Louisiana State Representative and Defend Louisiana founder Jeff Thompson said Friday that conservatives should take their business to coffee shops that are friendly to gun owners and who respect the Second Amendment. Starbucks announced Tuesday that firearms are no longer welcome in its cafes, but has stopped short of outright banning them, the company's CEO Howard Schultz wrote in...
Louisiana State Representative and Defend Louisiana founder Jeff Thompson said Friday that conservatives should take their business to coffee shops that are friendly to gun owners and who respect the Second Amendment.
Starbucks announced Tuesday that firearms are no longer welcome in its cafes, but has stopped short of outright banning them, the company's CEO Howard Schultz wrote in an open letter to customers.
"We've seen the "open carry" debate become increasingly uncivil and, in some cases, even threatening," Schulz wrote. "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."
Schultz simply said: "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."
The CEO said for those reasons, "we are respectfully requesting that customers no longer bring firearms into our stores or outdoor seating areas--even in states where "open carry" is permitted--unless they are authorized law enforcement personnel."
"The home of the most expensive cup of coffee is apparently now the home of one of the most dangerous as well," Thompson, a Republican out of Bossier City said in a news release.
Over the next few weeks, Thompson will be hosting a series of "Guns & Coffee" events
Thompson will be at local coffee shops and gun-friendly businesses to buy any Second Amendment supporter a cup of coffee and discuss the current battle to defend gun rights.
"I hope residents in Bossier and across Louisiana come out for a free cup of coffee," Thompson said. "You won't find me in Starbucks... not when I know they openly try to make villains out of law abiding citizens who own guns. I choose to support small business owners who share a love of our Louisiana heritage, the great outdoors and join in my efforts to defend our right to protect our families."
