Guns at Starbucks? Pushing the right to bear arms in public
| San Francisco
Small groups of armed Californians have been turning up at cafes and coffee shops with handguns holstered to their belts to raise awareness about gun rights and what they call unfair limits on concealed weapon permits.
The loosely organized will gather in the Presidio, a national park in San Francisco, on Saturday, just days after a took effect allowing weapons to be carried in national parks and wildlife refuges.
David LaTour, a student at San Jose State University, has been carrying his Springfield XD 9mm handgun on his hip for about a month now and plans on attending the event, in which gun rights advocates will be picking up trash in the park and, they hope, talking to anyone interested in state gun laws.
In Pictures: The debate over gun rights
California allows its citizens to openly display and carry unloaded weapons without a permit, but many gun advocates complain that the state is too restrictive when it comes to issuing licenses to carry concealed weapons.
鈥淚 looked into concealed carry permits, but unless you鈥檙e well-connected it鈥檚 impossible to obtain,鈥� says Mr. LaTour. However, he says, 鈥淚 personally prefer open carry because of the visual deterrent.鈥� (Monitor report: 鈥淐ities鈥� gun restrictions begin to topple鈥�)
Carrying unloaded guns is legal
Safety is the No. 1 reason that many open carry advocates give for displaying their weapons. While they can鈥檛 legally carry loaded guns, they can have ammunition as long as it鈥檚 not attached to their weapons.
鈥淵ou can have a functioning loaded weapon in two seconds,鈥� says LaTour.
While the gun owner meet-ups around the Bay Area have been raising awareness about the state鈥檚 gun laws, they have also been raising eyebrows. After the groups met at Peet鈥檚 Coffee and Tea and the California Pizza Kitchen, both banned weapons from their premises.
Starbucks has also been a favorite spot for open carry groups, prompting the anti-gun violence group the Brady Campaign to launch a to convince the coffee chain to ban guns from its shops.
鈥淭here is a growing 鈥榦pen carry鈥� movement among gun activists, who seek to make a political statement by gathering in coffee shops, restaurants and other public locations with their guns openly on display,鈥� the Brady Campaign said in a statement. 鈥淕iven the absence of meaningful regulation of open carry in the vast majority of states, more and more Americans will be faced with the intimidation and danger of confronting guns in public places.鈥�
So far Starbucks hasn鈥檛 kicked out its gun-carrying customers, prompting praise from .
Police departments uneasy
Bay Area police department have also expressed concern about the growing open carry movement. (Monitor report: "Ft. Hood rampage raises questions about gun control")
In a September 2009 to his officers, Sunnyvale, Calif., Deputy Police Chief Mark Stivers wrote, 鈥淭o be very frank, I do not like the fact people can carry an unloaded gun in a holster in plain view in public. However the law says they can and we uphold the law.鈥�
Nathan Wolanyk, an open carry advocate from San Diego, says the movement is as much about informing the public as it is about educating police departments who, he says, are often unaware of the unloaded open carry law.
Deputy Chief Stivers cautioned his officers, who are allowed to inspect unconcealed weapons to ensure they are unloaded, adhere to the law because open carry proponents 鈥渕ay want to provoke an incident鈥� to bring a law suit against the city.
But Mr. Wolanyk and others say their movement is largely about changing perceptions about gun ownership.
鈥淚f all you see are guns in the media used in a violent manner, that鈥檚 your perception of guns,鈥� he says. 鈥淲hen we鈥檙e out in public with them, we鈥檙e interacting with the public in a very nice manner. We鈥檙e showing that these are tools that are used for self defense.鈥�
