The busy babes at Moms Demand Disarmament Action are crossing their arms and putting their collective foot down. What’s the object of their ire now? Well, Starbucks. They’ve apparently just figured out that while they’re standing in line to order their daily venti decaf vanilla sugar free soy latte with an extra shot, the person behind them in line *gasp!* might be packing. The Seattle-based retailer, of course, takes a neutral approach to guns. The caffeine purveyor’s longstanding policy has been that wherever it’s legal, patrons packing heat are just fine by them. MDA’s reaction: this cannot stand! You know the old saying – when momma’s not happy, ain’t nobody happy. Their solution: “gun sense.” And by that, they don’t mean situational awareness. But you knew that. Here’s founder Shannon Watts’ latest email blast designed to marshall the troops in her little corner of the Gun Control Industrial Complex™ . . .
If you are like me, you enjoy your daily cup of coffee or tea. You may go to Starbucks several times a week, to grab a latte, meet friends or colleagues, or to take the kids for a treat after school. But did you know that at Starbucks you may be sipping your coffee next to someone carrying a loaded gun? It’s true. Starbucks allows people to carry guns into their stores where state and local laws permit them to do so. It’s a dangerous and ill-advised policy, especially in light of several recent accidental shootings that have happened inside Starbucks stores.
Starbucks has the right to change their policy on guns. It’s put the health and safety of its customers first before. Starbucks recently banned smoking outside its stores, where it would otherwise be legal to smoke. It also bans firearms at all of its corporate offices and prohibits its employees from carrying guns in the interest of “workplace health, safety and security.” Why, then, won’t it extend this ban to its stores?
Help us tell Starbucks: It’s time to get gun sense.
Here are three things you can do to let Starbucks know that YOU take gun sense with your coffee, and demand that they do so as well:
1) Click here to sign our petition, which we will hand-deliver to Starbucks; send an email or Tweet to Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz; or send a letter to the editor of your local newspaper letting other moms in your community know that Starbucks allows loaded guns in their stores. 2) Take a picture of yourself with your coffee mug and a sign that says how you take your coffee (“milk, sugar and gun sense”) and send it to photos@momsdemandaction.org. See our example below. 3) Join our Thunderclap! Click here to donate a post on your Facebook page or your Twitter feed on Monday, July 22.
We are not calling for a boycott of Starbucks. We’re simply asking you—and tens of thousands of moms like you—to pressure that Starbucks to ban guns from all of their stores, regardless of state laws on open carry.
Join moms around the country and me. Demand that Starbucks bring gun sense to their stores!
Shannon Watts
Founder, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense In America