(courtesy bitrebels.com)

Unlike Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, the People of the Gun don’t do organized boycotts. Every time we report on a company that plays ball with the Moms (e.g. Panera), individual commentators announce that they’ll not darken their disarmament-friendly doors again. So what do you think when I tell you that Ben & Jerry’s ice cream company has joined forces with a gun buyback program – aimed at vilifying toy guns and video games? True story! “Parents and children may turn in toy guns and video games from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Oct. 4 at Novato [CA] police headquarters; Oct. 11 at Ben & Jerry’s at Bon Air Shopping Center in Greenbrae; Oct. 18 at Town Center Mall in Corte Madera; and Oct. 25 at Sausalito police headquarters. Ben & Jerry’s is donating ice cream for participants.” Because . . .

“Children reflect the culture they live in,” noted Marla Hedlund, development and community relations manager for the Center for Domestic Peace. “This is really all about having a conversation with our community and our children about the culture of violence,” she added. “We’re trying to inspire people to become part of the movement to create peace in a violence-free environment.”

John Slater, owner of the Ben & Jerry’s outlet, said he has worked with the Center for Domestic Peace before, supported its program and was happy to participate. “It’s about raising awareness,” he noted.

Speaking of raising awareness, I don’t expect the NRA to organize a boycott of the Vermont ice cream maker. Maybe that’s because NRA jefe Wayne LaPierre did a mess of video game vilification in his post-Newtown ramble. Anyway you, firearm freedom-loving folks that you are – might want to switch your frozen dessert allegiance. Hmmm. Vermont. Home of Constitutional Carry. Did you know that Häagen-Daz is a made-up name for a company – based in New Jersey? Funny old world innit? [h/t JC]

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106 COMMENTS

  1. I’ve banned B&J from the household for like 10 years now. They’ve never made a secret about their anti-rights donations.

    • For me, the last time I had it was Christmas of 1997. I love the ice cream, but I’m not fond of the company.

    • What’s Ben & Jerry’s? Sounds like some kinda crap I’d never touch.

      Seriously though. Not one oz of their ice cream has ever been in my freezer, or even on any spoon I have ever held. Those guys have been off my shopping list for… well… forever. daggum hippy crap never appealed to me. I want ice cream, I get ice cream, not some over the top too pretentious for you type ice cream. Blue Bell is good enough for me.

    • Same here. Heck I haven’t bought a Quaker Oats product since sometime in the ’70s, for the same reason. Will it break them? No. Will it change their policy? Probably not. Butt why should I contribute even an infinitesimal amount to depriving me of my civil rights?

      • Quaker is now owned by PepsiCo. Seriously doubt whatever controversies made you drop them are still in existence.

    • They have always been a leftist company. I refer to them as “Ben and Commie’s” Never bought their product and never will.

    • What!!!

      Ben and Jerry’s makes ice cream?

      And here all this time I thought they were just a hippy like outfit selling rainbows, unicorns and stock in “utopia”.

  2. “… create peace in a violence-free environment.”

    If they had a violence free environment, wouldn’t it already be peaceful?

    I’m so tired of progressive newspeak.

  7. Isn’t B&J franchised? So what if one owner decides to have a BS gun buyback in their store?

    Also I don’t eat their ice cream because it’s expensive.

    • Most PC gamers are gonna be out of luck when it comes to video game buy-backs. The majority of games are being downloaded from places like Steam now-a-days vice buying discs.

      • Shhh, don’t let them know that! That way we can watch them crumble in disappointment when they receive a whopping half-dozen DVD cases for ‘Alone in the Dark’ and ‘Jericho’. Ecch!

  8. Those hippie plutocrats have been on my Do Not Buy list for many years. I would assume that they have never favored firearms ownership for any but their personal security team.

  9. I hereby announce that I will continue my non-purchasing of Ben & Jerry’s overpriced, not-that-great-anyway ice cream

  11. I try to stay away from sweets anyway, but i’ve especially avoided B&J’s for years because their hippie bullshit.

    • You’re okay, man. Bears gotta fatten up to hibernate. It takes a lot of nuts and berries to get through the winter. Ice cream is a much faster way to build up that blubber. You’re just being efficient!

    • It’s OK, Mr. Bear.

      Don’t you listen to their Anti-Bear Hate Speech. I can tell you’re really a nice Bear…

      What’s that Cordura holster on my belt?

      Uh, just my UDAP 12HP Bear Spray…

      You never know what you may come across out here in the woods…(nervous laugh)

      Hey! Stop that! Let go my arm!

      Nooooooooooo!!!!

      (Gurgle noises, then a polite Bear burp…)

  13. These are the same idiots who thought they could hire a CEO for not too much more than their standard line workers. Guess what happened? They had a series of really bad CEOs running Ben and Jerry’s. They finally faced facts on that deal.

  15. Ben and Jerry`s makes good ice cream and Newman`s Own has high quality products of which I will not buy because I do not want to help finance the enslavement of my fellow citizens and the destruction of constitutional liberties.

      • Can you please reference what specific efforts Newman’s Own has made toward the enslavement of US citizens and the destruction of US constitutional liberties? A quick check on their charity website and on Wikipedia turned up nothing. Paul Newman himself may have leaned to the left, but the charities Newman’s Own gives money to sound thoroughly uncontroversial. Helping sick kids, trying to help people out of poverty, providing support to veterans and military families, promoting nutrition (appropriate for a company that purports to provide more wholesome food), etc. Some of the charity money even goes toward defending civil liberties. Please correct me if I’m mistaken, I’d like to know if Newman’s Own has made offensive anti-liberty efforts. I don’t see it.

  16. Yep, knew the Haagen-Dazs guy wanted his ice cream to sound foreign, and it worked for him. Ben & Jerry, never tried the stuff, and guess I never will. Wife and I usually buy whatever brand of cookie dough ice cream is on sale at the local Kroger’s. Culver’s has never given me any grief for summer OC into their store either. The local sliders joint, a place called Seeberger’s Cheeseburgers, has a “guns welcome” sign posted behind their counter. They have good sliders, seasoned fries, and ice cream too.

  17. Guess I will stop giving them business. Attacking video games is going to be bad for them if the news gets spread more.

  18. Have not spent a dime with them since last child 17 years ago. Pregnant Wife has a craving for Rocky-Road you get it, rspecially if she’s a better shot & hormonal.

    Blue Bunny is better anyhow. Organize a sample in to go into 1 of the stores & ask for samples of all flavors. 100-200 people will cut some profit out of the birkenstock crowds hands.

    • I like their icecream as well. But my Dad boycotts Tillamook. Not gun related, but after what they did to the Bandon Cheese factory down south (were he grew up)… I guess there’s always someone with a reason to boycott something 🙂

      • Oh yeah! Tillamook ice cream is amazing. I have an almost empty bucket of their chocolate peanut butter ice cream in my freezer right now.

    • Yep. That dairy co-op you have there in OR produces some amazing dairy products.

      Up here, there’s a family-run ice cream company in Montana that puts out excellent products, without lots of the modern fillers and crap that B&J put into their hippie horsecrap. Wilcoxson’s Ice cream out of Livingston, MT. Nice stuff.

  20. gun related toys and video games? Oh Sure! I’ve got a stack of those that are not even worth dropping off at the Goodwill. Where is it? I’ll donate most of the proceeds to NRA or 2AF!

  21. A culture of violence”??? Violence is a genetically encoded survival trait. You can train people to be nonviolent, but then they cannot defend themselvves from those not so trained. (viz A Clockwork Orange)

  22. B&J was founded by two NY burnouts who backed every left-wingnut cause known to man. Now it’s owned by Unilever, a global British/Dutch conglomerate that seems intent on being just as loopy as the B&J founders.

