Guns in Stores…Who’s Friendly and Who’s NOT

Gun owners may have the right to carry their firearm in the open as long as it complies with a list of requirements as set forth by different states. This is pretty well known among gun owners. But what isn’t as well known is what about when you enter into someone’s establishment? This has always been the controversy and discussion among gun owners.

Last fall, the Wall Street Journal published an article, “Where Companies Stand on Guns in Their Stores.” It was very interesting to see how different these stores can be about their customers brining guns into their stores while shopping. The responses were quite interesting and I thought it would be fun, and helpful, to share some snippets from this article so we can all be more aware of how certain establishments view this issue.

Chuck E. Cheese’s…they prohibit firearm possession in all their locations. They also feel this isn’t a political statement, simply for the protection of their guests because of it being such a family environment they believe they aren’t appropriate.

Wal-Mart…they follow local laws in regard to this issue. However, they also add that if a customer or employee feels uncomfortable by the presence of a weapon, the manager can ask them to remove it from the premise. Employees aren’t allowed to carry firearms.

Dunkin’ Brands…Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin Robbins are franchises and are required to follow all federal, state, and local laws with regard to firearms. I guess this means it is pretty open to what they want to follow in their area.

McDonald’s…they also follow Federal, State, and Local laws. However, for franchisee-owned restaurants, these decisions are left up to the franchise owners. But they conclude by saying they “expect” the franchisees to follow Federal, State, and Local laws. I guess this means it really isn’t up to the franchisees.

Costco…they simply state they don’t believe it is necessary to bring your firearm into the store, unless you are an authorized law enforcement officer…nice way of saying they aren’t welcome in the stores.

Bank of Oklahoma…this is an interesting one because they are a bank. The state is an “open-carry” state so they don’t have a policy restricting open carry in their banks and don’t plan on changing this, unless the building owner has their own restrictions on firearms.

Target…they follow State and Local laws…but there is a twist here. They have over 1200 Starbucks cafes in their stores, which has a slightly different policy. But their view is that the Starbucks policy is a “request and not a ban” so they pretty much can do what they want…interesting viewpoint.

Macy’s…they “do not plan to post signs banning firearms.” That’s it.

Neiman Marcus…they follow local laws or the guidelines of the mall they are in but don’t allow employees to bring weapons into their stores.

Texas Roadhouse…apparently have not real rules against it unless the customers complain.

Starbucks…they ask that customers “no longer bring firearms into our stores or outdoor seating areas even in states that allow open-carry, unless they are authorized law enforcement personnel.” Basically you can’t bring in a firearm to any Starbucks. Wonder about the drive through on their property?

So there you have a good snapshot of some major retail establishments and how they view open carry. While most really don’t want you to do it, some are much more restrictive than others. In regard to you, the gun owner, check the stores website before you go there to save yourself some headache and issues and if there isn’t anything posted, a phone call would work as well. Hope this helps…