Sept 17 (Reuters) - Starbucks Corp Chief Executive Howard Schultz requested on Tuesday that the coffee chain's customers leave their firearms at home, shifting company policy amid an increasingly fractious debate over U.S. gun rights in the wake of multiple mass shootings.

The request is being made in part because more people have been bringing guns into Starbucks over the last six months, prompting confusion and dismay among some patrons and employees, Schultz told Reuters in an interview.

In an open letter to customers issued late Tuesday, the chief executive said: "Our stores exist to give every customer a safe and comfortable respite from the concerns of daily life."

Starbucks' long-standing policy had been to default to local gun laws, including "open carry" regulations that allow people to bring guns into stores. It has nearly 7,000 company-operated U.S. stores.

That policy had frustrated U.S. gun-control advocates, who have persuaded many other restaurants and retailers to ban weapons in their stores and worked hard to get Starbucks to follow suit.

Schultz underscored that Starbucks' new policy is not a ban - employees will continue to serve patrons with guns. The request also does not apply to authorized law enforcement personnel.

"I don't want to put our people in a position of having to confront or enforce a policy (when) someone is holding a gun," Schultz told Reuters.

The Seattle-based company's request that customers not bring visible or concealed guns into stores and outdoor seating areas likely will anger guns-rights advocates, who in August held a national "Starbucks Appreciation Day" to thank the company for its stance at that time.

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