    B&J supports environmental causes while it dumps 21 teaspoons of sugar in every pint of its ice cream. And didja notice how gummy B&J ice cream is? Google “guar gum.”

    • What do you expect from a company that makes marmite. Think skunky stale beer. It’s a favorite food of gungrabbers in the U.K. behind vegemite. A Kraft brand favored by PETA. Even my dog won’t eat it & he’s been known to eat my mother in laws food.

      • Is there anything on this planet that has more salt (other than a cattle lick) than Vegemite?

        That stuff is just raw.

        And don’t start on those horrid canned kippers in a tin…

  23. I’ve been boycotting them for as long as I remember. They tried to buy my grandfather off when he worked in the car insurance business. That was enough for our whole family.

    Glad I have a second reason that the girlfriend will understand now.

  24. I can not remember the last time I ever bought Ben and Jerry’s but it is due to the fact that the money I save by buy cheaper priced ice cream means more money for guns and ammo.

    • +1 for cheap-ass ice cream. The ice cream I buy comes in a plain white brick-shaped carton. It looks like it’s military surplus. I think it might even say, “CREAM, ICE” on it in stenciled letters.

  25. It’s not just about what they’re ‘anti-‘ the crap that they’ve supported has been equally heinous.

    It’s ok though. It’s not “operator” food.

  26. I heard that B&J is removing GMO ingredients from their products to make good on their pledge to be GMO free, however I hope their actions inspire products that are pro-gun to follow suit while still supporting the 2nd amendment.

  27. I’ve known B&J’s is leftwing hippies for many years. No boycott from me as I can’t remember the last time I had it. Unfortunately I’m also having a hard time eating anything sweet. Maybe you locals can intercept some of the guns being “bought back”.

  28. “John Slater, owner of the Ben & Jerry’s outlet, said he has worked with the Center for Domestic Peace before, supported its program and was happy to participate.”

    So, was this just Mr. Slater’s decision to participate, or is this a B&J corporate undertaking?

  29. Stopped buying Ben and Jerry’s when I found out that they were liberal nut jobs. That was long before they buyout. Their ice cream was mediocre and way too expensive before the buyout.

  30. Considering what I recently read about Tina Fey’s box-office curse on any movie she’s starring in (like the HORRIBLE This Is Where I Leave You that I just endured) having her on the package of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream could actually help our cause…

  31. The ownership question is an interesting one. Is the franchisee leveraging the brand for exposure, or is this sanctioned by B&J?

    The interesting thing about B&J is they are headquartered in Vermont. Vermont, despite being hippie-central for the East Coast, is Constitutional carry as we know. Other than suppressors and (I think) most other NFA items being illegal, guns are no big deal up there. Open carry is fine too, though most don’t bother as a courtesy to their neighbors. I wonder how the company reconciles being located in Vermont with their beliefs?

    It’s interesting, I named Vermont as one of my “alternate” considerations for living aside from sunny Florida and my friends (who know my stance on 2A) looked at me like I was crazy until I pointed out Vermont’s lack of gun laws. Vermont is very hands-off with guns, and yet there’s no rivers of blood flowing down from the Green Mountains.

    Fun fact Vermont is derived from “ver mont” which is French for “Green Mountain”.

    Or something.

  32. Culture of violence:

    When first married my wife was unduly influenced by her hippie sister and declared that there would be no toy weapons of any kind for our children. I sighed.

    When our oldest son was about two years old he started carrying sticks around and proclaiming them “kill sticks.” It’s innate.

    Soon after I made him his first toy gun in the woodshop.

    • My parents weren’t hippies, far from it, but they didn’t allow toy guns either. My dad wasn’t anti-gun, or at least he isn’t now. Parents live in a slave state (looking to change that soon for them) so buying/carrying isn’t a realistic option, and recently we had a family dinner discussion where guns came up and my dad (surprisingly) expressed a pro-gun stance – “If it’s my day to go, then so be it, and if I have a gun on me, I’ll use it…”

      Looking back, I think the toy gun ban in my household was more of a desire to make me respect firearms than view them as toys (this was the 80s and orange-tipped and cartoon toy guns weren’t required by law) since they had no issues letting me go hunting with armed relatives. I never had toy guns, so I never viewed a gun as a toy.

