Jan Morgan, owner of The Gun Cave Indoor Shooting Range, has declared her facility a “Muslim free zone.”
Posted on 09/30/2014 5:22:58 AM PDT by BulletBobCo
In an act that will no doubt result in lawsuits, The Gun Cave Indoor Shooting Range in Hot Springs, Arkansas, has declared itself a “Muslim free zone” due to concerns over domestic Islamic terrorism. The ban was announced yesterday by range owner Jan Morgan in an article posted to her web site where she cites ten points justifying her position.
Jan Morgan, owner of The Gun Cave Indoor Shooting Range, has declared her facility a “Muslim free zone.”
Among the points cited are prior attacks in the United States that the federal government refuses to classify as terrorism, including the Fort Hood attack, the Boston Marathon bombing, and the last week’s Oklahoma City beheading. Morgan has also received death threats in the past for her writing about Islam.
Another incident that weighed heavily in Morgan’s decision was an incident at her firing range several weeks ago, which she relayed to Bearing Arms this morning.
Morgan claims that two Muslim men who spoke only broken English came to her range and requested to rent semi-automatic firearms and ammunition. One of them could not produce any identification showing that he was in the country legally, and the other had a California driver’s license. Neither had any apparent firearms training. She allowed them to rent one firearm, and stood behind them the entire time they were on the range, her hand on or near her holstered Glock 19. All other patrons voluntarily vacated the firing line while they were shooting.
She brings up a very valid point that gun stores and ranges have both a legal and moral obligation to ensure the safety of their patrons. Because of this, they may refuse service to anyone they deem to be under the influence, mentally unstable, or otherwise a potential threat to themselves, or others. FFLs are afforded a great deal of latitude in this regard, as the federal government would rather err on the side of caution.
While FFls and range operators have a great deal of latitude in their business dealings, it is doubtful that a blanket ban based upon religion is remotely viable on First Amendment grounds. This is no more legally viable than a ban on Baptists or Catholics.
Morgan expects that she will be sued over the decision for civil rights violations, and is gearing up for a court battle.
She claims that so far she has received support from all 50 states, and very little criticism.
Other Second Amendment supporters, such as Caleb Giddings of Gun Nuts Media, are strongly against Morgan’s decision:
"Here’s an important point: yes, there are terrorists. There are quite a few terrorists who are followers of this or that sect of radical Islam. Those are bad people. But the 2nd Amendment isn’t for those people, the 2nd Amendment is for Americans. All Americans. Regardless of race, religion, sex, or creed. Last time I checked, the important text of the 2nd Amendment didn’t say “the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed – unless you’re black, Muslim, or gay.”
To me, that’s what the most frustrating thing about this. Yes, it reinforces negative stereotypes about my people; yes it’s bigoted; and yes it’s likely a desperate attempt for relevance from someone that no one’s ever heard of. But most importantly, and most frustratingly it absolutely misses the point of what the 2nd Amendment, and what this entire country is all about. This is the United States of America, and while we’re not as good at the whole “freedom” thing as we used to be, we’re still the best in the world. People in this country are absolutely free to pray to whichever god they wish, and those same people are free to own and use firearms for their self-defense, recreation, hunting, or any other lawful purpose. The 2nd Amendment is a civil right the same as the 1st Amendment. What Jan Morgan is doing is denying an entire group of people, an entire group of Americans, access to a fundamental civil right, simply because she doesn’t like the god they pray to, and the holy book they read. That misses the entire point of everything America is supposed to be about."
While Morgan may have a valid concern than some Islamic terrorists may attempt to use firing ranges or gun shops to acquire weapons, it isn’t acceptable to ban an entire religion from service under our Constitution. The Constitution and Bill of Rights must apply equally to all of us, or they aren’t worth anything at all.
Betcha this ban doesn’t last long...
There will be a lawsuit by Muslims based on 1st Amendment, and they *could* win.
The First Amendment only applies to government -- meaning that the government cannot infringe on our God-given right to free speech and freedom of religion.
Nobody has free speech, or freedom of religion, on somebody else's private property.
To argue otherwise is a typical tactic of totalitarian leftists, and is a big reason why all our Constitutionally protected rights are today under siege.
I understand her sentiment but this is a stupid move.
Convert (pun sort of intended) the range to a private club requiring a membership fee and selection process. And never utter the word Muslim overtly as a reason for refusal. Golf courses and other institutions have ridden that right to free association horse to exclude all sorts of people for years.
(To the author ...)
If Islam was a religion, you'd have a point.
But it's not.
So you don't.
And a private business should be free to refuse product or services as they see fit.
Requirements for entry into the facility shall include making the sign of the cross and eating a pork tenderloin sandwich.
I doubt this is legal. As much as I under her concerns wouldn’t it be better and more effective and cost efficient if she were to served bacon at the front door?
Cant ban people in regards of religion. But just mandate that everyone entering has to pet a dog or a pig.
I’m sorry, there needs to be more of this.
After all, Muslims see fit to exclude non-Muslims from their mosques and from their neighborhoods, and the government won’t do a f’n thing about it. Yet, we’re supposed to sit by and let them play with firearms in our presence, and any tension they cause be damned?
In this case, the Muslims could have done the necessary paperwork to legally obtain arms, and searched for a place to learn to use them. After all, Muslim-only militia training grounds exist all over the United States. Our government won’t touch them—it only cares about so-called right-wing militias.
Bacon strips will be provided at the entrance.
But that might keep Jews out. Muzzies thinks dogs are unclean, which proves they are unworthy of living.
Don’t they go to a knife range?
>> There will be a lawsuit by Muslims based on 1st Amendment, and they *could* win.
You should be able to exclude anyone you want from your private business for any reason at all, or for no reason, according to the same 1st Amendment. Although I agree with you, in the current political climate her legal ice is thin.
If it were MY range, I would exclude muslims a different way. I would put up posters denigrating allah and mohammed, and I would sell targets depicting mo. I would encourage the presence of dogs and maybe even have a pig or two on site. I would advertise for muslim shooters, and I would make sure that there was always an eloquent pastor or two to preach to obvious muslims, and pray over them (loudly).
That reverses the equation. If you try and fight me on this, you’re treading on MY first amendment rights!
It’s her gun range, she can refuse service to anyone. I’m so sick of people being forces to service people they don’t want to serve.
(While FFls and range operators have a great deal of latitude in their business dealings, it is doubtful that a blanket ban based upon religion is remotely viable on First Amendment grounds. This is no more legally viable than a ban on Baptists or Catholics.)
Baptists and or Catholics have not openly declared war and openly engaged in war against the United States. Islam has and is.. You can except this fact or you can sit back and watch your country perish.
I guess not so much anymore.
“Here’s an important point: yes, there are terrorists. There are quite a few terrorists who are followers of this or that sect of radical Islam.
WRONG. There is no “radical” Islam. That is a construct of the Islamist and their enablers like President Obama and the MSM. It is Islam period. Nothing the soldiers of Islam are doing falls outside the Koran which is the guiding document of Islam. Yes there are various factions that believe they are the ones that must destroy civilization and then rule the earth but it all comes down to the same thing. You must die for them to succeed......
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