Target 'Respectfully' Says Leave Your Guns at Home

Even in communities where carrying a gun in public is legal
By Shelley Hazen,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 2, 2014 12:01 PM CDT
Target 'Respectfully' Says Leave Your Guns at Home
In this Dec. 19, 2013 file photo, shoppers arrive at a Target store in Los Angeles on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2013.   (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes,file)

Please don't bring your .38 to Target anymore. The company—whose logo is, ironically, basically a shooting range target—has "respectfully" requested that customers keep their firearms at home and out of stores—even in communities where carrying a gun in public is legal, USA Today reports. Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America quickly lauded the move; the group began a petition a month ago to pressure Target to prohibit guns and got 400,000 signatures. (A Target rep noted that today's move is a "request and not a prohibition.") The group had also released images of Open Carry Texas members toting rifles in a Dallas Target, "down the same aisles where we shop for diapers and toys."

The open carry group and Moms Demand Action have clashed before, the Huffington Post reports: The gun rights activists bring their rifles into a major national store or its parking lot, then Moms Demand Action issues a statement and puts the pressure on the chain to ban guns. Target is the biggest US company to take this step so far—Chipotle, Chili’s, and Sonic have made similar moves, and Starbucks has also asked that guns be left at home. As Target's statement notes, "Bringing firearms to Target creates an environment that is at odds with the family-friendly shopping and work experience we strive to create." The rep added that the chain doesn't "have any plans for proactive communication to guests beyond what Target leadership shared today." (But, oops: Last month, a loaded gun was found in the toy aisle at a Florida Target.)

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