      Odd, but no one’s parents are perfect.

      I’m guessing when they finally get out of the Garden State they’ll probably ask me to help them buy a gun!

  33. I really wish that they would learn that “violence-free,” “peaceful ” and “guns” aren’t exclusive to each other. My home is peaceful, free of violence AND has eight guns in it.

  34. I’ve never been impressed with their ice cream or their just to the left of Marx politics, so I will continue not buying their products.

    I’m just irritated that I can’t go there and hand out toy guns.

  35. I never had Ben and Jerry’s in my life. Started with a rumor that they stole the recipe from the Penn State Creamery. Don’t know if it’s true or just a rumor. They both attended a course at the Creamery in the late 70’s though. Then all the liberal crap they dished out convinced me to not part with my money regardless of the stolen recipe or not.

    There’s plenty of good ice cream out there, no need to buy theirs.

  41. “The welfare of the people in particular has always been the alibi of tyrants, and it provides the further advantage of giving the servants of tyranny a good conscience.”

    – Albert Camus

      • Here’s a tip:

        Hit ’em with the quote first. They’ll usually be ignorant enough to spout that it came from some right-wing American pundit.

        Then say “No, Albert Camus.”

        Watch their skulls split.

  42. I live within a few miles of a Braums’ store, so I don’t need Ben & Jerry’s. I have purchased any of their overpriced garbage moving back to this state and I can’t figure out how I survived all those years in Florida.

    It’s is hard to organize a boycott when (based upon the above comments) the people of the gun are already not shopping there.

  43. Oh come on, nobody here is willing to admit they enjoy Cherry Garcia? Ben & Jerry’s popularized cookie dough ice cream! Heck, it’s an all-American success story and a charming company with some good product. Yeah, they’re openly a little hippie-ish, but it’s basically just marketing. Unless Ben & Jerry’s embarks on an anti-gun crusade and gives Michael Bloomberg or Shannon Watts their own flavor to raise funds for civilian disarmament, it doesn’t make sense for the gun community to shun them. I’ll judge the company by it’s actions, not the company it keeps, and as far as I know if I buy a pint of their ice cream the company is not going to hand over their revenue toward the destruction of freedom in this country. I’m not going to write off as an enemy everyone with a tie-dye shirt. After all, Sig sells tie-dye pistols (link) for pro-2A gun-toting hippies.

    • Ben & Jerry’s website “Issues We Care About” page [link]. Nothing about guns on it. This is the most gun-related thing I dug up, from a company biography on an unaffiliated website [link]:
      “After a year and a half on the job, Holland decided that he was not the right person to develop these new markets and new products. Perry Odak was tapped to replace Holland. He had served briefly as COO of U.S. Repeating Arms Co., maker of Winchester rifles. This surprised some, given Ben & Jerry’s philanthropic contributions to gun control groups. However, Odak had plenty of the desired consumer marketing experience with such companies as Armour-Dial, Jovan Inc., and Atari.”

      I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Ben and Jerry themselves donated for gun control. Perhaps the company also did in the past. But at present they’re at least following the Michael Jordan business principle (“Why don’t you donate to Democrats, Mike?” “Because Republicans buy sneakers too.”) If Ben & Jerry’s bans firearms from their stores, I’ll gladly join the boycott. Until then, I won’t avoid their ice cream if that’s what I want to buy (or receive for free on Free Ice Cream Cone Day [link]).

  44. I can’t speak to the wisdom of boycotts, but I can speak volumes about ice cream.

    Talenti gelato — made in Dallas, TX — has it all over B&J and it’s relatively easy to find. Their Sea Salt Caramel, Banana Fudge Chocolate, and Belgian Chocolate flavors are near-perfect, and it seems they’ve expanded their repertoire recently.

