A North Carolina gun store that advertises itself as America’s biggest on Tuesday invited President Obama to visit and meet average firearms owners, the “most responsible and law abiding citizens in the country.”
Hyatt Guns, in Charlotte, N.C., the city where Obama was nominated for reelection during the 2012 Democratic National Convention, issued the invitation in hopes that a little face time with gun owners would give the president perspective on America’s gun culture as he moves to impose more gun control.
Inside Hyatt Guns.
“Come meet gun owners and meet with Larry Hyatt to have an honest discussion about gun issues,” said Justin Anderson, marketing director for Hyatt Guns, “America’s Largest Gun Shop.”
Obama has not reached out to gun groups as he readied his new gun control actions. Should he, they would urge him to chase after gun criminals and gang bangers instead, and lengthen gun crime sentences to send a message that illegal gun handling won’t be tolerated.
Instead, his new action would do nothing new to target criminals, and instead would create a whole new universe of criminals out of small-time gun sellers and hobbyists who currently aren’t licensed and, under law, don’t have to be.
“That’s exactly it. This executive action is nothing more than pandering to the anti-gun groups. It does nothing to stem the real problem with guns: criminals and the stolen guns they are using to commit crimes,” said Anderson.
“I share the president’s view that we need to do something to protect law abiding citizens from criminals using guns to commit crimes. First, we need to punish criminals who use guns to furthest extent of the law. Criminals only react to force. Long jail terms will effectively tell criminals if they use a gun to commit crimes, they will spend a long time in prison. Secondly, we need to ban gun free zones. Disarming law abiding citizens in certain areas only makes these areas attractive to criminals to commit mass shootings. People need to be able to exercise their 2nd Amendment right of self protection,” he added.
Hyatt Guns previously invited former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a leader in the gun control campaign, to visit, but he declined.
“These folks, including our president, are happy to be willfully ignorant,” said Anderson.
“Gun owners are among the most responsible and law abiding citizens in the country. This is especially true of those who become concealed carry permit holders. Many of them, myself included, carry a gun every day. We are well trained. While we pray the need doesn’t arise, we are ready to use our guns to protect ourselves and those around us,” he added.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
