Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz announced on Tuesday that the popular coffee chain will no longer allow guns in their stores or outside seating area following emotional protests from customers over gun control, USA TODAY reported.
In a post on the company's website titled "Fellow Americans," Schultz explained his reasoning behind the decision, just one day after the Navy Yard shooting rampage that left 13 people dead.
"Few topics in America generate a more polarized and emotional debate than guns. In recent months, Starbucks stores and our partners (employees) who work in our stores have been thrust unwillingly into the middle of this debate. That's why I am writing today with a respectful request that customers no longer bring firearms into our stores or outdoor seating areas.
"Pro-gun activists have used our stores as a political stage for media events misleadingly called "Starbucks Appreciation Days" that disingenuously portray Starbucks as a champion of "open carry." To be clear: we do not want these events in our stores. Some anti-gun activists have also played a role in ratcheting up the rhetoric and friction, including soliciting and confronting our customers and partners."
However, Schultz clarified in an interview with USA TODAY that despite the presence of guns "upsetting" too many customers, they will not issue a direct ban on guns since that "would potentially require our partners to confront armed customers."
The CEO also said sales were not affected by the protests but caused a "number of episodes" that "made our customers feel quiet uncomfortable."
Full-page advertisements announcing the chain's decision will be published in USA TODAY, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post.
From now on, signs will appear in Starbucks stores to remind customers of their gun prohibition, much like "no smoking" signs.