    Much higher on the price scale but also much better is Jeni’s — available at all of the Royal Blue Grocery stores in downtown Austin. At $11/pint prob’ly not for everyone. If I were Ben & Jerry, after tasting Jeni’s I’d just give up and switch to selling insurance.

    Finally, your town probably has a very decent local ice cream purveyor: Amy’s in Austin, Toscanini’s in Boston. Even the two-horse town where I grew up in CT has a fantastic local ice creamery. For about $1.50 more than B&J per pint it’s much better, fresher, and less sugary.

    Unfortunately, most mass-market brands are not acceptable replacements — much too high an overrun (air in the mix)

    Ice cream is a bit of an addiction for me, so I have been known to grab a pint of B&J if there is nothing else around. But I try to do so as infrequently as possible, and will now endeavor to make that even less frequent.

    • Oh yeah, I’m all about local high-quality ice cream. I don’t eat it much, but when I do I want the good stuff. I don’t mind paying more for quality if I’m only doing it rarely. Might as well fully enjoy the indulgence. I’d like to add, in New York: Jane’s Ice Cream in upstate New York, based in Kingston and available around the Hudson Valley (favorite flavor “Killer Chocolate”, Il Laboratorio del Gelato in New York City (superb texture—I’m partial to the “Dark Chocolate” gelato, which is very similar to Jane’s “Killer Chocolate”), and Ronnybrook Farm Dairy for an outstanding vanilla ice cream in and around the New York City area (out into New Jersey and Connecticut). I generally prefer the basic flavors to Ben & Jerry’s monstrosities and these are the best chocolate and vanilla ice creams I’ve had.

  47. Ive not purchased ben and Jerry’s for about 4 years due to anti gun donations I had previously read about.

  48. Since its only 10 mins away from me and the fact they have a playground I’m there a few times a month with my son. It would really chap thier hides if they knew that every time I vist the factory I’m carrying.

  52. Yeah, I don’t buy their stuff anyway. BlueBell or HEB’s house brand (Creamy Creations, I think), which is cheaper than BB and just as good in my opinion. Although I don’t get ice cream at all very often any more, trying to lose some weight.

  53. I think I read somewhere they were sponsoring a “violent” game buyback program where the children who turn in a videogame would get free ice cream. In CA. Yes it’s coming to that now…

    Don’t eat ice cream so not missing out on anything anyways.

  56. Ben & Jerry’s to me was all hype. There are much better with higher quality ingredients than theirs. The Thrifty, (which was originally produced by or for Thrifty Drug Stores now Rite Aid) brand ice cream is much better. Ben & Jerry’s was the in thing by liberals. Well, they can have it, I don’t want it! The best ice cream is the old fashioned churned ice cream. It is not the cream, (which is milk fat) that makes you fat, it is the sugar. I’m on a low carb diet and Von’s had a low carb ice cream of their own brand, (Safeway Select) in Butter Pecan and it was every bit as good or better than any purchased ice cream I have ever tasted. They must not have sold enough, or to expensive to make as I don’t see it in Von’s stores anymore. I guess I’ll have to come up with my own low carb recipe for Butter Pecan ice cream. Any & all recipes or suggestions will be well appreciated.

  57. You’re just now getting on the boycott Ben & Jerry’s bandwagon? Besides for making what is arguably some of the worst ice cream on the planet I have not spent a dime on them since I found out about their assisting in the legal defense of Wesley Cook, aka Mumia Abu-Jamal.

    I wonder if the Center for Domestic Peace knows about that since well, murderous cop killing “activists” are all about domestic peace.

  58. Frankly Ben and Jerry stinks.

    I’m one “baby boomer” who is not
    hippie
    war protestor
    and certainly not a Ben and Jerry guy.

    I’ll take Blue Bunny.

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