I’ll be honest—I love Starbucks. Lattes, iced coffee, everything. I mean, seriously. Who doesn’t love that little green straw in the summer and the white cup with the brown label in the winter? However much I enjoy my Venti Vanilla Bean Frappucino, a certain policy of Starbucks’ has me wondering: am I endangered in my morning caffeination?
Starbucks “abide[s] by the laws that permit open carry in 43 U.S. States” according to their website. In these 43 states, including Missouri, licensed gun owners are permitted to openly carry their weapons in public spaces.
In Florida this past May, a woman accidentally shot her friend in the leg when her gun went off inside her purse.
Why does anyone need a gun in a coffee shop anyway? I know that espresso grinder looks pretty sketchy, but do you really need to shoot it? I think not.
While this may incite some of us coffee lovers to jump ship and head on over to Kaldi’s for our caffeine fix, Kirkwood ordinances swoop in to save the day.
The Kirkwood ordinance pertaining to weapons, Article VI Section 17-131, states no citizen may carry a gun in a public space. Thus, no coffee machines are at risk at our beloved Kirkwood Starbucks. This wonderful news for KHS Starbucks fans presents another question: why is Starbucks in the middle of this heated national debate when all they’re doing is following the law? It’s easy to point fingers and insist they change what they’re doing, but maybe the more sensible solution is altering local laws to keep our coffee safe, similar to what has been done in Kirkwood.
Besides, I’m not sure we want armed 20-somethings realizing they just paid five bucks for a Grande Iced Mocha and scone. I like my coffee with no extra shots.

Note: Since the publication of this story, Starbucks has altered their weapons policy, stating that guns are not necessarily welcome in their stores.