Does Your Grocery List Include A Firearm?

What would you do if you walked into your local grocery store and spotted a hand gun holster on the shopper's belt loop next to you in the produce section? I know I would quickly put down whatever item I was holding and try to walk away without having her notice me. I would definitely feel unsafe, and frankly very scared. I imagine this is how most shoppers would react, which is why it is surprising to me that 31 states allow shoppers, or other citizens to carry firearms in public.

64% of shoppers in those 31 states feel the same as I do. Recently, I read an article in the Huffington Post about a poll and petition taken by the Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense In America. This group is trying to stop permitting open firearms in Kroger, a massive supermarket chain all across the country. This Wednesday, the members of the group plan to petition outside a Kroger annual investor's meeting with 300,000 signatures supporting their position. 

Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense In America is an extremely powerful group whose goal is to advocate for stronger gun laws. Impressively, the group has already convinced other major food chains like Chili's, Starbucks, Chipotle and Target to announce a no-guns policy in their stores. How do they accomplish this? By rallies and petitions, but especially through social media. Last month, the group started creating aggressive ad campaigns to promote their message, like the one shown below. 

The Moms Demand Action Kroger campaign

I think that the Mom's are bringing up a really important issue. Before I read this article, I didn't really think about the possibility that someone could be walking around with a gun in the local stores in my neighborhood. I realize that I live in "the bubble" therefore this is probably highly unlikely that I would see anyone with a gun in any of our stores, but this is still a little shocking to me. It immediately reminded me of another blog post I wrote about the number of handheld guns carried by woman. While I can understand that people may feel unsafe in public, I don't see why a gun is a necessary accessory while shopping at Kroger. Grocery stores are always crowded, no matter when or where you go, and they are filled with young children. What happens if a child gets access to your gun kept in your basket?