iced coffee and left.

  27. I love Bring Your Gun To Starbucks Day. Glocking for Green Tea. Yeh!

    I usually OC but covered up today. I hate that Starbucks is thrust into the middle by the a-hole antis. My protest is not with them, rather with the a-hole antis. I paid with $2 bills and left a $2 tip. SBUX will get the message.

  28. And wasn’t the air in Starbucks so much nicer,cleaner,fresher without the rancid stench of the antigun nuts?????

  29. Two iced coffees, two bottles of water, and one of those pour over melita single cup coffee maker thingies.

  30. Starbucks seems to be managed by rather smart people. A boycott by liberals and progressives lasts until their leaders give them their next assignment. A rejection of a vendor by individualists tends to last forever, especially when that vendor attacks the 2nd amendment. I admit that I and my wife enjoy a latté at Starbucks every single day 365 days a year. 🙂 If Starbucks goes anti-2nd amendment, we will never go there again…ever.

  32. I work at Starbucks in Florida and we (baristas) didn’t know anything about this boycott till a customer mentioned it in passing. Like previously stated, it was an utter failure, today was one of busiest shifts I’ve worked in a good while.

  34. I am proud of Starbucks,they had enough forethought to realize that backing Constitutional freedom is what makes this country stronger,not giving in to emotional misguided attempts to disarm law abiding citizens.Starbucks I guess does not believe in the so called poll numbers of 90% of voters want more gun control,which I believe where made up by the left stream media and the leftist politicians,plus the fact that the number of background checks to purchase weapons has skyrocketed and continues to do so,then there is the ammo shortage,people are buying everything up as soon as it hits the shelves because they think that the government will crack down on ammo availability,which could happen with the current administration.Be prepared and ready.Keep your powder dry.

  35. The point of the non-boycott-event is, I suppose, that giving up Starbucks for a day means something to these people, but not to anybody else. They treated giving up Starbucks for a day like they were giving up something for Lent, because Starbucks is such a huge part of their lives, and so they were a bit confused, thinking that their business is more than just a fraction of a rounding error on the total business Starbucks does. They could all stay home for a week, and nobody’d notice. Kinda funny, that.

  36. Stopped at the Leavenworth WA Starbucks carrying my Ruger SR9c. Ordered up an iced caramel macchiato.

    Thanks Starbucks! Thanks Ruger!

    Yes, it was the Bavarian-style village of Leavenworth, so it should have been a SIG Sauer… but I showed up.

  37. The MDA slogan NO MORE NAMES of people killed by guns is vague at
    best, and dishonest at worst. They don’t make the full and proper conclusion.
    It should be:
    NO MORE NAMES of unarmed/disarmed people who were killed because
    their local, state, or federal government prevented(infringed) on their right to
    carry a gun, so as not to be killed by bad people, doing bad things with a gun.

    Are these people really that obtuse?

    • Yes, sadly, they really are. What they “should” do is anonymize the shooters. No public foofaraw, no glory, no fanfare.

      Everybody remembers Jared Lee Loughner and that creepy pic of him, but who can name one of his victims? That’s just sick.

  38. I know that the $2 bill is rare these days and some have value to them but beyond that Im clueless. A few of you commented about paying with $2 bills, what am I missing? Is it a symbol or are we talking about paying with a bill that has more than its face value?

  39. I stopped by my local Starbucks (California) and grabbed a cup of coffee yesterday morning, and Nada. Zip, Zilch. No protesters, no one outside the entrance trying to get me to sign anything. I was a little disappointed. I enjoy the opportunity to verbally spar with someone, especially out here.

  40. I noticed several errors in this report. Two of the errors were in the first paragraph alone! Moms Demand’s #skipstarbucks campaign was directed at the one Starbucks appreciation day as well as Saturdays. So people who expected a noticeable sales decline were obviously out of touch with what Moms Demand was doing. The second error I noticed was that the Moms Demand #skipstarbucks campaign was a media promotion to increase funds. It wasn’t and isn’t being promoted that way to its members. Why the author felt the need to misrepresent Moms Demand is probably related to the agendas of the author and this website.

    The simple message Moms Demand is trying to get across to Starbucks is that gunmen and woman sporting their weaponry in their stores is turning off a segment of customers. I know our local PTAs no longer use Starbuck gift cards for our teacher gifts and we now use Panera for our coffee at special occasions like Back to School Nights and American Ed Week. So, our local store loses a couple of thousands in sales from our schools. I’m sure those activists who oppose gun control laws like background checks will make up the difference. The complexion of Starbucks’ customers will change from the yuppie young to the conservative middle aged and old, from the women to the men, from the urban to the country. Starbucks stocks have declined slightly over the last month. As the word gets out and competition woes customers, Starbucks may see the writing on the wall. Moms Demand loses absolutely nothing bringing up Starbucks position on guns in their stores. However, if their campaign smudges the Starbucks Brand enough to bring about a no gun policy change, then it’s one small step forward.

    • I realize I’m probably wasting my time talking to you, so I won’t go long, I’ll just ask this question.

      You do realize that “Starbucks’ position on guns in their stores” is simply nothing more than “This is not our issue,” right? They follow the laws in whatever location their stores happen to be in. Period. They neither go out of their way to prohibit guns nor to welcome them. They just sell coffee. I have great respect for that state of mind.

      If their store is in Manhattan, then no guns are allowed in their store because (for all intents and purposes) no guns are allowed in Manhattan. If their store is in Orlando, then guns are allowed in their store because carry is legal in Orlando. They don’t inject their own politics into the fight because they’re in the business of selling coffee, and they don’t particularly care who they sell it to.

      What if they didn’t like gays? Would you be OK with them banning gays from their stores? I bet you wouldn’t. Banning gays would be wrong, and it would make no sense, because them being gay has nothing whatsoever to do with selling them a cup of coffee. Likewise for my carrying a concealed firearm. It has no bearing on their business of selling me coffee. It neither hurts it nor hinders it.

      If you don’t like “Starbucks’ position on guns in their stores” then change the laws where the store is located, and Starbucks will follow the new law. If you are incapable of getting the laws changed, then kindly shut the fuck up and mind your own business. I’m standing in line next to you at Starbucks, and I happen to have a concealed firearm for my protection, and possibly even for yours. If that frightens you, that’s what’s known as a “you problem.”

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