Starbucks has asked customers in the US to leave their guns behind when going for a coffee.
Chief Executive Howard Schultz says the weapons are no longer welcome in his store, but shopped short of ordering an outright ban.
However some customers are not happy and claim the order is an infringement of their civil liberties.
Mr Schultz said anti-gun activists have been "ratcheting up the rhetoric and friction" by soliciting and confronting customers and employees.
Schultz said Starbucks had found itself unwillingly in the middle of the national debate.
He insists the directive is a request and not an outright ban because the company wants to give "responsible gun owners" a chance to honor the request, and because a ban might force employers to confront customers with guns.
He's recorded a video message to explain his feelings on the issue:
