{"id":2710,"date":"2014-06-06T09:30:00","date_gmt":"2014-06-06T13:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com\/blog\/?p=2710"},"modified":"2026-03-31T09:00:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T13:00:11","slug":"chipotle-response-open-rifle-display","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/chipotle-response-open-rifle-display\/","title":{"rendered":"No ban, just a request: Chipotle\u2019s response to open rifle display"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chipotle fans, better keep your guards down before you step in for a burrito. After Starbucks<\/a> and Jack in the Box, Chipotle Mexican Grill has become the third food and beverage chain to ask customers to not bring in loaded guns. The Denver-based company\u2019s decision came after an open demonstration by gun advocates in one of its stores. However, the chain has clarified that there is no ban on carrying guns as such, unless specified by the local laws. Other restaurant chains are following suit after similar displays in their stores, and are requesting that customers refrain from openly carrying firearms into their dining areas.<\/p>\n

A few days ago, representatives of gun-rights activist group Open Carry Texas posed for photographs carrying \u201cmilitary-style\u201d assault rifles inside and outside the store\u2019s Dallas franchise. Gun-reform group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America condemned<\/a> this blatant demonstration over social media and circulated a \u201cBurritos, Not Bullets\u201d petition<\/a>, forcing Chipotle to come out with a response<\/a>: \u201cWe are respectfully asking that customers not bring guns into our restaurants, unless they are authorized law enforcement personnel.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"open<\/a>

This photograph of two men with rifles posing in the Dallas outlet armed was put up on one of the member\u2019s Facebook page. Image by: Forbes<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Chipotle has always stressed that it complies with local laws regarding gun regulations, but the display of firearms in restaurants has created an environment that is potentially intimidating or uncomfortable for customers.<\/p>\n

Carrying a licensed gun or rifle is legal in several states. Texas state law permits openly carrying rifles only (no handguns). But regulations aside, some businesses can exercise their right to ban firearms, if the need arises.<\/p>\n

The Moms Demand Action group has praised<\/a> the company\u2019s decision. \u201cMoms are grateful to Chipotle for taking quick action today to stand up for the safety and security of our families,\u201d says founder Shannon Watts. \u201cChipotle\u2019s statement that firearms are not welcome in their restaurants is bold and meaningful \u2014 it shows that you can support the Second Amendment while also taking reasonable measures to ensure that Americans are safe and secure in the places we take our children.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a correspondence<\/a> with one of the customers, Chipotle has confirmed that guns are not outrightly banned in the stores and the company will be complying with local regulations.<\/p>\n

C.J. Grisham, founder of Open Carry Texas, has defended<\/a> the group\u2019s actions, \u201cWe don\u2019t go there just to carry guns into a restaurant. We always let the manager know we\u2019re coming. We try very hard to make people feel comfortable.\u201d He says that members went to the store not for a demonstration, but to grab a meal following an event.<\/p>\n

According to Grisham, the group\u2019s policy is to send an unarmed person into a restaurant to seek prior permission to dine and also warn staff and customers beforehand that members with weapons are to arrive.<\/p>\n

Member Alex Clark, who attended the lunch, denied that the group\u2019s actions intimidated anyone in the store. We got there, and nobody gave us any strange looks or asked us why were there,\u201d says<\/a> Clark. \u201cThey just welcomed us in, and we ate lunch.\u201d He also clarifies that the members who attended lunch at Chipotle recently were unrelated to Open Carry Tarrant County who staged a protest at a Jack in the Box store<\/a> in Fort Worth. (Citing clear violation of bylaws, Open Carry Texas, the state wide organization, has since cut all ties with Open Carry Tarrant County chapter.)<\/p>\n

Though Chipotle may not be favored by devout gun owners anymore, experts predict that this will not have much impact on business<\/a> due to the company\u2019s strong foothold. Like Starbucks, Chipotle does not wish to be dragged into any political controversy. The company clearly states: \u201c\u2026this issue is not central to the operation of our business, and we do not feel that our restaurants should be used as a platform for either side of the debate.\u201d<\/p>\n

