Shots in Starbucks

One of the delights when traveling in the United States is to go in the morning g to a Starbucks coffeeshop to have a café latté, a chocolate chip cookie and a New York Times newspaper.
This all costs a lot of money but it is worthwhile the treat.
But next time when the United States is visited more thought will be given whether to visit a Starbucks
coffeeshop.
The reason lies in the fact that in 43 of the 50 states of the United States it is allowed to openly carry a gun.
Many similar places like Starbucks do not allow customers to come into the shop with a gun on the hip.
But Starbucks recently agreed that in their coffeeshops it is no problem.
After having been put under pressure by a pro weapon lobby.
Members of which would go to a Starbucks with a revolver and legally challenge the coffeeshop.
Claiming that the law was on their side and Starbucks had to allow customers with weapons.
And now the pro weapon lobby i.c. OpenCarry.org, is happy and satisfied.
You can have a coffee in Starbucks and use a gun if needed.

This decision of Starbucks to allow customers to carry a gun when coming in to the coffeeshop was in spite of protests from anti-weapon organizations like "The Brady Campaign" who delivered a petition to the headquarters of Starbucks with 28.000 signatures saying "Offer espresso shots, not gunshots".

But Starbucks says in a statement on their website:

"Were we to adopt a policy different from local laws allowing open carry, we would be forced to require our partners to ask law abiding customers to leave our stores, putting our partners in an unfair and potentially unsafe position."

The United States is one of the rare civilized and developed countries where it is a constitutional right to have a gun.
Or even to have a whole arsenal of guns.
And in 43 states out of 50 it is allowed to go around carrying a gun.
A device that can potentially damage the health and/or end the life of another human being.

The core of the matter that involves Starbucks these days is a simple question.
Why would anyone want to walk around carrying a gun?
What is the purpose of doing this?
Are there circumstances in the United States society that requires people to have a weapon with them?
Isn't it a civilized and developed nation then?
Aren't the days of the Wild West over?



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http://news.starbucks.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=332




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