SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Brady Campaign Urges Starbucks To Prohibit Guns In Its Retail Outlets
Radical gun enthusiasts have begun parading into California
restaurants and coffeehouses in recent weeks brazenly displaying
handguns. The gun activists have frightened customers,
alarmed police and caused at least two restaurant chains to establish
firm policies prohibiting firearms in their retail locations.
WASHINGTON
Radical gun enthusiasts have begun parading into California
restaurants and coffeehouses in recent weeks brazenly displaying
handguns. The gun activists have frightened customers,
alarmed police and caused at least two restaurant chains to establish
firm policies prohibiting firearms in their retail locations.
Ten days ago, gun
violence opponents in California started urging a third chain,
Starbucks, to similarly prohibit the "open carry" of firearms in its
retail establishments, but Starbucks has rebuffed their requests.
Today, the national Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence joins with
its chapter leaders in California and across the nation in urging the
Starbucks Coffee Company to bar the carrying of firearms in its shops.
Paul Helmke, President of the Brady Campaign, today
sent a letter to Howard Schultz, the Chairman, President and Chief
Executive Officer of Starbucks Coffee Company, asking him to change
their policy. "I am writing to urge you to reverse Starbucks'
current policy allowing persons to carry guns, both openly and
concealed, into your stores," Helmke wrote. "On behalf of the Brady
Campaign and its chapters across the country, I ask you to consider the
rights of the vast majority of your customers to bring their families,
including their children, into your stores without being confronted
with the threatening presence of open-displayed guns."
Read Paul Helmke's letter to Starbucks Chairman, President and CEO Howard Schultz here: https://www.bradycampaign.org/xshare/bcam/legislation/open_carry/starbucks-letter.pdf
Just
after New Years Day, gun enthusiasts began targeting restaurants for
meetings, carrying their handguns out in the open, strapped to their
hips. These gatherings follow last year's activities by radical
gun-toters who targeted Presidential appearances while openly carrying
firearms.
After the California gatherings began, executives
with Peet's Coffee and Tea and California Pizza Kitchen announced they
would exercise their private property right to prohibit the "open
carry" of guns in retail locations.
In response to
inquiries about its policy, however, Starbucks' Customer Relations
Department stated that "Starbucks does not have a corporate policy
regarding customers and weapons; we defer to federal, state and local
laws and regulations regarding this issue."
"This is
an evasion, not a response," Helmke wrote to the Starbucks CEO. "The
law in California and other states gives businesses the right to bar
guns on their premises. Just as your stores may prohibit entry by
people who are not wearing shoes, they may prohibit entry by people
carrying guns."
The open display of firearms in public
places is inherently threatening and intimidating, and poses risks to
those nearby, to law enforcement and to the community. When open
carrying of guns has occurred in retail stores, other customers
understandably become alarmed and the police often are called to the
scene, creating a volatile and potentially dangerous situation. One
Sheriff's Lieutenant in California said when police respond to a "man
with a gun" call, they have no idea what the intentions of the gun
carrier may be and "the result could be deadly."
#
Resources:
Open carry activists at California Starbucks: https://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/east_bay&id=7248503
Comments of California Sheriff's Lieutenant on "open carry": https://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_14241180?nclick_check=1
Letter to Starbucks Chairman, President and CEO Howard Schultz from Brady Campaign President Paul Helmke: https://www.bradycampaign.org/xshare/bcam/legislation/open_carry/starbucks-letter.pdf
Brady United formerly known as The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence and its legislative and grassroots affiliate, the Brady Campaign and its dedicated network of Million Mom March Chapters, is the nation's largest, non-partisan, grassroots organization leading the fight to prevent gun violence. We are devoted to creating an America free from gun violence, where all Americans are safe at home, at school, at work, and in our communities.
LATEST NEWS
'Nation is Not For Sale': Thousands of Albanians Protest Kushner Resort Plans in Protected Wetland
"Barbed wire cannot silence people," said one conservationist. "A protected landscape of global importance is under attack, and people are demanding an end to the devastation."
Jun 03, 2026
As President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner moves forward with plans to build a luxury resort on one of the last untouched parts of the Mediterranean coast, thousands of Albanians have taken to the streets in protest.
On Tuesday evening, a throng gathered outside the office of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in the capital Tirana, holding inflatable flamingos and signs reading "Nation is not for sale" and "I don't want Albania like Dubai," Reuters reported.
