Several top Democrats in Connecticut have teamed up with a local pro-gun control organization urging the coffee chain Starbucks to ban firearms from its stores nationwide. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, along with Rep. Elizabeth Esty and Gov. Dannel Malloy, all signed on to a letter sent to Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz by the Newtown Action Alliance, an organization created by the family members of the Sandy Hook Elementary School victims. Starbucks’ current policy allows patrons to carry concealed weapons into their shops in accordance with local laws. “If you make the decision to ban guns, your company has the chance to honor the 26 innocent lives lost here in Newtown and the 32,000 Americans lost annually to gun violence by becoming a leader in educating the public about firearm safety,” the letter said. “We know by having observed and admired your continuing advocacy that your company not only understands but takes pride in its responsibility to promote the growth of a safe and just society.” While the grassroots organization did praise the coffee company for its support of other causes, including rights for LGBT individuals and environmental sustainability, it urged Schultz to consider reforms within its own stores as well. “Your core customers are people like us who have come to understand how guns jeopardize the stability of any environment,” the letter continued. “They are people who have come to understand that to prevent another Sandy Hook, we as a society must prioritize the sanctity of human life over the individual’s ‘right to carry.'” While Starbucks hasn’t publicly announced a decision about whether it will change its current gun policies, Schultz apparently spoke last week with the father of Lauren Rousseau, a Starbucks barista and teacher at Sandy Hook who was killed in the December shooting. Several shops in Newtown also closed early on August 9 after gun rights advocates planned to enter the premises with guns. Connecticut has some of the strictest gun control laws in the country, including an assault weapons ban that was signed into law this past April. “We recognize that there is significant and genuine passion surrounding this topic, however out of respect for Newtown, and everything the community has been through, we decided to close our store early before the event started,” Starbucks executive vice president Chris Carr said in a statement. “Starbucks did not endorse or sponsor the event. We continue to encourage customers and advocacy groups from all sides of the debate to contact their elected officials, who make the open carry laws that our company follows. Our long-standing approach to this topic has been to comply with local laws and statutes in the communities we serve.” The Newtown Action Alliance did not immediately return Red Alert Politics’ request for comment.
