Starbucks folds to antis

[Jaguar]

He really missed the mark here. He would have be much, much better served to say....


"We respectfully ask that our many locations not be used to host demonstrations or be a meeting house for political statements of any sort. Starbucks is about good coffee and a relaxing atmosphere, and we want to maintain that throughout our chain."

[cb1000rider]

I think he makes it very clear what side he is taking.

You're running a business and are accountable to stockholders. What would you do? These "demonstrations" seem to be escalating in terms of tensions and are probably alienating the majority of the uninvolved customers. To me, you make a decision is going to piss off the lowest number of customers and that seems to be those that carry firearms.

Thank you, all you in-your-face open-carry activists. Happy now?

Provide an alternative to inaction, please... Or detail that you accept the fact that we can't openly carry long guns in Texas.
I don't like it either, but due to inaction our "rights" are eroded away to the point that, in my opinion, we're more likely to get arrested over being left alone if walking around with an unloaded long gun...

[Cedar Park Dad]

Provide an alternative to inaction, please... Or detail that you accept the fact that we can't openly carry long guns in Texas.
I don't like it either, but due to inaction our "rights" are eroded away to the point that, in my opinion, we're more likely to get arrested over being left alone if walking around with an unloaded long gun...

Protest at the state capital or other government buildings. Don't carry rifles. Carry signs and empty holsters.
Don't involve businesses.
Don't freak people out.

[RottenApple]

"First of all, you're wrong. Planter's extra crunchy is the best, and I'll fight you for it if I have to."

As usual what you say is said well!
The rest of it too.

I didn't want to pick a fight, but Jif Creamy is the bees knees.
Planters with solids is good for baiting mouse traps.

Actually, you're both wrong. Homemade peanut (or cashew or almond) butter is the best. And it's easy to make (and a LOT healthier for you).

[jayinsat]

Provide an alternative to inaction, please... Or detail that you accept the fact that we can't openly carry long guns in Texas.
I don't like it either, but due to inaction our "rights" are eroded away to the point that, in my opinion, we're more likely to get arrested over being left alone if walking around with an unloaded long gun...

Protest at the state capital or other government buildings. Don't carry rifles. Carry signs and empty holsters.
Don't involve businesses.
Don't freak people out.

[Texsquatch]

Glad I gave up on Starbucks years ago. Their weak coffee drinks have become nothing more than a fashion accessory for junior high girls.

[The Annoyed Man]

I can't think of any Tea Partiers that were arrested.

OBAMA’S AMERICA: ‘IMPEACH OBAMA’ PROTESTERS ARRESTED FOR PEACEABLY ASSEMBLING

Tea Party Gun-Nut Arrested, Posted Liberal Kill List

Tea Party activists hit the Hill, arrested outside Pelosi's office.

But you're right.....generally speaking, Tea Party protestors don't get arrested—because they are not typically violating any laws and they tend not to behave outrageously.

[The Annoyed Man]

Glad I gave up on Starbucks years ago. Their weak coffee drinks have become nothing more than a fashion accessory for junior high girls.

You're obviously ordering the wrong stuff.

[03Lightningrocks]

"First of all, you're wrong. Planter's extra crunchy is the best, and I'll fight you for it if I have to."

As usual what you say is said well!
The rest of it too.

I didn't want to pick a fight, but Jif Creamy is the bees knees.
Planters with solids is good for baiting mouse traps.

I made a batch of rat poison tacos the other day. Used Jiff Creamy to hold the turkey closed. The crunchy would have been a problem.

[TexasCajun]

This is kind of disappointing but I've never seen a Starbucks with 30.06 and until I do they'll still get my infrequent business. I did participate in one of the "Starbucks Appreciation Days" and the place was slammed. My only form of "appreciation" was buying a coffee and burning up their wifi with my "I Love Guns and Coffee" emblazoned laptop.

I can understand why a corporation is fed up with their locations being treated as protest points that may or may not scare away customers but I can also see why us gun folk would want to make a point especially when there are so few mainstream places that would even tolerate open carry in their stores today.

If I'm not mistaken, this was the genesis of the Starbucks problem. The Antis organized a boycott of all of the stores that tolerated OC and all but Starbucks folded. Starbucks said that it would abide by the law and that OC was legal. Now, Starbucks, too, has folded. I'm not surprised. Seattle is hardly the hot bed of 2nd Amendment support and being the only one left out on a limb, Starbucks became the focal point of the antis actions.

I'm really conflicted about this. The protestors have proven time and time again that action beats inaction. When they protested at the homes of the bank executives, those bank executives abandoned good business sense and started making stupid housing loans - that lead us to the mortgage crisis. They picket illegally, do so with impunity on private property and seem to be winning the vast majority of these conflicts, this being the latest. I have seen very few of of these situations where a calmed, reasoned approach was successful. Only the Scott Walker recall and this year's abortion debate in Austin come to mind. Even with the latter, Davis and her minions were initially successful.

