Ride-hailing app company Uber says it is banning its riders and drivers from carrying guns.
Uber, which has a rapidly growing business across North Carolina with some 8,000 drivers, says it is banning firearms of any kind during rides arranged through the Uber platform, and drivers or riders who violate the rule may lose access to the platform. The rules also apply to Uber’s affiliates.
Matt McKenna of Uber told The New Republic via email:
“We have adopted a no-firearms policy to ensure that both riders and drivers feel safe and comfortable on the platform. We made this policy change after assessing existing policies and carefully reviewing recent feedback from both riders and driver-partners.”
The company said Friday it changed its firearms policy on June 10 to make sure riders and drivers feel comfortable. In a statement, Uber said it made the change after reviewing feedback from both passengers and Uber drivers. Previously it had deferred to local law on the issue.
Uber is in the process of recruiting thousands more “partners” as drivers in North Carolina and recently expanded its service across much of the state’s coast.
San Francisco-based Uber lets passengers summon cars through an app in more than 250 cities worldwide, and the privately held company is valued at around $40 billion. However it’s faced legal and regulatory challenges as it expands in the United States and abroad. It has also been criticized over the thoroughness of the background checks it does on drivers and other safety issues.
In April, an Uber driver with a concealed-carry permit shot a 22-year-old man who had opened fire on a group of pedestrians in Chicago. Court records say the man was shooting at pedestrians who were walking in front of the Uber driver’s vehicle, and thedriver shot the gunman. The driver wasn’t charged, as prosecutors said he acted in defense of himself and others.
Competitor Lyft also has a “no weapons” policy. According to Lyft’s website, if a driver or rider is found to have a weapon in a Lyft vehicle they’ll be barred from the platform regardless of local laws on weapons possession.
Reaction to the Uber decision was mized.
Dan Gross, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, told the Wall Street Journal: “Our bottom line is we support Uber and any other company making a decision about guns based on consideration of the risks,” Mr. Gross said.
Others disagreed.
“Uber is free to contract with whoever it wants. If it wants to only hire drivers that shave their head, they can do that,” David Kopel, a gun-rights lawyer and law professor at the University of Denver, told the WSJ. “I will definitely say that I will use Uber less,” he added.
