A Maryland police chief was outraged after he walked into an Ikea furniture store and asked to leave because of his service weapon.
Takoma Park Police Chief Alan Goldberg said he was shopping in full uniform at the Ikea in College Park on July 4 with his daughter when they were approached by a loss-prevention officer.
“He says we have a no-firearms policy, and you’re either going to have to leave or you can lock your gun in the car,” the chief told a local NBC affiliate.
The store has signs posted on the front door that read “Weapons Free Environment,” the station reported.
“It isn’t the most prudent thing to do to walk around the store in uniform with an empty holster,” Chief Goldberg said. “And I am not going to lock my gun in a commercial parking lot, with people watching me put it in there. That’s just ludicrous.”
The chief demanded to see the store’s written policy, but he only got it Monday after the NBC affiliate contacted Ikea.
“We regret that there was a misunderstanding of our weapon policy in our College Park Store,” the company said in a statement. “Our weapon policy does not apply to law enforcement officers. We are taking steps to ensure that this is clear for all our co-workers.”
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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