H-E-B, Galleria won't allow open carry under new gun law

A sign on the door of an H-E-B in San Antonio bars customers from entering with open-carry handguns. A sign on the door of an H-E-B in San Antonio bars customers from entering with open-carry handguns. Photo: Richard Webner / Richard Webner Photo: Richard Webner / Richard Webner Image 1 of / 45 Caption Close H-E-B, Galleria won't allow open carry under new gun law 1 / 45 Back to Gallery

When the open carry law goes into effect next year, H-E-B will not allow visible handguns in its Texas stores.

The law, which was passed in June and is scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, allows those with licenses to carry handguns visibly. Business owners can ban open carry in stores by posting a sign near the entrance.

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Even before the Jan. 1 deadline, a number of businesses such as Target said they would ask customers not to openly carry guns. On Thursday, the Galleria mall reaffirmed its policy similar to H-E-B's.

Open carry of long guns, including rifles and shotguns, is already legal in Texas and won't be affected by the law.

H-E-B spokeswoman Dya Campos said in an email that the grocery chain "maintains the same policy we have for years."

Because the San Antonio-based company sells alcohol, long guns and unlicensed guns are banned on its properties under the rules of the Texas Alcoholic and Beverage Commission, she said.

"Only concealed, licensed handguns are allowed on our property," Campos said.

The grocery chain as of last month had 318 stores in Texas.

Like most retail stores, H-E-B did not make a public announcement of its response to the open carry law. San Antonio-based Whataburger is an exception: In July, the burger chain announced that it will not allow customers to openly carry firearms in its restaurants.

"We've had many customers and employees tell us they're uncomfortable being around someone with a visible firearm who is not a member of law enforcement," CEO and President Preston Atkinson said in a statement. "As a business, we have to listen and value that feedback in the same way we value yours."

Public agencies are also wrestling with the consequences of the new law and deciding whether to allow their employees to carry guns on the jog.

Some retailers took positions on open carry before passage of the Texas law. Target announced last year that it would not allow visible firearms even in states with open carry laws. Starbucks Chairman and CEO Howard Schultz wrote an open letter in 2013 to "respectfully request" customers not to bring firearms in stores.

Greg Noble, the general manager, the Galleria, owned by a company named Simon, said in a statement Thursday: "As a private property owner, Simon will continue to enforce its existing policy of not allowing possession of any weapon on its property whether concealed or displayed openly, other than licensed weapons carried by law enforcement personnel. "

On Thursday, warning signs popped up at H-E-B stores in San Antonio, Houston and The Woodlands, among others. They said visitors could not enter with an openly carried handgun. H-E-B's open carry signs were first reported by Forbes Magazine on Thursday morning.

At an H-E-B on West Alabama in Montrose on Thursday night, Adeboye Ajayi, 29, loaded a Christmas dinner steak into his trunk in the parking lot. He said to allow shoppers to openly carry handguns inside could create a chaotic situation during a crime or other incident inside.

An engineer, Ajayi said he is happy with HEB's policy. "It makes me feel safer," he said.

Users of social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter had mixed reactions to H-E-B's response to the open carry law. A few users said they wouldn't shop at H-E-B anymore, but large numbers were supportive.

Moms Demand Action, an advocacy group for stronger gun laws, publicly thanked H-E-B on its Facebook account Wednesday, saying the company's policy "creates a safe shopping environment for customers and employees alike."

Chronicle staff writer Mihir Zaveri contributed to this report.