Author Topic: IKEA Asks Uniformed Police Chief to Leave Gun in Car  (Read 593 times)

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Oceander

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IKEA Asks Uniformed Police Chief to Leave Gun in Car
« on: July 09, 2014, 03:59:29 am »
IKEA Asks Uniformed Police Chief to Leave Gun in Car


Tuesday, 08 Jul 2014 04:35 PM

By John Blosser

Quote
In the latest twist in the battle by anti-gun groups to get retail businesses to prohibit carrying firearms in their establishments, an armed, on-duty, uniformed police chief was asked to leave an IKEA furniture store.

Alan Goldberg, chief of police in Takoma Park, Md., was shopping for furniture for his daughter's apartment on July 4 when he was approached by a store loss prevention officer, who asked him to leave.

"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," Goldberg told NBC Washington.

The Swedish furniture store had signs posted on the front door reading, "Weapons Free Environment," reports The Daily Caller, but nothing to indicate those restrictions would apply to a serving and uniformed police officer.

Goldberg told NBC Washington, "It isn't the most prudent thing in the world to do to walk around the store in uniform with an empty holster, 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."

A 35-year law enforcement veteran, Goldberg said he had never been asked to give up his service weapon before.

On July 7, IKEA released an apology, saying, "We regret that there was a misunderstanding of our weapon policy in our College Park store. Our weapon policy does not apply to law enforcement officers. We are taking steps to ensure that this is clear to all our co-workers."

Goldberg was so annoyed that he posted IKEA's reply on his Facebook page, and, that same day, three armed, uniformed officers were seen at the store.

IKEA has joined other retailers, including Chili's, Sonic, Costco, Toys "R" Us, Babies "R" Us, Jack in the Box, Starbucks, Whole Foods Market and, most recently, Target in declaring their shops to be gun-free zones.

As of July 9, John Mulligan, interim CEO of Target, said employees would "respectfully request that guests not bring firearms to Target, even in communities where it is permitted by law."

Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a group that has been organizing online petitions asking retailers to ban guns in their stores, said, "Moms are thankful that Target responded quickly to the call of nearly 400,000 Americans and asked customers to keep their firearms at home."

"Target recognized that moms are a powerful customer base and political force," she said, "and you can respect the 2nd Amendment and the safety of customers at the same time."

Offline Luis Gonzalez

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Re: IKEA Asks Uniformed Police Chief to Leave Gun in Car
« Reply #1 on: July 09, 2014, 04:38:38 am »
IKEA has joined other retailers, including Chili's, Sonic, Costco, Toys "R" Us, Babies "R" Us, Jack in the Box, Starbucks, Whole Foods Market and, most recently, Target in declaring their shops to be gun-free zones.

City Furniture... TGI Friday's... Five Guys... KB Toys... Amazon... Wendy's... Dunkin Donuts... Fresh Market... Sears.

 
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Offline EC

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Re: IKEA Asks Uniformed Police Chief to Leave Gun in Car
« Reply #2 on: July 09, 2014, 07:16:58 am »
On the policy as a whole, I am right on the fence and it is uncomfortable. Everyone has the right to bear arms. That is a given. Think of your neighbors and you can rapidly make a list of people who shouldn't be allowed spoons without protective padding, never mind guns.
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Offline Luis Gonzalez

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Re: IKEA Asks Uniformed Police Chief to Leave Gun in Car
« Reply #3 on: July 09, 2014, 07:11:32 pm »
On the policy as a whole, I am right on the fence and it is uncomfortable. Everyone has the right to bear arms. That is a given. Think of your neighbors and you can rapidly make a list of people who shouldn't be allowed spoons without protective padding, never mind guns.

While everyone has an unquestionable right to bear arms, property rights trump your right to bear arms.

If I don't want you to be on my property while bearing arms, your choice is to either disarm yourself before entering my property, or turning around ant NOT entering my property. 
"Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, i have others." - Groucho Marx

Offline EC

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Re: IKEA Asks Uniformed Police Chief to Leave Gun in Car
« Reply #4 on: July 09, 2014, 07:27:45 pm »
While everyone has an unquestionable right to bear arms, property rights trump your right to bear arms.

If I don't want you to be on my property while bearing arms, your choice is to either disarm yourself before entering my property, or turning around ant NOT entering my property.

True - yet I know that me and mine are safe in your home, so to carry there would not only be unnecessary but an insult to you and your hospitality.

In public, it's a different matter entirely. Absolutely anyone can walk into Ikea or Starbucks and go nuts. So do their property rights trump the rights of their customers to self protection? It's one of those horribly awkward conundrums.

Still, you'd think they'd make an exception for a uniformed police officer.
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Oceander

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Re: IKEA Asks Uniformed Police Chief to Leave Gun in Car
« Reply #5 on: July 09, 2014, 07:31:26 pm »
While everyone has an unquestionable right to bear arms, property rights trump your right to bear arms.

If I don't want you to be on my property while bearing arms, your choice is to either disarm yourself before entering my property, or turning around ant NOT entering my property. 

I tend to agree.

Offline Luis Gonzalez

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Re: IKEA Asks Uniformed Police Chief to Leave Gun in Car
« Reply #6 on: July 09, 2014, 07:39:26 pm »
True - yet I know that me and mine are safe in your home, so to carry there would not only be unnecessary but an insult to you and your hospitality.

In public, it's a different matter entirely. Absolutely anyone can walk into Ikea or Starbucks and go nuts. So do their property rights trump the rights of their customers to self protection? It's one of those horribly awkward conundrums.

Still, you'd think they'd make an exception for a uniformed police officer.

We're not talking about "in public", we're talking "in Ikea". That's their business and their property and they have every right to tell you that they don't want youy in their store while wearing a gun, or without a shirt, or without shoes, or (as in the case of that Bar Louie in Minnesota) dressed like a thug.

I think it is a stupid restriction, because I strongly believe that visible weapons in the hands of law-abiding citizens are the best crime deterrent that there is, but it is the store owner's (corporation's) choice.
"Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, i have others." - Groucho Marx

Offline EC

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Re: IKEA Asks Uniformed Police Chief to Leave Gun in Car
« Reply #7 on: July 09, 2014, 07:54:01 pm »
We're not talking about "in public", we're talking "in Ikea". That's their business and their property and they have every right to tell you that they don't want youy in their store while wearing a gun, or without a shirt, or without shoes, or (as in the case of that Bar Louie in Minnesota) dressed like a thug.

I think it is a stupid restriction, because I strongly believe that visible weapons in the hands of law-abiding citizens are the best crime deterrent that there is, but it is the store owner's (corporation's) choice.

I guess. I think it's a stupid restriction too. Then again I think the open carry protests that were in the news were also stupid. A gun is a tool like any other. Not something to make a fetish or an obsession about, just something to learn to use well and for it's intended purpose only.
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Offline Fishrrman

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Re: IKEA Asks Uniformed Police Chief to Leave Gun in Car
« Reply #8 on: July 10, 2014, 12:19:53 am »
Luis wrote above:
[[ We're not talking about "in public", we're talking "in Ikea". That's their business and their property and they have every right to tell you that they don't want youy in their store while wearing a gun, or without a shirt, or without shoes, or (as in the case of that Bar Louie in Minnesota) dressed like a thug. ]]

Nope.

For an officer on duty, it is an appropriate part of his "dress" that he have his weapon on his person and "available".

Let's turn the tables for a moment.

If that same IKEA store was robbed by a team of armed assailants, and the police were summoned, would the manager of the store ask them to remove their weapons before they came inside ??