A gun control group has launched a petition to pressure Target Corp. into banning open carry of firearms inside any of its retail stores — and so far, more than 10,000 have signed on.
“Target is a central part of the lives of American moms,” Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, told the Los Angeles Times. “We support the 2nd Amendment, but people walking through the aisles flaunting their loaded weapons … is unacceptable. How can we, or the store’s employees or law enforcement, possibly know if they are good guys or bad guys?”
The petition comes on the heels of similar efforts by various gun control entities that targeted Chipotle, Sonic and Jack in the Box restaurants, demanding executives ban open carry of guns inside their establishments. Starbucks, meanwhile, has asked customers to keep out guns, but hasn’t issued an outright ban.
Target responded to the petition drive with only the most neutral of statements.
“The safety and security of our guests and team members is our highest priority,” company spokeswoman Molly Snyder told the Times, reiterating that Target doesn’t sell firearms or weapons.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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