As pro-gun activists come up with similar firearm displays to showcase their Second Amendment rights, food chains are following Chipotle\u2019s path. In two recent incidents, Chili’s Grill & Bar and Sonic denied service to members of the San Antonio chapter of Open Carry Texas who openly brandished rifles<\/a> at the food chains\u2019 stores. Apart from drawing flak from customers who witnessed the displays, these demonstrations have also been criticized<\/a> by the staunch pro-gun National Rifle Association who has called these public displays of loaded weapons in restaurants \u201cweird,\u201d \u201cscary,\u201d \u201ccounter-productive\u201d and \u201cdownright foolishness.\u201d Several Applebee’s franchises have put up \u201cno guns<\/a>\u201d signs, and last year, a man was arrested for displaying firearms to Wendy\u2019s employees in Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

Chili’s and Sonic have enforced a no-guns policy<\/a>. In a statement, Ashley Johnson, Chili\u2019s spokeswoman, said, \u201cWe recognize that the open carry of firearms in restaurants creates an uncomfortable atmosphere and is not permitted under many local liquor laws. So, we kindly ask that guests refrain from openly carrying firearms into our restaurants and we will continue to follow state and local laws on this issue.\u201d Similarly, a spokesperson for Sonic has confirmed that \u201cfranchises will prohibit guns on all properties, but that they will refer to local laws if they see guns inside cars at drive-ins.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chipotle fans, better keep your guards down before you step in for a burrito. After Starbucks and Jack in the Box, Chipotle Mexican Grill has become the third food and beverage chain to ask customers to not bring in loaded guns. The Denver-based company\u2019s decision came after an open demonstration by gun advocates in one […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":2712,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[292,291,40,65,294,293],"class_list":["post-2710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-surveillance","tag-chili","tag-chipotle-mexican-grill","tag-gun-control","tag-national-rifle-association","tag-open-carry-in-the-united-states","tag-starbucks"],"yoast_head":"\nNo ban, just a request: Chipotle\u2019s response to open rifle display -<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"After firearm displays at restaurants, food chains like Chipotle are asking customers to stop bringing in loaded guns. However no bans have been imposed.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/chipotle-response-open-rifle-display\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"No ban, just a request: Chipotle\u2019s response to open rifle display -\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"After firearm displays at restaurants, food chains like Chipotle are asking customers to stop bringing in loaded guns. However no bans have been imposed.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/chipotle-response-open-rifle-display\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/trespassingsignscctvsigns\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-06-06T13:30:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-31T13:00:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/gunschipotle1.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"879\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lisa Pradhan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@mysecuritysign\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@mysecuritysign\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lisa Pradhan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\\\/chipotle-response-open-rifle-display\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\\\/chipotle-response-open-rifle-display\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Lisa Pradhan\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/883b2b3c52fdcf90e9cd275e1e4b6359\"},\"headline\":\"No ban, just a request: Chipotle\u2019s response to open rifle display\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-06-06T13:30:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-31T13:00:11+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\\\/chipotle-response-open-rifle-display\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":904,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\\\/chipotle-response-open-rifle-display\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2014\\\/06\\\/gunschipotle1.jpeg\",\"keywords\":[\"Chili\",\"Chipotle Mexican Grill\",\"gun control\",\"National Rifle Association\",\"Open carry in the United States\",\"Starbucks\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\",\"Surveillance\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\\\/chipotle-response-open-rifle-display\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\\\/chipotle-response-open-rifle-display\\\/\",\"name\":\"No ban, just a request: Chipotle\u2019s response to open rifle display -\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\\\/chipotle-response-open-rifle-display\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\\\/chipotle-response-open-rifle-display\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2014\\\/06\\\/gunschipotle1.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-06-06T13:30:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-31T13:00:11+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/883b2b3c52fdcf90e9cd275e1e4b6359\"},\"description\":\"After firearm displays at restaurants, food chains like Chipotle are asking customers to stop bringing in loaded guns. However no bans have been imposed.