HyVee grocery stores are the latest target of gun control efforts.
The anti-gun Bloomberg crew lead by Moms Demand Action and Everytown for Gun Safety are continuing their campaign to persecute lawful gun owners. This time it’s at HyVee Grocery Stores.
The West Des Moines, Iowa based company operates more than 235 stores in 8 Midwest states. A very short time ago the gun control zealots opened up a petition specifically targeting HyVee stores and demanding they ban open carry in all HyVee stores.
Anti-gunners are demanding that HyVee prohibit law-abiding citizens from exercising their rights.
Persecuting Shoppers
After realizing they stood no chance of getting their gun control agenda passed at the federal level these anti-gunners, lead by the out of touch billionaire Michael Bloomberg, have been forced to settle for badgering individual businesses. They use startling, and misleading images to scare uneducated shoppers into thinking anyone who carries a gun is a threat. This campaign of ignorance and fear saw a few early successes as some companies caved to their demands. But more recently the anti’s have found it harder and harder to sell their anti-freedom propaganda.
Kroger Gets It Right
Last year the anti-gunners targeted the Kroger grocery store and all of their subsidiaries. After numerous attempts to try to bully store management into banning the lawful open carry of firearms Moms Demand Action and their siblings at Everytown for Gun Safety fell flat on the faces yet again.
Kroger management carefully weighed the facts, looking beyond the anti-gunners superficial scare campaign. More importantly store management examined the law their customers must adhere to. And you know what they realized? Gun owners aren’t the threat Bloomberg and Co. make them out to be and there was not reason to cave to the anti-gunners.
In the end Kroger held to their principles and declared they would not bow to these demands. Instead they would continue to follow all applicable laws and not dictate to their customers.
Kroger Chief Financial Officer Michael Schlotman made the store’s policy crystal clear on CNBC’s Squawk Box:
“If the local gun laws are to allow open carry, we’ll certainly allow customers to do that based on what the local laws are. We don’t believe it’s up to us to legislate what the local gun control laws should be. It’s up to the local legislators to decide to do that.
So we follow local laws [and] we ask our customers to be respectful to the other people they are shopping with. And we really haven’t had any issues inside of our stores as a result of that.”
The icing on the cake? Despite a high-profile anti-gunner boycott of all things Kroger, the chain of grocery stores actually saw a 21% increase in profits!
HyVee, how will you respond?
So, HyVee executives, the anti-gunners are setting their sights on you and your stores. Your colleagues at Kroger have set a great example for you. As representatives of hundreds of thousands of peaceful, trained and law-abiding Permit to Carry holders we urge to follow their lead. As Everytown, Moms Demand Action, and Michael Bloomberg’s out of touch billionaire cronies turn up the pressure on you we urge you to look past their superficial scare campaigns.
The rights of your customers are guaranteed by law, constitutional law. And at the end of the day law trumps feelings. But even still, we feel it’s extremely important that you acknowledge all of your customers rights.
Attention HyVee shoppers
It’s important that you let HyVee know that respecting your rights is an extremely important issue.
We encourage you to contact the HyVee stores you shop — here’s a directory of their stores.
Thank them for recognizing your Second Amendment rights, and politely remind them that as a gun owner and Permit to Carry holder you’ve passed multiple background checks, you’ve been trained, and most importantly you’re a peaceful law-abiding citizen (and there are hundreds of thousands more like you throughout the state). You are not the threat some people try to make you out to be. Then urge them to remember your rights the next time someone tries convincing them that gun owners are a threat to their safety.
Remember to be polite. The anti-gunners work very hard to paint a picture that gun owners are callous thugs and bullies. We need prove them wrong, and the best way of doing that is being polite and respectful while making our case to neutral parties.
If you’re on Facebook you, leave a message on HyVee’s corporate Facebook page.
If you’re on Twitter, tweet them @HyVee
Iowa Firearms Coalition is an entirely volunteer, grassroots, Second Amendment advocacy group. Responsible for bringing uniformity to Iowa’s Concealed Weapons Permitting process, IFC’s members work to protect and enhance Second Amendment rights in Iowa. An affiliate of the National Rifle Association, the IFC actively seeks to foster and promote the shooting sports. Sign up for our email list for the latest on Second Amendment issues in Iowa. You can support our work by becoming a member, or making a donation.
The information given above is highly applicable.
I respectfully would like to let you know that while banning guns in the stores is a wonderful thing…. However we all know that criminals do not follow laws. Which means you should be glad when an armed individual such as myself or many others is in the checkout line as that criminal pulls a gun on your 17 year old checker and threatens his or her young life for a mere $50 cash in that register .. I for one will take action to save her life and the others in that line…. When you dial 911 it will be a minimum of 2-3 minutes before they arrive… Remember a bullet travels several hundred feet in less than a second and several rounds can be shot in 2-3 minutes as well… I for one do not want to take the chance of being shot over $50 in a grocery store… However we live in times that do require us to be ready at anything from a school Christmas program to a football game to a flight and a local grocery store. I do hope that you review the thought of banning honest god fearing and law abiding citizens. Because there are plenty of criminals that won’t…..
