Target bans guns from its stores

US retail giant Target has asked customers not to bring guns into its stores, after Texas gun rights activists demonstrated in a Texas shop with rifles slung over their shoulders. CEO John Mulligan said guns were at odds with its family atmosphere. Many US states allow people to carry guns in some fashion, but businesses may ban them. Gun control activists applauded the new rule, coming as many states loosen laws restricting the carrying of firearms. "We respectfully request that guests not bring firearms to Target - even in communities where it is permitted by law," Target CEO John Mulligan wrote in a statement, according to a news agency.