What is IKEA’s Gun Policy?
After an incident at an Indiana IKEA this week in which a young child found an unattended firearm in the Swedish furniture store, ConcealedCarry.com has decided to take a look at the company's gun policy to see where the company stands on guns and carrying while in their stores.
THE INDIANA INCIDENT
First, we are going to look at just what happened at the Fishers (a suburb of Indianapolis) IKEA store that started this whole story off.
According to reports at around 2:00 PM on Monday, June 25th a child found a gun that another customer lost when the customer had tried out a couch, sitting on it and losing his firearm in between the couch's cushions.
Moments later a child found the lost firearm and picked it up himself. Upon picking up the gun, the child managed to fire off a single round inside the store. Luckily for the child as well as the other customers in the store, nobody was injured by the shot. The store was not even closed after the incident, but Fishers Police Sergeant Tom Weger had a few choice words for the man who lost his firearm in the first place.
“It’s important to remember that if you are going to carry a firearm on your person, that you make sure you’re under control of it at all times. It’s just part of gun ownership, responsible gun ownership,”
It is unknown at this time if charges will be filed against the armed citizen who lost his firearm in the first place.
IKEA'S STANCE
Following the shooting, IKEA was adamant about letting the world know its policy regarding guns. The company sent out a press release stating …
“We take this incident very seriously and we have offered the family of the child involved our sincerest apologies.
“Safety and security of customers and co-workers is the top priority for IKEA. We have processes in place to ensure that the store is safe for customers and co-workers. For example, our store team has regular safety walks and audits which happen before, during and after opening hours. In addition, IKEA has a no weapon policy in our locations to prevent exactly these types of situations. As soon as we were made aware of the situation, our co-workers took the action they were trained to do to ensure the safety of customers. We are cooperating with police as they investigate this incident.”
So if you think you're reading this incorrectly, let me assure you that you aren't. IKEA desires to be a gun free zone. And yet, we had an incident involving a lost firearm where a child picked up the gun and fired a round off. The lesson here is twofold. First, guns will always be where companies and governments don't want them. Second, don't be that guy. Always be in control of your firearm and know where it is at all times.
IKEA appears to be just another space that uses words to attempt to bring about safety while at the same time making their places more unsafe by not allowing good people to protect themselves. This is not saying that the man who lost his firearm so easily is without fault for this incident. He should have had more awareness of his lack of a firearm, but just the same, IKEA is doing nothing but inviting accident or incident by continuing this policy.
What do you think of this story? Do you think anti-gun businesses are inviting incidents like this due to their policy? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
I was just escorted out of IKEA in Michigan for an unrelated reason, I wasn’t wearing shoes, I never do and is my legal right to do so. While the head of security walked me and my elderly mother out of the store he explained that if I was open carrying he would be telling me to conceal it or leave instead of put shoes on or leave. What he didn’t know is that I have a CPL and hurried out of the house without my pistol. (I know, shame on me) Can they legally tell a person exercising their right to open carry that they have to conceal or leave?
Yes, the words “gun free zone” hold no weight of the law here in michigan, but with that being said, if they see you carrying and ask you to leave, you must do so or otherwise risk being charged with tresspassing. Hope this helps.
Does this apply for ikea in Norfolk Virginia ?
Yup, it’s on the front door in bold yellow print.
Please explain how it’s IKEA’s fault that they post no firearms and someone violated it, lost their gun like a moron, endangered a kid and the rest of the store, and probably traumatized the kid as well. Your logic is inherently flawed at the most basic levels and makes zero sense. The only one who endangered anyone here was the idiot who disobeyed store policy and couldn’t hold onto his gun. If they lift the policy and everyone conceals inside, inductive reasoning says this would just happen with more frequency. You’re making two completely separate points and trying to argue a connection when anyone with a half a brain can see there isn’t one. I write this as I drive to IKEA with a G43 concealed I’ll be leaving in the car. I only chanced upon your incoherent rambling while researching store policy, but people like you are why everyone assumes anyone who conceals is a frothing madman with zero intellect. Go ahead and censor this comment from being posted, but consider trying to protect and advance concealed carry using actual logic, intelligence, and sensibility.
@John Doe you’re the one whose logic makes zero sense. The point the article makes is that a no guns policy ultimately has no effect. Inductive reasoning does not lead to the conclusion that this would happen more frequently. For one, the person who left the gun in the store clearly wasn’t following concealed firearms law, or the gun would never have left their person. Therefore, any assumption that the person who lost the gun was following CHL laws at all is faulty logic. Furthermore,
This was an ultra rare occurrence and to my knowledge no similar incident has ever happened in Texas where almost all business allow concealed carry.
If you’d like to talk about baffling logic, how about we talk about the idea that posting a sign, legal or not, or having a policy of being gun free, is in any way supposed to protect you or anyone else from someone intent on causing bodily harm or death. It doesn’t. Not in any way, not in any fantasy does a murderer look at that such or policy and go “oh, I guess I won’t take my gun in there and start shooting people”. It is literally a fantasy of a deranged mind that thinks there is any shread of efficacy to such feeble attempts to stop evil.
Either you have never experienced someone with single-minded evil intent or you and anyone who thinks such policies are effective are truly the mad ones.
Could IKEA be sued for not upholding what their sign implies- A gun-free zone; a no-weapons policy to ensure our safety? All it takes is one deranged individual to enter a supposedly weapon-free zone and create havoc… and who could stop the threat quickly? I’m a firm supporter for the elimination of gun-free zones, and hold CPL holders accountable for stupid actions. IKEA should be sued for lying. IKEA should support concealed carry instead.
Unfortunately, some states hold a business harmless if they have posted NO GUNS signs and someone gets injured or killed by an aggressor who violates the sign.
The business has no legal obligation to protect its customers. The signs won’t keep guns out. They just keep the store from getting sued.
I always take my money somewhere else. In fact, a few stores in my area are beginning to “You Legal Firearm Is Welcome Here” signs with a big green circle around a picture of a firearm.
Another sign I saw said “If you don’t use yours, we won’t use ours.” He and his entire staff open carry and the store is always crowded.
Mutually assured destruction, sweet. I hope you get your wish.