Sounds like you know how to figure things out for yourself. Be your own boss. Don’t believe everything you see, and even less of what you hear. You never really understand something until you discover it for yourself. http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/182194
Invictus
By William Ernest Henley
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.
People are neutered or disarmed, for example, only to the extent they are conned, bribed, and/or successfully threatened. Political racketeering by people who have ulterior motives works only so far as the candidate sheep lack brains, heart, and/or courage. To defend ourselves, we need to (1) Plan, (2) Organize the big picture, (3) Coordinate the details, (4) Communicate the right information to the right people at the right time, and (5) Develop Intelligence practices, both defensive intel at the minimum and offensive intel, as to staying ahead of the con jobs, tricks, traps, and ambushes.
Interesting thought processes. Why don’t you take charge and let me know where and when. I have never been one to put up with too much bullshit.
“Though all had suffered the man was alone, waiting. He would NOT back down, he would do the right thing. NOT because his success was guaranteed, because the lonely man would NOT submit, he would NOT live whatever was left of his life on his knees!”
Great info Randy. america has neutered its men. it starts in grade school when they neuter its young boys. take bullying as a example. A bully hits you, you smack him back and they punish the recipient for defending himself. Can you say NEUTER? it’s bad enough but why do they have to use a spoon?
If the open carry guy at Hy-Vee had been on the university campus in Iowa City, the Hillary types would have been livid. Except, in the real world, when Andrea Farrington was brought there to the UIHC emergency room, after she’d been shot at the Coral Ridge Mall, guess what the Univ. Iowa Hospitals and Clinics wanted concerning guns?
They were in a sudden big panic that since the gunman was still on the loose, he might be coming there to finish her off. So, their #1 concern was to get armed guards posted at all the hospital entrances, since it hypocritically [but finally insightfully] occurred to them (when confronted by the real world) that they needed guns to protect themselves. In the real world, in the real world. A novel concept to gun control hallucinators, and usually beyond their feeble IQ level.
Just like Obama and Hillary are the first to insist you have to surrender your right to protect yourself, but hypocritically are the last to give up their own gunslingers. Hy-Vee is already better protected, and has plenty of readiness in place for bad guys– with their own in-store concealed carry employees. That’s why you are safer at Hy-Vee than you are at a politically-manipulated hospital, which runs on delusions until they have to face reality.
Appreciate HyVee’s stand on this issue. Read on another website that a open carry man was asked to leave a HyVee store in Iowa City which is clearly not in keeping with their Company policy. He wrote to HyVee Corporate and they said they were sorry for the manager’s decision, sent him a in-store credit for 250.00 and promised they would educate the Manager of the store. Nice!!!
Coralville mall has in small print under rules and regulations to NOT bring firearms into the mall. Ya, Right. It really helped that young lady didn’t it. It was one of their OWN security guards who went home and got his gun and came back and killed her. So much for bad guys obeying the rules.
I go to Scheels all the time at the mall. They welcome me and my Ruger .45 with smiles. I then conceal it and strut around the mall like I own the place. I don’t give a crap about businesses who won’t allow us to protect ourselves as if I can depend on them to do so. Again, I conceal carry ALL THE TIME at Coralville mall. And yes, I am proud to go against their wishes. Idiots!!!
This is a e-mail conversation I recently had with HyVee asking them their position on firearms carry in their stores. I received a weak response initially then a strong stand to clarify. Please READ FROM THE BOTTOM UP!
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RE: From Hy-Vee
RE: From Hy-Vee
John Adams
10/29/15
To: Ballard, Larry
Your the man L Ballard! I conceal carry most of the time and after 67 years of life have never felt more comfortable. I am a Veteran and a upstanding citizen. Recently Mothers against carrying put tons of pressure on the Kroeger Stores yet the Kroeger stores held their beliefs. Obviously grocery stores should try and stay out of the fray as the anti-gun crowd while I don’t like their thinking certainly buys groceries as do the PRO- gun side. I haven’t open carried yet as I don’t want to alarm anyone however I will make you this promise, IF I ever open carry in one of your stores and someone complains to management, I will leave without incident IF the Store manager states in front of the complaining patron that I am within my rights, that I have broken NO laws and I am leaving of my free will because I don’t want to make them feel uncomfortable. That way everyone wins. The store doesn’t have to alienate anyone, the customer no longer feels uncomfortable, and we are educating the Public on our rights and laws and getting our message across. I love the fact you are backing our 2nd amendment, State, Local and FEDERAL laws without having to draw a line in the sand. GOOD FOR YOU. Love your Store at Johnson Ave as I live close. Thanks again!!
From: —–@hy-vee.com
To: —–1@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: From Hy-Vee
Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2015 18:12:30 +0000
Hello, —-.
