Kroger Sticks to Its (Anti-Freedom) Guns!

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

So we should definitely stick to the boycott!

Here's the response - get ready ( ):

Dear *****:

Thank you for contacting the Kroger Co. I apologize you feel this way about our Cease Fire program. We understand that criminals will not be turning in their weapons. However, the program is not a statement to eliminate crime, but rather to prevent accidents and other such situations.

Reasons to turn in a firearm:
• Young, lively, curious children are at your home.
• Someone in your family or a friend or neighbor is suffering from depression.
• The firearm cannot be properly stored.
• The gun was left by an earlier occupant of the house.
• You can't guarantee that someone else won't get the gun.
• You want to do something to reduce the number of gun accidents, suicides, and homicides.
• You understand that a gun in the home is much more likely to kill or injure a family member or friend than it is to protect you.
• You would rather have a gift certificate than the gun.

These are the reasons we have put the Cease Fire act in place. Please visit http://www.ceasefireoregon.org/coef/turnin.html (which is our published Cease Fire movement for Oregon from 2008) for more information. I will notate your concerns and forward them to our management.

If you have any further concerns, feel free to contact us.


Sincerely,



Chris Hibbard
Consumer Affairs

Reference: 6413460



CUSTOMER COMMENTS:
Letting you know how disgusted I am that you are contributing funds to the horribly bad idea of a so-called "gun buyback" in Dallas, TX. These are the stupidest ideas in the history of mankind, and do absolutely nothing to curb crime rates, since ya know, the criminals don't turn in their guns (go figure). It's a feel good measure by the freedom-hating, gun-hating community that works to erode our civil rights. Making a point to steer clear of Krogers now.

Thank you

If it's not a method to curb or eliminate crime, then how is it relevant that someone wants to "do something" to "reduce .... homocides"???

MODERATOR NOTE: Chris Hibbard is Christine not Christopher. Ms. Hibbard.

 

[3pairs12]

Boycott is on at my house as of right now. That is the lamest logic I have read in a long time. My nosey kids can't get in my safe niether can my depressed nieghbor. I can guarantee that nobody gets a hold of my gun. They need to put the word car in each one of those reasons why they support the cease fire program. Then I guess there would be a cease car program. How id you contact the Premium I mean Dr. via website? I will be writing a letter to them.

 

[hso]

A boycott isn't going to be enough.

Kroger's needs to be flooded with fact based refutation of this statement AND made aware that they're going to loose thousands of customers nationwide over being suckered into these myths.

 

[chuckusaret]

Please post the guys e-mail address

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Gladly!

[email protected]

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Get this - I have a dialogue going here with this gentleman:

OK, here was my response to the initial response:

If it's not about eliminating crime then why did you add "and homocides" to
the 6th bullet point? Ridiculous, standard, gun-hating, anti-freedom
drivel. With this response, you have shown your true colors, and this has
just lit a renewed fire under the boycott movement - the message boards are
already lighting up today. Thank you for your honesty - you'll never get a
red cent from me again.

And here's his response I just got:

Homicide is added because this is most certainly something we would like to have a helping hand in preventing. My response in no way meant we are not trying to prevent crimes of this nature, because this would obviously be a wonderful thing. I should have worded my response as "This is not a movement to JUST eliminate crime." I apologize for the misunderstanding, and again, apologize that you feel this way about our program.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

It would be nice if someone would specifically refute this with this gentleman, with facts:

You understand that a gun in the home is much more likely to kill or injure a family member or friend than it is to protect you.

 

[Maelstrom]

My e-mail:

(I cut-and-pasted the response to the bottom of my actual e-mail so he would know what I was talking about.)

-----------------------------------

Mr. Hibbard,

Thank you for your response to my colleague's comment.

Consider Kroger boycotted by my family and freinds, and many many more individuals to come. I'm sure it is exactly what your company would want from gun-owners such as ourselves. I'll be sure to spread the word thoughout the internet, which amounts to thousands upon thousands of people throughout the multiple boards I am a member of.

Have a nice day.

 

[3pairs12]

Reference: 6413460
Chris
I am writing you to let you know that my family of 5 spends approx. $1000 per month with your stores. I will no longer be doing so.
To state that a gun is more likely to injure my family members than protect my family members is an outrage. Every person I know with a gun takes great care in making sure it doesn't get in to the wrong hands. Gun accidents happen I agree but to take the gun out of a depressed persons reach that is intent on killing themselves will do nothing to prevent their actions. They can easily drive a car off a cliff, buy a rope to hang themselves, or use a knife and cut their wrists. A gun is nothing more than a tool how people use tools varies in thousands of ways. To say that I cant guarntee that nobody else will get my guns is just as sickening of a statement. My house was broken into Jan.13,2006. They burglar was unable to get my guns from my 600 pound safe that is bolted to the concrete foundation of my house. So I can guarntee that nobody gets a hold of my guns unless I want them to. It has been proven. You also state that the gun buy back is not an effort to reduce crime but to reduce the number of gun related accidents. Then why is it you randomly throw the word homicide in to your line of reasoning. Once again if we take the gun from the person intent on comitting murder they would find some other tool to commit thier crime be it car rope or knife. Are you starting to see a pattern that other things are just as dangerous in the wrong hands? What if you placed the word car in each one of your reasonings. Would you than be looking to buy back cars? You do realize that your stores sell ropes and knives don't you? What will you be doing about that to make sure they don't get into the wrong hands. You can't guarntee that some person is not going to use either of those tools in a crime or suicide can you?
Further more I will let everybody I know that supports the second amendment to boycott your stores, becuase you are just as anti second amendment as the Brady camp.
Thank you,
This was my email to Chris.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Another Update

Turns out "Chris" is short for "Christina":

Here is the latest response from her:

Also, just as a sidenote of information, while we do contribute to Cease Fire programs in other places, this particular program in Texas was in fact sponsored and paid for by the state of TX and we did not contribute any money to this program. We actually had no involvement in the TX buyback other than the state purchased the gift cards from our company.

