SocraticGadfly: Guns at #Target and #Starbucks versus #TexasOpenCarry

July 07, 2014

Guns at #Target and #Starbucks versus #TexasOpenCarry

Many liberals, like this reporter at Mother Jones, are doing cartwheels over Target banning guns from its stores.

Only problem? Target, like Starbucks a few months back, actually did no such thing.

Its actual statement:
Our approach has always been to follow local laws, and of course, we will continue to do so. But starting today we will also respectfully request that guests not bring firearms to Target -- even in communities where it is permitted by law.
Two basic, easy-to-follow thoughts, quite logical and simple, unless you're the type of "liberal" suffering from something like Battered Obamiac Syndrome.

"Respectfully request" is not an "order" or anything like it.

And, the first sentence, like good gun control people know about the first clause in the Second Amendment, is the controlling sentence. Note there that Target says it has followed local laws on guns and "we will continue to do so."

In short, nothing has changed at Target besides it now telling folks like Texas Open Carry, "Please, please, pretty please, don't bring your guns here."

And, "liberals" like the MoJo reporter, and many others, are dumb enough, or desperate enough, to actually fall for this.

I wasn't. Within an hour after the announcement, I Tweeted Target, calling bullshit until the company announces an actual policy change. So far, I've not been contacted back and no such policy change has been announced.

Again, Starbucks did similar last year, asking people not to bring guns there but NOT announcing a policy change.

You cannot, cannot, believe that any company wants anything other than what Starbucks wanted last fall, to be kept out of the crossfire, pun very intended, and nothing more -- until that company STATES a formal policy (and enforces it) rather than ASKS somebody not to do something.

Period and end of story.

And, Target and Starbucks aren't going to change until they get more pressure.

And, that was exactly the idea of Texas Open Carry all along. They've wanted to massively, in-your-face publicize this. And, the only way Target and Starbucks can get out of the crossfire is by officially refusing the crossfire's coming to their stores.

So, if you've contacted Target to thank them, way to go. You played right into their hands and sent the wrong message. You need to write again. And, in the future, you need to put down the hymnal and stop singing Kumbaya to Target, Starbucks, Chipotle and anybody else until they stop "respectfully requesting" and start changing actual policies.

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