The email correspondence below was forwarded to me for clarification.
Your right to carry a legal weapon in our stores will not be infringed upon, and we have no plans to adopt any blanket policies with respect to signs or other communication with cutomers.
Whether it’s guns or the price of green beans, we let store directors handle any inquiries or concerns from customers who might be uncomfortable with seeing another customer with a gun.
That’s what Pamela was trying to convey. We apologize for any confusion.
If you need any other information, feel free to contact me.
Larry Ballard
Hy-Vee Communications
(515) 559-5776
logo
From: John Adams [mailto:—-@hotmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, October 28, 2015 11:39 AM
To: Hy-Vee Customer Care
Subject: RE: From Hy-Vee
Thanks Pam for responding. the following statement is confusing however as it gives mixed signals. ( Autonomy is given to store directors, who we feel are in the best position to know those locals laws and gauge the sentiment of their neighborhood customers. ) If you follow Local, State, and Federal Laws regarding the “legal” carrying of firearms then what does your customers “sentiment” have to do with it? On balance if you ask a group of people are they comfortable with firearms being carried in a store one would think the answer would be no. But if those people are within their rights why would they not be allowed to do so? In short, IF I decide to shop at the Cedar Rapids, Iowa HY VEE stores will my rights to carry be infringed upon? Bear in mind that any business can refuse service to anyone and because I have NOT broken any laws the best the store manager can do is ask me to leave according to State Law. I would rather know up-front than have a issue later, and yes, the store directors are welcome to contact me by e-mail if they want to respond. —-
From: HVCS@hy-vee.com
To: —–@hotmail.com
Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2015 00:04:56 -0500
Subject: From Hy-Vee
Dear —-,
Thanks for your inquiry about Hy-Vee’s policy on firearms. We appreciate your input on the matter. Issues like these benefit from a mix of voices and viewpoints such as yours.
The safety and security of our customers and employees is paramount. There’s nothing more fundamental, so we take the issue very seriously.
Hy-Vee stores comply with all state laws and local ordinances with respect to guns and gun safety in each of the eight states and 200 or so communities where we do business. Autonomy is given to store directors, who we feel are in the best position to know those locals laws and gauge the sentiment of their neighborhood customers.
This is an issue with strong support on both sides. We appreciate your feedback and future patronage. If you’d like, we will share your specific concerns with the store director at your local Hy-Vee and ask him or her to get in touch with you.
Thanks again for contacting Hy-Vee,
—–
Hy-Vee Customer Care Representative
Description: Hy-Vee, Inc.Where there’s a helpful smile in every aisle
5820 Westown Parkway WDM, IA 50266
Phone: 1-800-772-4098| Email: hvcs@hy-vee.com
From: John Adams [mailto:—–@hotmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, October 27, 2015 11:58 PM
To: Hy-Vee Customer Care
Subject: Message from Hy-Vee
Hy-Vee.com Customer Feedback received:
First Name:
John
Last Name:
Adams
Address:
City:
Cedar rapids
State:
Iowa
Zip:
524041
Phone:
319———
Email:
—–@hotmail.com
Store Address:
Johnson ave,
Store City:
Cedar Rapids
Store State:
Iowa
Store Comments:
Was curious to whether your store owners/managers allow for open or concealed carry at Johnson and Edgewood Rd. locations. DO your stores follow local, state and federal guidelines in this matter? In short, IF the citizen is legal do you comply with his rights to carry?
Sent a message to HyVee that, if a single store adopted cowered to Shannon and her crew< I would take my business elsewhere. And that includes about a thousand dollars a month in Rx meds. (And there is a Walgreens right across the street from the HyVee pharmacy I use.) Also, I mentioned that the tort action against a store with a "gun free"z zone was not far off.
When I was at a Kroger in Little Rock, Arkansas, I saw a customer in the produce section open-carrying on her hip. Not a problem. In Iowa, many Hy-Vee employees are already concealed carrying, no problem. What was a problem was, for instance, un-armed Andrea Farrington in the Coral Ridge Mall in Coralville, Iowa. On June 12, 2015, a psycho creep shot her three times in the back. At that time, there was an undercover Johnson County Sheriff’s deputy only 20 feet away. He couldn’t save her, and he didn’t apprehend the murderer. Also at the instant Andrea Farrington was shot, there were two Coralville policemen who were 50 feet away. They couldn’t save her, and they didn’t apprehend the murderer. The arrest happened 47 miles away near Walcott, since a local cop had a gun to meet force with force and his armed presence made the fugitive coward attacker think hard enough to stop and suddenly become wise enough to run no further. If there had been an armed citizen, or better yet armed citizens, or better yet openly armed citizens near Andrea Farrington when she was attacked, the coward likely would have not been foolish enough to try to kill her in the first place. Ditto for the prospect of a hangman’s noose, if Iowa ever reinstates that form of persuasion.