I agree with Anygun - if we employed similar tactics, we would all be arrested and prosecuted. I'm really getting tired of the media, law enforcement and the power of the government being used against me and my freedoms. At some point, we're going to have to figure out a way to counter the protest mindset or we are simply going to continue to get overrun and our freedoms diminished. I wish I had a better solution than counter-protests but I don't.

The first time I was aware of a Starbucks event was from the pro side: Starbucks Appreciation Day. After that was an organized response to the boycott event organized by the antis in response to the appreciation day. After that it was a handful of open carry events.

The mortgage crisis was caused by bankers loading variable rate loans onto folks who couldn't normally qualify for a standard rate loan. There weren't any protests until after it was decided that some banks & other companies were 'too big to fail'.

If you want a model in how to go about getting our eroded rights back, study Charles Cotton's legislative updates on this site and his TFC & TSRA entries. Shock & Awe sounded good in a sound bite concerning military activity. But it's a poor strategy for changing public policy. You want change? Work for it. Get involved in discussions with your elected representatives. Get active in the legislative process & work it from the inside. Campaign for strong candidates that share your views. Provide reasoned and sound arguments in support of your position without engaging in the mud slinging and outrageous rhetoric.

Lastly. Not being allowed to frequent a business armed isn't an infringement of your rights. It's an exercise of theirs. If you don't like this policy or that of any other business, you're free to patronize any of a number of other establishments.

[cb1000rider]

Protest at the state capital or other government buildings. Don't carry rifles. Carry signs and empty holsters.
Don't involve businesses.
Don't freak people out.

I understand what you're saying, but isn't it kinda silly to do that? I mean protesting for a right (open carry of long guns) that I already have? It seems like a meaningless protest.

I agree with you on leaving private businesses out of it.

If the sheeple are freaked out when they see the open carry of a rifle, we either need to change the law so that it's not allowed or we need to educate the sheeple. LEOs arresting to solve the sheeple problem isn't the right policy.

[carlson1]

Stay on topic or we will be forced to lock it.

[Charles L. Cotton]

If the sheeple are freaked out when they see the open carry of a rifle, we either need to change the law so that it's not allowed . . .

This is the second time you're suggested this as one alternative. Just contact your Senator or Representative and ask him/her to file and work hard to pass such a bill. If you don't really view this is an alternative, then please stop suggesting it.

There is no one more pro-gun than am I, but if I'm in a store and someone walks in with a rifle slung over their shoulder, or in a tactical sling as I've seen some people do, then you can bet I'm going to keep an eye on this potential threat. Forty or fifty years ago that may not have been the case, but in the age of mass murders seeking plentiful media coverage, I'm going to be on high alert. If a stranger were to walk up to my front door with a rifle, they'd probably be looking down the barrel of one of mine while waiting for the police.

Open-carry of rifles and shotguns in urban areas isn't about exercising constitutional rights. It's a feeble and counterproductive attempt to pass open-carry of handguns through intimidation. In-your-face tactics don't work and I can't help but believe that people engaging in these antics care more about their personal notoriety than promoting gun rights. Calm, respectful, statesmanlike legislative efforts have proven successful for many years. Results don't came as quickly as most of us would like, but it does work. If fact, it's the only thing that works.

Chas.

[cprems]

The CEO just said NO GUNS. Which part of that are you failing to understand?

Regardless of the what the law states, he has said NO GUNS. That is effective warning and its enough for me. I'll spend my money elsewhere!

Cprems, do you have your CHL or have you actually read 30.06? This is a written request, not an oral request. You may certainly choose to do business elsewhere, as will many others, but this is in no way effective notice according to Texas law.

Yes and yes. As I stated in my previous posts, it may not be effective notice but its good enough for me.

What I don't get is the division between open carry and CC. This is the Second Amendment we're talking about here. If we fail to come together and support BOTH, then we are no better than those who wish to take away BOTH!

We need to get it together and do it quick.

You (generalized) either support the Second Amendment or you don't, we cannot have it both ways. This is an all or nothing issue. We don't get to choose bits that we like.

[cb1000rider]

This is the second time you're suggested this as one alternative. Just contact your Senator or Representative and ask him/her to file and work hard to pass such a bill. If you don't really view this is an alternative, then please stop suggesting it.

I don't think it will be very high up on the priority list right now, especially in consideration with what is going on with gun violence in America. I'm willing to do what you're suggesting, but I won't be doing it this session due to timing.

And yes, I think it's a legitimate way out. I see it as more legitimate as other states have similar laws on the books. The current state allows law enforcement to bend some very broad authority granted to them to resolve the "problem" at hand even though a crime isn't being committed. It's punitive, expensive, and isn't enforced consistently. It grants too much latitude. Clearly other states have had the same problem as legislation doesn't get put in place without a reason.

I recognize that it's most likely not the problem that you'd prefer to solve right now...