Feel free to hail that Uber vehicle for a quick ride across town, but please leave your guns at home.
That’s the latest message from the popular ride sharing startup, which recently updated its legal policy to prohibit the possession of firearms “of any kind in a vehicle” used for its service. The ban is for both drivers and riders, Uber said in the updated legal portion of its website. The change was first noticed by New Republic.
“Any rider or driver found to have violated this prohibition may lose access to the Uber platform,” the startup warned.
Uber isn’t the first, nor is it the last company to deal with the delicate balancing act of weighing in on gun rights. As Coins2Day has reported in several other cases, restaurants and retail chains in particular often find themselves in the center of the gun rights debate.
Panera Bread (PNRA) last year generated headlines when it said it wanted customers to refrain from coming into its restaurants with guns, even if they legally can. Basically, the company’s statement was essentially a “No guns, please” policy, as it wasn’t an outright ban. That stance is similar to what Starbucks (SBUX), Target (TGT) and Chipotle (CMG) have said in the past, seeking to avoid angering either side of the U.S. Gun debate.