The Problem with General Gun Bans

Another store is under fire for their gun policy, but this time because they ban firearms and an employee assumed that IKEA meant it. So, when a guy showed up with a firearm strapped to his hip where everyone could see it, the customer was told to leave. That customer happens to be a police chief who was in uniform. Now, corporate is saying that their gun bans, even though they have no written exemption, were never meant to apply to any cop. The employee was simply enforcing their ban, and now he’s in trouble for it.

This is one reason why stores would be better not to post against lawful carry because they either have to make a list of exemptions that will eventually confuse their staff or they’ll have to ban police officers and others from their stores if they won’t create exemptions.

10 thoughts on “The Problem with General Gun Bans”

  1. This is exactly as it should be. Rules apply to everyone, no matter your class or title, right?

    1. They should, and should also apply to the armored car employees who come to transport their money to a bank just as equally as a cop or citizen.
      (remember, cops ARE citizens, not military, even tho it’s getting harder to tell the difference every day)

      1. You are confusing civilian and citizen. Neither is a subset of the other, and they are different.

  2. The former IKEA Loss Prevention Officer has a golden future in our Zero Tolerance Society. Obstinance, Stupidity, and Ignorance is necessary for many modern management positions.

    He was just following his orders, “Befehl ist Befehl!”

    1. Or was he?

      I see no interview at the link of the employee to get his point of view on the matter.

      It’s as likely he’s a closet activist using the “Them’s The Rules” excuse to make the very point we’d like to make, no?

  3. As a trained and licensed “Loss Prevention Officer” myself, I would say that this guy would have an actionable case if he were to sue. Security guards are given very clear and specific instructions as to their duties, and if the No Guns policy had no listed exemptions then that policy applies to everybody including uniformed cops.

  4. The state I’m currently spending time in bans OC, except for LEOs. So you get off-duty LEOs in civvies walking around with an OC glock and their badge clipped to their belts. They are not performing any sort of active LE function. It isn’t like detectives who print or OC from time to time while on the clock in civilian clothes. These guys are doing their grocery shopping or picking up personal items at Walmart or whatever. The practice is for either pure personal convenience or just to show that they have authoritay.

    I am always half tempted to call in a “man with a gun” call on such. I would never harass a lawful responsible open carrier in such a way but it really rankles me when one special class tries to exert royal prerogatives not enjoyed by other civilians.

    So, I am perfectly happy with the rent a cop at IKEA’s action. That said I’m afraid corporate will just do what Chipotle (and IKEA) did which is have a soft policy of “no guns unless you have a badge, mkay?”

    Heck, I think this store was in MD. MD has already done the heavy lifting of disarming the plebeians for corporate!

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