Gun control activist group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America has launched a petition and hashtag, #BurritosNotBullets, demanding that restaurant chain Chipotle ban firearms from its restaurants.
Forbes reports that the petition is in response to two now-viral images of members of Open Carry Texas, who brought their rifles with them when they ate at Chipotle in Dallas over the weekend -- activist group Dads for Real Gun Sense in America called it a "planned an armed trip," but Open Carry members told Forbes, “We don’t go there just to carry guns into a restaurant." Chipotle complies with state laws, but Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America wants tighter regulations from businesses, especially in states with lax gun laws, like Texas.
"Moms want to know that when we take our families out to eat burritos, we won’t be confronted with bullets,” said Shannon Watts, Founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America in a press release. Watts, who founded the Bloomberg-backed activist group in response to the Newtown, Conn. massacre, cited two recent gun-related incidences at fast food restaurants that left customers scared, including a Chipotle in Utah.
“We support the Second Amendment but we also need to feel safe and secure in the places we take our children," Watts continued. "In states where no background checks or training are required to buy semi-automatic rifles and carry them openly in public, businesses have a duty to protect their employees and patrons. That’s why we are calling on Chipotle and other businesses to follow Starbucks’ lead and make a clear statement that firearms are not welcome in their restaurants.”
Shares