NH:Armed Citizen Confronted at Starbucks

Photo by Dave Workman

A mother needed to use the Internet to order items required by a minor emergency on the road.   Naturally, she turned to Starbucks.

Starbucks has become known nationally for its neutral policy on the carry of firearms.  If you are following the law, Starbucks is willing to take your money in exchange for their product.  Here is what happened in a New Hampshire Starbucks as written by the mother it happened to, Riana, on opencarry.org:

Here I am, minding my own business, sitting with my husband and son in the Starbucks on Main Street. I had several things to take care of, as our vacation plans have been drastically altered by a broken-down vehicle, and needed internet access to handle them.

A man came up to me, pointed at my holstered sidearm, and asked rather indignantly, "What is that?"

I replied, "That is my defensive sidearm, sir."

"Well, I'm glad you feel safer, but I don't." he said.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, sir," I said calmly.

The complainer then went immediately (and loudly) went to the staff, demanding they "do something" about me. The staff simply responded that I was well within my rights, and they would do nothing. He told them he didn't feel safe, and another customer piped in that he indeed felt safer with me carrying a sidearm. The complainer then left the store in a huff, hollering that he would never come back to this store, because of the policy.

Later the customer who piped up came by and thanked me for carrying. The staff never made any comment to me. My son did note, however, that the complainer drove off in a car with Massachusetts plates, so that explains a lot.

This is an unusual experience for people who openly carry firearms.  I have openly carried firearms for many years, and the number of negative encounters, all milder than the one above, can be numbered on the fingers of one hand.   It might help that I have been told that I have a mild and inoffensive appearance.  I have also been told that I look like a policeman.  Fortunately, I have never had another person loudly complain to management that I was allowed to carry a firearm. 

 ©2013 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.