Yahoo News has an AP story; "Buzz and bullets: Gun fans cheer Starbuck's policy."
"By GREG BLUESTEIN, Associated Press Writer – Sun Feb 28, 3:28 pm ET
Dale Welch recently walked into a Starbucks in Virginia, handgun strapped to his waist, and ordered a banana Frappuccino with a cinnamon bun. He says the firearm drew a double-take from at least one customer, but not a peep from the baristas.
Welch's foray into the coffeehouse was part of an effort by some gun owners to exercise and advertise their rights in states that allow people to openly carry firearms.
Even in some "open carry" states, businesses are allowed to ban guns in their stores. And some have, creating political confrontations with gun owners. But Starbucks, the largest chain targeted, has refused to take the bait, saying in a statement this month that it follows state and local laws and has its own safety measures in its stores.
"Starbucks is a special target because it's from the hippie West Coast, and a lot of dedicated consumers who pay $4 for coffee have expectations that Starbucks would ban guns. And here they aren't," said John Bruce, a political science professor at the University of Mississippi who is an expert in gun policy…"
I agree with the statement by Peter Hamm a spokesman for the Brady campaign.
"If you want to dress up and go out and make a little political theater by frightening children in the local Starbucks, if that's what you want to spend your energy on, go right ahead," said Peter Hamm, a spokesman for the Brady campaign. "But going out and wearing a gun on your belt to show the world you're allowed to is a little juvenile."
The coffeehouse debate has been particularly poignant for gun-control advocates in Washington state, where four uniformed police officers were shot and killed while working on their laptops at a suburban coffeehouse. The shooter later died in a gun battle with police…"
The pro gun people do not like it that a hospital or shopping mall or some other place has a policy that no guns are allowed.
I have been shot at… I have had a family member shot and killed. I have had friends shot and killed.
I was a member of the NRA for many years when I was very young. I carried, in the line of duty, a handgun from 1971 to November of 1999.
I am not anti-gun but pro gun people would think that I was anti-gun big time. I think that there should be a three day waiting period before a person can buy a handgun. During that time the police should do a background check on the person. I believe there should be some sort of limits on assault rifles. I think that gun records should be on file with the FBI or ATF department and not removed after x number of day from the system. I think there should be some sort of limit on high capacity clips. Well you get the idea.
The gun nuts want not only the right to "open carry" a weapon they want the right to take it on private property. They want their rights but they do not want you to have any rights. If you own or manage some property or business they do not want you to post a sign saying no guns allowed.
Now just why would you not want to allow someone to walk into your busy business with a gun or their hip? I guess we could ask some banks why they have a sign on their door saying take off your hat and sun glasses before entering the bank. Does the bank have that right? Can they make a rule like that for their business? Why can't a business have the right to say no guns allowed?
Let me give you ONE reason why you might not want some citizen with a gun on his hip in your business…
I know of a man in Kansas City (MO) that came out of a eating place, in the winter time, and fell and his gun went off and shot shot him. He bleed to death before he got to the hospital. I know of a case at a Kansas City hospital were a patient came into the ER with a hidden gun and when they put him up on a cart in the ER the gun fell and shot and killed the guy.
I know of a guy that had his wife in the hospital and he was visiting with her before she went to surgery and when she went to surgery he went to the cafeteria to get something to eat and he left his gun in the room of his wife. No one was in the room. A nurse saw his gun and called me and I picked up the gun and then contacted him in the cafeteria. He was a police officer for a small town outside of Kansas City.
At one time and I forget what percent it was.. but at one time a large number of police officers that were shot by someone were shot with their own handgun. It still happens… Keep in mind these are trained professional law enforcement officers and in a large number of events a suspect can get their gun away from them and shoot the officer with it.
In the news, just in the last few weeks, a report that officers that work for the DHS have lost over 300 guns. They left them in their car, the left them in a bath room or at eating places etc. We are talking federal officers with different agencies under the Department of Homeland Security.
Now I could just keep going on … but let me bring up just one more reason…
"Handgun Retention" - police and security officers now get training in handgun retention. You train on how to keep someone from taking your weapon. That is one reason today fewer officers are having their weapons taken from them and then shot with them.
Do you think the clown that is doing open carry in a Starbucks has had the training? By the way we had to have the training each year and not just one time.
You do not think that some clown goes into a Starbucks can not have his gun taken from him by someone that wants to commit a crime or that is just crazy? You do not that that clown might not need to take a shit and leave his gun in the bathroom of the Starbucks?
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