Gun Blogger's Starbucks Appreciation Day Backfires

[SecularMotion]

Late last month, the National Gun Victims Action Council (NGAC) announced a boycott of Starbucks starting Valentine's Day, stating that the company's policy of allowing "guns and assault weapons to be openly carried in its stores (in 43 states) and concealed and carried in its stores (in 49 states)" was unacceptable. In response, prominent gun bloggers and activists called for a Starbucks "appreciation day" - a decision that now seems to causing them some blowback.

Nearly two years ago, Starbucks turned down a request from gun violence prevention advocates to join Peet's Coffee, California Pizza Kitchen, IKEA, and other chains and exercise their right to refuse to allow individuals carrying firearms in in their stores. In the latest action seeking to convince the corporation to shift its position, NGAC urged a boycott, with its CEO Elliot Fineman stating that "Starbucks allowing guns to be carried in thousands of their stores significantly increases everyone's risk of being a victim of gun violence" and that the company's "steadfast support of the NRA's lethal pro-gun agenda damages its 'socially conscious company' brand."

Immediately after the NGAV issued its release, prominent gun blogger Sebastian wrote that in response he was "going to declare February 14th Starbucks Appreciation Day, by encouraging gun owners to head to Starbucks to buy some of their fine coffee and pastry products." According to the Los Angeles Times, there were reports of such "buycotts" in several states, including Washington, Hawaii, Tennessee, and Michigan.

But yesterday, Sebastian took to his blog with a slightly different message: stop appreciating Starbucks:

http://mediamatters.org/blog/201202170010

[oneshooter]

1. Do you have any other source? Perhaps one without a known bias?

[SecularMotion]

2. There's a direct link in the article

to the gun blogger's site. What other source do you need?

[gejohnston]

3. I can't find the "stop appreciating Starbucks"

No place. Perhaps you can find it. http://www.pagunblog.com/page/2/

[SecularMotion]

5. Here's the link

http://www.pagunblog.com/2012/02/16/time-to-give-starbucks-a-break/

[gejohnston]

6. it does not match what MM claims

The only thing I get out of it is that he is trying to reign in any dumb ass that do more harm than good.

I would like to note that Starbucks never asked for their brand to be associated with gun rights; all they want to do is sell coffee. Now that two days have passed since the end of the appreciation day, I’d like to ask everyone to support Starbucks by continuing to buy their coffee, and yummy baked goods. That is what I intend to do. For the purposes of really playing up the Buycott, I think we’ve gotten our message through. It’s time to let them go about hawking their product. By all means, let’s keep the gratitude pouring into corporate, and pouring into their coffers, but I think we ought to let Starbucks’ brand go back to just being about great coffee. That means not engaging in, what in a person-to-person analogy would be walking up to the barista, and continuing to stick pro-gun stickers all over her, and handing her guns. She didn’t ask for that. She just wants to serve you coffee.

That does not say "give up" nor does it show any indication of failure, So, where is the backfire?

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

8. IMHO...

...So, where is the backfire?

The backfire is in the farts of the minds of the pro-control media.

[shadowrider]

4. What if I write a blog debunking this blog

and link to it as an authoritative source?

[DWC]

7. SecularMotion, This is your story

and you can tell it any way you want.

IMO, next time try adding at least a little truth and honesty. It would make reading this kind of tripe a great deal more palitable.

Semper Fi,

[one-eyed fat man]

9. There seems to be a disconnect

What the blog says and what you claim it says are not the same.

So were you mislead or are you being misleading?

[AtheistCrusader]

10. You think that's a backfire?

My oh my.


What a strange world you live in.

[Hoyt]

11. "Unintended" effect of gun pollution.

Hope Starbucks gets tired of the "gun culture" parading around in their establishment.

I don't think most of the clientele is that much into all things guns. Maybe, Starbucks can create a room --similar to a smoking room -- with steel walls where the gun culture can "play" with themselves.

[oneshooter]

13. I bet you have one of those rooms in your compound.

[DonP]

14. I want a soundproof room where we can't hear the whine

It's starting to sound like an water pump with a bad bronze bushing at 6,000 RPM.

The Boycott failed miserably ... again.

So now we get to hear about how it didn't really fail ... but, but, but Starbucks has to listen to their whining, rather than the bottom line. An all metal room is fine as long as it has soundproofing too.

[Atypical Liberal]

12. I fail to see any evidence of any kind of "backfire".

The blogger is urging people to drop the issue and let the hoopla die down, but I see nothing presented to indicate that there has been any kind of "backfire".

I'm sure Starbucks received far more business on Valentine's day than it lost over the issue, and I'm sure that is noted by the top brass there.

Once again, the pro-firearm crowd shows that it can present a united front that votes with its dollars while the anti-firearm crowd cannot.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

15. CPK and IKEA don't allow patron to carry firearms? ... That's news to me.

I have carried my firearm into CPK and IKEA on numerous occasion.
Never knew it wasn't allowed. Oh well... no reason to stop carrying there now.