Kushner's investment firm, Affinity Partners, is seeking to build a €1.4 billion ($1.6 billion) resort on the uninhabited island of Sazan and around 10,000 hotel rooms and villas along a stretch of coastline near the protected wetland of Vjosa-Narta.
According to BirdLife International:
The area shelters over 70 endangered species and more than 200 bird species, including flamingos and Dalmatian pelicans. It sits on the Adriatic Flyway, a critical migration corridor for millions of birds traveling between Africa and Europe each year. The surrounding waters are among the last Mediterranean refuges for the Mediterranean monk seal, one of the world’s most endangered marine mammals, and a key nesting ground for the loggerhead sea turtle.
In February 2024, Albania's parliament amended its protected areas law to allow the development of luxury resorts. Just weeks later, Kushner announced plans to build in Albania, which spurred an investigation by anti-corruption prosecutors.
Kushner himself has not been accused of any wrongdoing, but protesters view the construction of the sprawling complex as a symbol of the country being sold out to powerful oligarchs without their consent.
"We have a protected area, but above all, our state has allowed construction work to continue without consultation and without transparency," said Klajdi Belo, an activist who attended a demonstration on Monday, told Euronews.
Activists have said bulldozers have begun tearing through the coastline and gravel has already been dumped on age-old sand dunes—damage that could take hundreds of years to repair. Meanwhile, a large barbed-wire fence has been erected, blocking public access to the beach.
Over the weekend, protesters assembled outside the barricades surrounding the development near the coastal village of Zvërnec.
"Don't defend the oligarchs!" one man was seen shouting into a megaphone. "Those are the citizens' properties!"
During these protests, a video captured an activist being dragged along the ground by a group of black-shirted security contractors.
"There is great public outrage over what is happening in Albania, but the spark was what happened in Zvërnec," said Arilda Lleshi, who said the man and others were there because they were "protesting against a fence that had been installed there illegally."
As activists have called for heavy machines to be removed from the protected area, Rama has said no amount of public backlash will lead him to abandon the project.
"Under no circumstances do we receive the stigma of being a country where investors are met with hostility," he said in a statement to Reuters. "There is absolutely no chance that the investment will stop as long as I am here."
Anouk Puymartin, head of policy for BirdLife Europe and Central Asia, said that it's not just the habitat of endangered species at stake, but the question of whether longstanding environmental protections can be shredded at the whim of the wealthy.
"Barbed wire cannot silence people. Thousands have taken to the streets of Tirana to defend Vjosa-Narta from destruction driven by private profit," Puymartin said. "A protected landscape of global importance is under attack, and people are demanding an end to the devastation."
Ivanka Trump, the US president's daughter and Kushner's wife, has come under scrutiny for her comments about the development project recently, which were blasted as "out of touch."
In a recent interview, the Trump heiress described being inspired to purchase the island of Sazan while vacationing there years ago: “We were on a friend’s boat, and we stopped for a swim. Effectively, that’s how we found it. We swam to the islands. We went on a hike, barefoot all the way, up to the top. And we were just captivated.”
She described the project of developing the island as part of an effort to "help realize its potential" and described it as "the culmination of all of my experience in real estate, all of my travel, a lot of reflection on how I want to live."
But Puymartin describes the project as an encroachment by private wealth onto land that was previously held for the benefit of everyone.
"Nature belongs to everyone, not a handful of investors," she said. "The horrendous situation in Vjosa-Narta shows why laws are crucial to protect both people and nature. But those protections mean little if governments fail to uphold them."
Keep ReadingShow Less
'Pathetic Legacy': Democratic Colorado Governor Vetoes Landmark Surveillance Pricing Ban
"Polis had an opportunity to stand with working Coloradans, but instead chose to side with the dominant corporations using invasive surveillance data to pick their pockets.”
Jun 03, 2026
Colorado's Democratic governor faced backlash on Wednesday after vetoing legislation that would have cracked down on surveillance pricing, an increasingly common practice whereby corporations use personal data to set individualized prices on groceries and other goods.
Gov. Jared Polis, who is term-limited and thus not up for reelection, said in his veto letter that he "appreciate[s] the intentions" of the legislation, which advocates described as the strongest surveillance pricing proposal in the US. But Polis claimed the bill passed by state lawmakers is overly broad and would have had unintended consequences, echoing industry objections.
