Moms Demand Action Applauds Jack in the Box for Taking Stand on Open Carry Rallies Inside Company Restaurants

Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America is thanking Jack in the Box for its statement out today that it will begin enforcing the company’s no-firearms-in-stores policy. The company’s statement comes in response to a social media campaign and national petition launched just over 24 hours ago by Moms Demand Action to ask Jack in the Box to enforce its policy after last week’s semi-automatic rifle carrying demonstration at a Fort Worth Jack in the Box store that terrified employees so much that they locked themselves in the freezer, according to local police. The petition launched just yesterday has already received more than 5,000 signatures and social media hashtag #JackedUp was in popular use on Twitter yesterday.

A statement out today from Jack in the Box’s Vice President of Corporate Communications Brian Luscomb makes it clear the company is responding to pressure and acting on behalf of its corporate and franchise stores: “The presence of guns inside a restaurant could create an uncomfortable situation for our guests and employees and lead to unintended consequences.” According to Luscomb, copies of the company’s entire statement will be available in restaurants for employees to hand out to guests.

Jack in the Box’s new policy stops short of an outright open carry ban, and Moms Demand Action will continue to pressure the company if there are additional instances of open carry rallies inside company stores.

Moms Demand Action previously launched petitions that garnered hundreds of thousands of signatures asking Starbucks, Facebook, and Instagram to reform the companies’ gun policies to make customers and communities safer. Starbucks changed its policy of allowing guns in stores as a result of the campaign. Facebook and Instagram also announced changes to block illegal gun sales after Moms Demand Action got 230,000 Americans to sign a petition asking for stronger protections against illegal gun sales on the two social media platforms.

“This is a win for American moms who fought for this policy change, which will make Jack in the Box customers safer,” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “Jack in the Box acted because they realized they have a duty to protect their employees and patrons given that many state gun laws are so lax that individuals with no background check or training can buy semi-automatic rifles and carry them openly in public.”

“Moms have momentum and we’re moving the country toward a culture of gun safety one company, one legislator, one law at a time,” said Watts. “We’re going to keep applying pressure to corporations and political leaders until they do more to reduce the gun violence that plagues our country. We’re not going away, and we will not stop until we’ve done everything we can to keep our children and communities safe.”