Gun control group takes aim at grocery chain
Kroger, one of the nation's largest supermarket chains, is under fire for its gun policy. And a gun control advocacy group is using the store's own rules to makes its point, CBS News correspondent Jan Crawford reports.
The ads feature a series of striking images; armed shoppers standing next to customers breaking Kroger's store policies.
The caption reads, "One of them isn't welcome at Kroger. Guess which one."
It's the most aggressive attempt yet by the group called Moms Demand Action. Their goal: to draw attention to what they say are weak gun control laws.
"The ads portray what is real, which is you're allowed to bring a loaded assault rifle into Kroger, but you're not allowed to bring in an ice cream cone," said Shannon Watts, Moms Demand Action founder.
More than 40 states allow people to openly carry guns, although some require special permits or licenses.
Moms Demand Action, which is backed financially by former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, insists it's not against guns or the Second Amendment, but believes people shouldn't be allowed to walk around grocery stores with loaded weapons.
Gun rights activists argue the campaign isn't based on reality.
"These are deceptive ads that attempt to paint everybody in a very odd corner, but the fact is they are isolated incidents," said Dudley Brown, president of the National Association for Gun Rights. "In most cases firearms are used very judiciously, privately, very quietly."
In a statement Kroger said, "our long-standing policy on this issue is to follow state and local laws. ... We know that our customers are passionate on both sides of this issue, and we trust them to be responsible in our stores."
The chain is the latest business to come under fire by the group which also mounted pressure on Target and Starbucks. Eventually, both companies asked their customers not to bring firearms into their stores.
"Hopefully Kroger will respond quickly," Watts said. "And we can move on to other companies and other laws and policies. But you know we aren't going away."