Now, I'm not so sure that it's appropriate to boycott Kroger, since boycotts are about them not using OUR money to do stupid stuff, and if the state of Texas is paying for it (which I would need to see proof of that), then it's the state of Texas that needs to hear from us. I seriously doubt the TX state legislature would pay for this, would they? We've got to get to the RIGHT party, who is responsible for FUNDING this nonsense!

 

[3pairs12]

I almost want have stickers made that say Boycott Krogers they don't belive in 2a. I would also like to pickett in front of my local Kroger.

 

[jaholder1971]

Kroger owns all the Dillon's stores in the midwest, but none of them are posted.

 

[3pairs12]

I highly doubt that. I thought that I read that they gave the state a great discount on the gift cards. Like 50% off or something. Even if the state did pay for it they have the right to not be affliated with this mess.

 

[TexasRifleman]

I received basically the same response from the Texas district manager after my email regarding the Dallas gun buyback so it's not just an occasional employee or local store, it's clearly company wide.

Also, just as a sidenote of information, while we do contribute to Cease Fire programs in other places, this particular program in Texas was in fact sponsored and paid for by the state of TX and we did not contribute any money to this program. We actually had no involvement in the TX buyback other than the state purchased the gift cards from our company

That is 100% untrue. The organizer of the event said specifically where the money came from, that group also took credit for providing the money and was a prime sponsor, and Kroger sold them at a discount with the full knowledge of the intended use. ).

This wasn't even a State of Texas event, it was the City of Dallas. She has no idea what she's talking about.

Schepps Dairy provided the money as well. They need to be contacted.

 

[3pairs12]

Event sponsors include Dallas Police, KBFB-FM 97.9 "The Beat," and KSOC-FM 94.5, One-Dallas, Univision 23, Schepps Dairy and Better Dallas Safer Dallas.

I copied this from the city blog and they aren't listed as a sponsor. Oh well I stand by my email.

 

[3pairs12]

Thank you for contacting the Kroger Co.



As I have stated to your friends, I apologize for the misunderstanding – the wording in that sentence should have been not JUST to eliminate crime. If we can eliminate crime, of course that would be wonderful.

Also, while we do hold a Cease Fire program in other states, (again as I stated to the others) we in no way contributed to the buyback in TX. The state of TX funded this program entirely, and the extent of our involvement was simply the fact that the state of TX chose us to purchase the gift cards from. We did not contribute.

Also, I apologize our statement on possible things that may happen was an outrage to you. You sound like a perfectly capable gun owner, and of course it was not meant to be personal, but rather general. Our involvement in our other Cease Fire programs were simply to give customers who WANTED to turn in their guns an option. We in no way intended to take away anyone’s rights on the matter.

I hope this helps to clarify, and again, I apologize for the misunderstanding.



Chris Hibbard

Consumer Affairs.

and their response is the same.

 

[TexasRifleman]

In the email to me they clearly take credit for participation as a sponsor, and acknowledge that they knew the intended use of the cards, and they stand behind the program.

And as you say, they could still have refused even if it was "the state" wanting the cards.

Also, while we do hold a Cease Fire program in other states, (again as I stated to the others) we in no way contributed to the buyback in TX. The state of TX funded this program entirely, and the extent of our involvement was simply the fact that the state of TX chose us to purchase the gift cards from. We did not contribute.

Again, 100% false. No public funds were used here. She's simply trying to wiggle out of this.

 

[3pairs12]

my response:
I did not take this as a personal attack, but to as a general attack. To lump all gun owners in a group of people that do not take their right to bear arms as seriously as the far vast majority is just wrong and possibly stereotypical. I get the impression that Krogers general stance of gun owners is that most are far more dangerous than others. This wrong. There 10s of millions of gun owners in this country and very few actual gun accidents. The numbers are actually pretty stagering, how safe gun owners in "general" are.

 

[TexasRifleman]

Stay after them

 

[taprackbang]

Just sent that turkey an email.
Can't stand when people state opinions as facts..

Kroger lost me, that's for sure.

 

[3pairs12]

I will I may even read my next response befor I send it to make sure I don't skip more words.

 

[3pairs12]

This is great it would take them to make a public apology and start selling ammo for me to consider shopping there again.

 

[leadcounsel]

If they were truly interested in keeping nosy kids away from guns, why not give people coupons for purchasing gun safes from local vendors.

 

[3pairs12]

I think that would be a great idea, however probably to noble of a cause.

 

[3pairs12]

Their last lie:
We apologize, the program was only in place for those who wanted to turn in their guns – we of course in no way intended on denying anyone’s second amendment rights, and again, we had no involvement in the TX buyback program. I apologize you feel this way, and I will most certainly forward your concerns on.