Starbucks Caught in Gun-Control Crosshairs

Starbucks doesn’t want to be part of the gun control debate, but lately it seems to be something of a bullseye. After the coffee chain refused to ban guns in its stores, both Brady Campaign protesters and those packing heat have been demonstrating at Seattle-area Starbucks, the Post-Intelligencer reports. “Starbucks put out a statement saying they don’t want to be in the middle of this fight. Well, they are. They are in the middle,” said the group’s director.

The Brady Campaign’s been asking businesses like Starbucks to ban guns, to deter the rising “open carry” movement, in which gun owners carry unconcealed guns in public. But Starbucks declined; yesterday, it argued that its employees might be harmed if it banned guns. But barista says the policy shows a “complete disregard” for employee safety. “The only thing worse than a yuppie upset with how their frappuccino turned out is a yuppie with a gun who's unhappy with how their frappuccino turned out.” (More Starbucks stories.)