Most Americans don’t want to dine or shop near armed customers.
More than half — 55% — of the country supports banning guns in food establishments and retail stores, according to a new Huffington Post/YouGov poll. A mere 32% of the public said they prefer allowing armed individuals into such locations.
Seventy-two percent of Democrats and 41% of Republicans favor a no-gun policy. Exactly half of the GOP members who participated in the poll said they want shops to allow their clients to carry weapons.
Additionally, 64% of gun owners said they prefer businesses that permit firearms. But 65% of people who live in a household without guns and 63% who live with a gun-owner said they would rather visit a shop without armed citizens, the poll found.
The results came just days after the leaders of Sonic Drive-In and Chili’s Grill & Bar enforced no-gun policies at their locations nationwide. The food chains were the latest two national chains to say “no” to firearms, topping a list that already included Chipotle, Starbucks, Jack in the Box, Facebook, and Instagram. Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America created petitions to push for change in policy within each company.
The poll, published Monday, was conducted among 1,000 U.S. adults between May 20 and 21, in the days after Chipotle enacted a new gun policy.
Michele Richinick