Starbucks CEO Writes Open Letter Asking Customers Not To Bring Guns Into Stores

Says pro-gun activists have used stores as platforms for media events

On Tuesday night, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz wrote the following open letter asking customers to no longer bring firearms into the stores, even in states where they are legally permissible to carry.

He notes that this is not a "ban" on guns, but rather a request. In the letter, Schultz expresses frustration with pro-gun activists who have held "Starbucks Appreciation Day" events at the company's location, ostensibly to laud the coffee shop's policy on open-carry. Schultz does not want these events held at Starbucks any longer. With the letter, he risks incurring the anger of a large segment of the population.