Starbucks’ new gun policy pouring gasoline on the fire

Taken from Wednesday’s edition of The Tom and Curley Show.

This is a story that has been percolating like hot, fresh coffee.

Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks, apparently previously wanted to stay neutral on the gun-carry issue, saying the company would follow gun-carry cues based on local law.

Since that apparently seemed so remarkable to the gun rights advocates, they said, you know what we’re going to celebrate that fact that we’re not banned by having appreciation days at Starbucks. They’re singing Starbucks’ praises over and over again, and apparently, it’s getting to be a problem.

Unfortunately, Starbucks is like, geez, stop singing the praises so loud. It’s scaring away some of our customers and some people are upset. They say I go into Starbucks, I don’t want to see a bunch of people sitting around with guns.

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz came out with a new tune on Wednesday, telling CNN:

“I think it’s very important just to start the conversation by framing the fact that Starbucks is not a policymaker and in fact, we’re not pro or anti-gun. However, we do believe guns should not be part of the Starbucks experience.”

Pay $5 for a cup of coffee, now there’s an experience. Hang on, Schultz has more:

“We are respectfully requesting that those customers who are carrying a gun just honor the request and not bring the gun into Starbucks,” Schultz continued.

Now, there are two different people that carry guns. There is the 10 million that apply for the permit and go through all the hoops and have the gun. Then there is a bunch of people as well that carry guns that don’t go through that. I would consider those people to be the criminals. So does he not want the criminals in there? Does that include criminals and law-abiding citizens I don’t know?

More from Schultz:

“This is not a ban. And the reason it is not a ban is that we don’t want to put our own people in a position of having to confront somebody who was carrying a weapon,” Schultz told CNN. “So those customers who will bring in the gun – we hope they won’t – we’re still going to serve them. We’re not going to ask them to leave.”

So he’s not going to come down one way or the other, just don’t bring your gun in. Mr. Schultz should get some guts.

Name some other coffee places that you can walk into with a gun. Peet’s Coffee & Tea you can’t. They say don’t come in here if you have a gun. How many people are protesting at Peet’s? None. You know why? Because it’s clearly defined.

These guys who show up with these guns I think are often making sort of an in your face move against anybody that’s anti-gun.

As my father used to say to my brother, who is 14 months younger than I, ‘Don’t give him the reaction that he’s looking for and he will stop teasing you.’

The same thing should happen here at Starbucks. Don’t do anything and the people that show up with the posters and their kids and all this stuff about guns kill people, and people kill people, don’t show up.

If they don’t show up, the guys with the guns, with the very big bellies and the weird camo boots, they won’t show up either because if the other folks aren’t there to protest, they won’t be there. They’re looking for a fight. They’re just looking to be able to say these are my rights, you can’t stop my rights. They want that.

Starbucks, by trying to be neutral, is actually pouring gasoline on the fire. All they’ve done is they’re just going to create more stir in this thing and more people are going to come out to show this is my right.

Taken from Wednesday’s edition of The Tom and Curley Show.

Related:
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz explains gun policy change

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