The National Gun Victims Action Council (NGVAC) is an American organization which advocates against
gun violence
Gun-related violence is violence committed with the use of a firearm. Gun-related violence may or may not be considered criminal. Criminal violence includes homicide (except when and where ruled justifiable), assault with a deadly weapon, and ...
and for
gun control. The NGVAC uses targeted boycotts of various businesses and organizations in an attempt to persuade those organizations into changing their gun policies, or advocate for increased gun control. NGAC is based in
Chicago, Illinois
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, and headed by Elliot Fineman, who "became active in gun control causes after his son was shot and killed in a San Diego restaurant in 2006 by a mentally ill man wielding a legally purchased handgun."
Starbucks boycott
In 2010, the
Brady Campaign
Brady: United Against Gun Violence (formerly “Handgun Control, Inc”., the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence) is an American nonprofit organization that advocates for gun control and again ...
proposed a boycott of Starbucks due to their gun policy. At that time, Starbucks released a statement saying "We comply with local laws and statutes in all the communities we serve. That means we abide by the laws that permit open carry in 43 U.S. states. Where these laws don’t exist, openly carrying weapons in our stores is prohibited. The political, policy and legal debates around these issues belong in the legislatures and courts, not in our stores."
In 2012, the National Gun Victims Action Council published an open letter to Starbucks, asking them to revise their policy, and also proposed a "Brew not Bullets" boycott of the chain until the policy is changed, with
Valentines Day
Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, thro ...
selected as a particular day to boycott the chain.
After counter-protests by
gun rights
The right to keep and bear arms (often referred to as the right to bear arms) is a right for people to possess weapons (arms) for the preservation of life, liberty, and property. The purpose of gun rights is for self-defense, including securi ...
advocates,
Starbucks founder and CEO Howard Schultz asked customers to no longer bring guns into its stores. He made the comments in an open letter published in September 2013 on the company's website. Schultz said he was not banning guns, but making a request.
See also
*
Open Carry
In the United States, open carry refers to the practice of visibly carrying a firearm in public places, as distinguished from concealed carry, where firearms cannot be seen by the casual observer. To "carry" in this context indicates that the fi ...
References
External links
Official website
{{USgunorgs
Gun control advocacy groups in the United States
Civil liberties advocacy groups in the United States