A North Carolina grocery chain is taking drink koozies that contain images of guns off the shelves after a former Democrat state representative called them out on Twitter, Monday.
"I am disappointed these koozies are being sold in a North Carolina store," former state Rep. Christy Clark said in a Twitter post Monday, adidng that "110 Americans die every day from gun violence and most recently children, educators, healthcare providers, and family members were killed in mass shootings. Please remove them."
The tweet includes photos of two drink koozies with one showing an eagle carrying a shotgun with the phrase "Give me liberty, or give me death," and a second with former President Thomas Jefferson holding a copy of the Second Amendment in one hand and a gun similar to an AR-15 in the other, with the phrase, "Arms change, rights don't."
Clark, who represented the state's 98th District from 2019-21, is running to reclaim the seat this year from Republican state Rep. John Bradford III, said on her campaign website that she wants to continue "my work to reduce gun violence by sponsoring legislation to reform our gun laws."
She told the Charolette-based Queen City News, WJZY channel 46, that the chain said they would remove the items from the stores.
"The good news is that as soon as we asked them to remove those from the shelves, they did. They didn't have any moments of hesitation; they saw that it was something not appropriate for their store, or maybe that's what they felt and didn't say," she told the news outlet. "We've seen that happening with other places like Target and Starbucks, and they've asked people to not bring guns into the store.
"Our call is to really ask corporations to have a higher standard and helps us from the grassroots area work on ending gun violence by not glorifying with messages like those and not making a beeline for headlines as much as it is, it should be something we're working to end not promote."
According to the company, Harris Teeter is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Kroger Co., was co-founded in 1960 by North Carolina grocers W.T. Harris and Willis Teeter, and is headquartered in Matthews, North Carolina, employing approximately 35,000 associates.
The chain operates more than 250 stores and 60 fuel centers in seven states and the District of Columbia, and owns grocery, frozen food, and perishable distribution centers in Greensboro and Indian Trail in North Carolina, the company's website said.
Neither Harris Teeter nor Kroger was able to respond to Newsmax's comment request by this report's deadline.
"I want to be clear that I'm not against the Second Amendment, or against gun ownership even," Clark told the Queen City News. "It's something that's a part of our culture in this country and we have to remember that. But we also have to recognize that we're the only country that's developed that has this type of gun violence at all.
"Teens and children … now the No. 1 cause death for them is gun violence, and so we have to take action to do something about it, and the way to solve the issue isn't to come at me blazing with insults and death threats and whatever else.
"The way to solve this is to end this divisive rhetoric and find a common ground and that's where I think we should be focusing on this and not so much on putting division between me and any other person advocating for changing gun laws and the rest of the country."
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.