Have you ever given a child a piece of candy and told them not to show it to their siblings?
Admitting that you have may entitle you to an administrative position at Starbucks, as you’ve demonstrated an understanding of its previous gun policy.
Starbucks used to assume an apathetic stance toward guns — a kind of “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in which armed customers could purchase all the coffee they wanted as long as they didn’t flaunt their firearms in front of other customers.
However, just like children, gun-toting coffee enthusiasts — or coffee-toting gun enthusiasts — couldn’t resist the temptation and took indifference as endorsement and decided to stage a Starbucks Appreciation Day.
According to USA Today, two weeks ago, gun owners showed their appreciation for what they thought was endorsement by parading around Starbucks with their weapons, including in the Newtown Starbucks.
In a guest column, fellow UF student Margaret Beck wrote that the request asks too much of citizens, who must “leave their rights at the door.”
Beck also compared the Second Amendment right to other rights, arguing that a customer with a gun is equally entitled to enter Starbucks as the person with a rainbow-colored shirt.
Beck’s article posed some moral questions such as whether you would want to be standing next to a registered gun owner or an unregistered “bad guy” in line.
This is a very common argument, as it expresses concern over the safety of gun-free zones.
According to The Huffington Post, a woman carrying a gun in St. Petersburg accidentally shot another woman when she dropped her purse, which caused the gun to discharge.
Luckily, Starbucks hasn’t officially changed its policy, so the “good guy” with the gun was still able to get her iced latte.
The logic behind the outrage being projected at Starbucks is just bizarre.
According to The Huffington Post, Whole Foods and Disney World are among many other companies to ban weapons on their properties, so why are people so outraged at Starbucks?
There is an obsessive tendency among gun owners to act out whenever someone tells them not to bring their guns to the party.
Look, no one is telling you to give up your guns to the government.
They’re just nicely asking that you don’t bring your handgun with you to buy a cup of coffee.
Yet somehow there’s always someone who feels insecure about the unfriendly and crime-conducive environments that Starbucks have to offer, and they feel people with guns should be present in these places for everyone to be safe.
Well, the answer is no: There isn’t an urgent need for armed vigilantes at Starbucks, so maybe you should try Dunkin’ Donuts instead.
The only people gun owners have to blame in this situation are themselves, as they would never have faced such a request from Starbucks if they hadn’t adopted the coffee shop as an ally in their battle to keep guns on the streets.
Richard Vieira is a UF political science senior. His columns run on Fridays. A version of this column ran on page 6 on 9/27/2013 under the headline "Starbucks has every right to ban guns"