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\\\/chipotle-response-open-rifle-display\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\\\/chipotle-response-open-rifle-display\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2014\\\/06\\\/gunschipotle1.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2014\\\/06\\\/gunschipotle1.jpeg\",\"width\":960,\"height\":879},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/883b2b3c52fdcf90e9cd275e1e4b6359\",\"name\":\"Lisa Pradhan\",\"description\":\"A creative writer at heart, Lisa currently writes for SmartSign\u2019s blogs and dabbles in content strategies for SEO. She spends the rest of the time lounging in the comforts of her home, surfing the internet for areas of interest, or traveling to unexplored destinations. Having previously studied and worked in the field of journalism and media, Lisa likes calling herself a web journalist. She takes special interest in grassroots and tribal issues, and topics concerning women empowerment. She swears that books are a person\u2019s best travel companion, and that good food can liven up any dull day. Lisa lives in the beautiful city of Jaipur, India.\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"No ban, just a request: Chipotle\u2019s response to open rifle display -","description":"After firearm displays at restaurants, food chains like Chipotle are asking customers to stop bringing in loaded guns. However no bans have been imposed.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/chipotle-response-open-rifle-display\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"No ban, just a request: Chipotle\u2019s response to open rifle display -","og_description":"After firearm displays at restaurants, food chains like Chipotle are asking customers to stop bringing in loaded guns. However no bans have been imposed.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/chipotle-response-open-rifle-display\/","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/trespassingsignscctvsigns","article_published_time":"2014-06-06T13:30:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-03-31T13:00:11+00:00","og_image":[{"width":960,"height":879,"url":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/gunschipotle1.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Lisa Pradhan","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@mysecuritysign","twitter_site":"@mysecuritysign","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Lisa Pradhan","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/chipotle-response-open-rifle-display\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/chipotle-response-open-rifle-display\/"},"author":{"name":"Lisa Pradhan","@id":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/883b2b3c52fdcf90e9cd275e1e4b6359"},"headline":"No ban, just a request: Chipotle\u2019s response to open rifle display","datePublished":"2014-06-06T13:30:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-31T13:00:11+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/chipotle-response-open-rifle-display\/"},"wordCount":904,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/chipotle-response-open-rifle-display\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/gunschipotle1.jpeg","keywords":["Chili","Chipotle Mexican Grill","gun control","National Rifle Association","Open carry in the United States","Starbucks"],"articleSection":["News","Surveillance"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/chipotle-response-open-rifle-display\/","url":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/chipotle-response-open-rifle-display\/","name":"No ban, just a request: Chipotle\u2019s response to open rifle display -","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/chipotle-response-open-rifle-display\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/chipotle-response-open-rifle-display\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/gunschipotle1.jpeg","datePublished":"2014-06-06T13:30:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-31T13:00:11+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/883b2b3c52fdcf90e9cd275e1e4b6359"},"description":"After firearm displays at restaurants, food chains like Chipotle are asking customers to stop bringing in loaded guns. However no bans have been imposed.","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/chipotle-response-open-rifle-display\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/chipotle-response-open-rifle-display\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/gunschipotle1.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/gunschipotle1.jpeg","width":960,"height":879},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/","name":"","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/883b2b3c52fdcf90e9cd275e1e4b6359","name":"Lisa Pradhan","description":"A creative writer at heart, Lisa currently writes for SmartSign\u2019s blogs and dabbles in content strategies for SEO. She spends the rest of the time lounging in the comforts of her home, surfing the internet for areas of interest, or traveling to unexplored destinations. Having previously studied and worked in the field of journalism and media, Lisa likes calling herself a web journalist. She takes special interest in grassroots and tribal issues, and topics concerning women empowerment. She swears that books are a person\u2019s best travel companion, and that good food can liven up any dull day. Lisa lives in the beautiful city of Jaipur, India."}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2710","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2710"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2710\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4774,"href":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2710\/revisions\/4774"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}