By Corky Siemaszko – New York Daily News
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America is trying to get the coffee chain to bar patrons from openly carrying weapons in their stores.
“Guns in places like Starbucks is intimidating and unnecessary risk to our children and families,” group director Kim Russell said in a statement announcing their “Skip Starbucks Saturday” campaign.
“Many moms don’t realize that in dozens of states, guns can be legally purchased and openly carried with no background check and no permitting or training,” Russell said. “Gun advocates who bring their loaded guns into Starbucks have all the firepower of a SWAT team, but none of the required training.”
There was no immediate response from Starbucks, but a spokesman said recently, “Our longstanding approach to the open-carry debate has been to comply with local laws and statutes in the communities we serve.”
Russell said those were weasel words, noting that Starbucks forbids its workers from packing heat and has banned smoking outside its stores in places where it’s still legal.