Londonderry gun shop owner apologizes for declaring business a ‘Muslim-free zone’
A Londonderry gun shop owner who declared his business a “Muslim-free zone” has retracted his comments and apologized.
Randy MacArthur, owner of Granite State Guns & Survival Gear, had offered support for a Florida gun shop owner who posted a controversial video describing his reaction to “the latest attack by an Islamic Extremist in Tennessee.”
That video begins with Florida Gun Supply owner Andy Hallinan seated in front of a large Confederate battle flag. “I have a moral and legal responsibility to ensure the safety of all patriots in my community,” he says in the video. “So effective immediately, I’m declaring Florida Gun Supply as a Muslim-free zone. I will not arm and train those who wish to do harm to my fellow patriots.”
MacArthur responded with a message of support. “I am an owner of Granite State Guns & Survival Gear in New Hampshire,” he wrote. “I stand beside you 100% We too are a Muslim free zone!!!”
Soon after the messages were posted, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) condemned the comments and announced it would call on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the gun shops.
In a statement, CAIR national communications director Ibrahim Hooper wrote, “These bigoted declarations are no different than ‘whites only’ signs posted in businesses during a period of our nation’s history that we had hoped was over. The Department of Justice must investigate these hate-filled and un-American business practices to determine whether federal civil rights laws are being violated.”
Monday, MacArthur had an apparent change of heart.
“My inappropriate comments yesterday were misunderstood, I was referencing extremists who try to hurt American people,” he wrote on Facebook. “It is very frustrating and I was wrong to specificity any religion. Again it was not my intention to insult any specific religion and apologize. I retract my comments and deleted the post.”
A notice on the Granite State Guns & Survival Gear Facebook page reinforced MacArthur’s message. “We are happy to serve any law abiding citizen that is able to purchase a firearm legally,” it stated. “We are more than happy to sell to any race, ethnicity, color, creed, religion, gender, and sex.”