Is the person standing ahead of you in line at McDonald's or Wal-Mart carrying a gun?

How do major corporations deal with gun-toting customers who say it's their right to carry weapons? Starbucks, a fundamentally urban chain, recently reversed itself and said guns are no longer welcome. But most national companies, such as Wal-Mart and McDonald's, two of the biggest businesses in rural America, defer to local, state and federal laws, Julie Jargon and Paul Ziobro report for The Wall Street Journal. (Photo from The Truth About Guns: Packing in an Indianapolis Wal-Mart)

McDonald's said: “We recognize that there is a lot of emotion and passion surrounding the issue of firearms and open carry weapons laws. While we respect the differing views of all our customers, McDonald’s company-owned restaurants follow local, state and federal laws as it relates to open carry weapons in our restaurants. For franchisee-owned restaurants, operational decisions regarding open carry weapon laws are made by the independent franchisee. That said, as with all aspects of operating a McDonald’s restaurant, we expect our franchisees and their crew to follow local, state and federal laws.”

Wal-Mart also follows local laws to determine whether a customer can bring a firearm into a store, the Journal writes. But if a customer or employee feels uncomfortable by the presence of a weapon, how does Wal-Mart deal with situation? That answer is left up to the individual stores, where a manager may ask the customer to remove the firearm from the store. A spokesman said that the retailer isn’t thinking about changing that policy.

Other national businesses, such as Dunkin' Donuts, Baskin-Robbins, Target, and Neiman-Marcus also defer to local, state and federal laws, the Journal reports. Texas Roadhouse allows guns, but if someone complains, they will ask the person to put the weapon in their vehicle. Starbucks, Chuck E. Cheese, and Costco have asked customers, excluding law enforcement officials, to not bring guns in their stores, while the Bank of Oklahoma doesn't have a policy on carrying weapons. (Read more)