STERLING, Va. (CBSDC) — If you enjoy packing heat while sipping a hot cup of coffee, Friday is your day.

Firearms owners and gun rights advocates are heading to local coffee shops to celebrate “Gun Owners Support Starbucks Day.” It’s their way of saying ‘thank you’ to the Seattle-based coffee franchise for — as they see it — not infringing on their Second Amendment rights.

By trying to stay out of the gun control debate, the popular coffee chain has actually found itself in the thick of it. A spokesperson for Starbucks tells the Washington Post that the company’s position is for stores to comply with the local laws where they are located.

“Some anti-gunners wanted citizens such like myself kicked out of Starbucks for carrying a gun and Starbucks said, ‘Hey, we’re here to sell cakes and coffees,’ ” Ed Levine, founder of Virginia Open Carry, told WNEW’s John Domen.