Pat Garofalo, director of state and local policy at the American Economic Liberties Project, said in a statement Wednesday that "Polis had an opportunity to stand with working Coloradans, but instead chose to side with the dominant corporations using invasive surveillance data to pick their pockets."
"The legislators who sponsored this bill worked hard to craft strong, fair protections for Colorado families, and we look forward to continuing to support them in the future," said Garofalo.
Colorado State Rep. Javier Mabrey (D-1), one of the lead sponsors of HB 1210, vowed that "we’ll be back next session" to revive the proposed surveillance pricing ban.
"The question for the Dems running to be our next governor is simple: Will you sign it, or side with the companies using our data against us?" Mabrey wrote on social media.
Gov. Polis is vetoing our bill banning surveillance pricing, allowing corporations to keep using your personal data to set prices. We’ll be back next session. The question for the dems running to be our next governor is simple: will you sign it, or side with the companies using… pic.twitter.com/HLXAogDfDy
— Rep. Javier Mabrey (@javier_mabrey) June 2, 2026
The Denver Post noted that HB 1210 "was the latest in a slew of pro-tech and pro-business vetoes by Polis in recent years." Last year, Polis vetoed legislation that would have banned rent-setting algorithms that corporate landlords have used to push up housing costs across the US.
A recent survey found that nearly 70% of Americans support banning surveillance pricing, fearing that the practice drives up the costs of basic necessities, harming unwitting consumers while lining the pockets of corporations. Public anger over surveillance pricing has spurred legislative and regulatory action in states across the US.
Lee Hepner, senior legal counsel at the American Economic Liberties Project, wrote in response to Polis' veto that "his career will be over soon, and our work is just beginning."
"Polis might have the most pathetic legacy of any outgoing Dem governor," Hepner added.
Keep ReadingShow Less
Trump Says Iran Blockade Could Last All Summer Amid Fears of Oil Supply 'Powder Keg'
The US and Iran exchanged military strikes on Wednesday as American oil inventories dropped to the lowest level in more than two decades.
Jun 03, 2026
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday tried to project optimism about reaching a deal to end the illegal war he started against Iran, even while acknowledging the crisis could last for several more months.
In an interview with The New York Post, Trump was asked whether the current blockade of Iran would last until Labor Day.
"I don't know," Trump said. "I mean, I think it could be, but I think it's unlikely... I think this will resolve itself fairly quickly."
Q: Do you think the blockade will still be in place by Labor Day?
Trump: It could be, but I think it's unlikely. I think this will resolve itself fairly quickly. pic.twitter.com/Ispq2tnPJZ
— Clash Report (@clashreport) June 3, 2026
The president for the last several months has managed to keep oil prices from spiking to disastrous levels by dropping hints that his illegal war will soon be over, even though it has continued with no end in sight.
And while the Trump administration has insisted that its ceasefire deal is still in effect, CNN reported on Wednesday that Iran launched attacks against US military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain after US forces fired a Hellfire missile at a Botswana-flagged oil tanker that was heading toward an Iranian port.
Iran also launched drone and missile strikes at Kuwait's international airport, killing one person and leaving dozens injured, according to Al Jazeera.
Oil industry expert Patrick De Haan on Tuesday warned that the price of oil will soon shoot back up if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed because US petroleum supplies, which have been drained at a rapid pace since the start of the war, are about to hit their lowest level in over two decades.
"US distillate inventories will likely fall under 100 million barrels for the first time in over 20 years, exacerbated by high exports due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz," De Hann wrote in a social media post. "This is a powder keg waiting to go off if a deal to reopen the strait doesn't happen soon."
In an analysis published Wednesday, The American Prospect's Ryan Cooper similarly warned that the tricks used by nations around the world to keep a lid on oil prices, such as releasing petroleum reserves, would soon be ineffective thanks to hard supply constraints.
"As storages dwindle and run out, the only way to match demand to supply will be for the price to rise high enough to destroy something like 10 to 20% of global oil consumption," Cooper wrote. "And because a great deal of oil demand is obligatory and therefore not very price-sensitive, that price will likely be north of $150 per barrel."
This would lead not just to an explosion in gasoline and diesel fuel prices, Cooper continued, but a "corresponding price hike for anything that needs to be transported, or involved in plastic in some way, which is to say basically everything."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular