By Dave Workman
Senior Editor
A firearms dealer in a small east-central Arizona community is warning people who voted for Barack Obama that he does not want their business, and he is doing it rather bluntly.
Cope Reynolds, proprietor at Southwest Shooting Authority in Pinetop, Ariz., told TGM that he does not care if it costs him money. He’s making a political statement that may have wide-ranging reverberations.
He has posted a sign in the glass door of his shop that reads, “If you voted for Barack Obama Your business is not welcome at Southwest Shooting Authority. You have proven you are not responsible enough to own a firearm.”
Inside, another sign tells potential customers, “If you voted for Obama, please turn around and leave!”
There is no doubt that some gun owners voted for the president. That much has become evident by postings on various gun rights forums in the wake of the election. Reynolds does not want their business.
Prior to the election, a sign that was posted outside of his store announced an “Obama bin Biden” sale, which brought criticism from pro-Obama residents in his community, according to a newspaper article.
Reaction to the story has been mixed, with some in the gun rights community suggesting that this is not the image, or the message, to be sending to the public. Others agree with the retailer’s decision, noting that the Obama administration is not friendly to gun owners.
To up the ante in his backlash business move, Reynolds purchased advertising space in the local newspaper. The advertisement reads, “Effective immediately, if you voted for Obama, your money is no good here. You have proven beyond a doubt that you are not responsible enough to own a firearm. We have just put a sign up on the front door to save you the trouble of walking all the way in here….”
Whether other gun shops around the country follow in Reynolds’ path remains to be seen. He did not seem interested in starting a movement but only in making a personal and business statement.
Businesses have a right to refuse service but some might consider this going to an extreme that will hardly affect the outcome of a race that has already been decided.
Photo courtesy Cope Reynolds
