Why Uber banned guns from cars
| New York
Ride-hailing app company聽Uber聽says it is banning its riders and drivers from carrying guns.
Uber聽Technologies says it is banning firearms of any kind during rides arranged through the聽Uber platform, and drivers or riders who violate the rule may lose access to the platform. The rules also apply to聽Uber's聽affiliates.
The company said Friday it changed its firearms policy on June 10 to make sure riders and drivers feel comfortable. In a statement,聽Uber聽said it made the change after reviewing feedback from both passengers and聽Uber聽drivers. Previously it had deferred to local law on the issue.
San Francisco-based聽Uber聽lets passengers summon cars through an app in more than 250 cities worldwide, and the privately held company is valued at around $40 billion. However it's faced legal and regulatory challenges as it expands in the United States and abroad. It has also been criticized over the thoroughness of the background checks it does on drivers and other safety issues.
In April, an聽Uber聽driver with a concealed-carry permit shot a 22-year-old man who had opened fire on a group of pedestrians in Chicago. Court records say the man was shooting at pedestrians who were walking in front of the聽Uber聽driver's vehicle, and the driver shot the gunman. The driver wasn't charged, as prosecutors said he acted in defense of himself and others.
Competitor Lyft also has a "no weapons" policy. According to Lyft's website, if a driver or rider is found to have a weapon in a Lyft vehicle they'll be barred from the platform regardless of local laws on weapons possession.
As 海角大神 reported, the Uber weapons ban comes as the debate over gun control has been reignited by the shooting in Charleston, S.C.聽
On Friday, in remarks to US mayors, Obama called for a national conversation about gun violence, saying he refuses to accept that mass shootings are 鈥�.鈥� 聽
On Saturday,聽: 聽"I lived in Arkansas and I represented upstate New York. I know that gun ownership is part of the fabric of a lot of law abiding communities," Clinton said. "I also know that we can have common sense gun reforms that keep weapons out of the hands of criminals and the violently unstable while respecting responsible gun owners."
But Country music star Toby Keith said on Thursday that stricter gun laws would not have made a difference in Charleston.聽聽had been praying at The Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church on Wednesday, "maybe seven or eight of those nine people would still be alive."
