By Phil Wahba, Fortune:
A few weeks after a deeply divisive election campaign might not seem like the most opportune time for a retailer to step into that hottest of debates in America: gun rights.
But the tense political climate hasn’t stopped Levi Strauss & Co from asking customers to refrain from bringing guns into its U.S. stores even when local law allows them to.
Levi Strauss Chief Executive Chip Bergh made the request in an open letter to customers posted on LinkedIn on Wednesday, aware of the potential to anger many customers, and is seeking to reassure them by saying the move is all about safety and not a political statement…
“It’s not an anti-Second Amendment thing,” Bergh told Fortune in an exclusive interview. The denim apparel maker stopped short of issuing an outright ban on firearms…
To read the rest of the article visit Fortune.
OpsLens Take: What is not mentioned in the snippet above (it can be found in the full length article at Fortune) is the fact that a customer accidentally shot himself in a Levi’s store a few weeks ago. However, it must be noted that such incidents are rare at best and with the increasing threat of lone wolf attacks, it is our belief that restricting lawful gun owners is not the answer. Time has proven such horrific attacks can occur anywhere and locations known to be ‘gun free’ are extremely soft targets for individuals that wish to incite extreme violence.
