Help needed to save gun store

email | 6/27/02

[Redcloak]

URGENT ALERT

On Tuesday, July 2^nd, the city of Temple City will be voting on a variance to allow

"Lock, Stock and Barrel Gun Store", which is currently being forced out of its 36 year location in San Gabriel, to relocate to a shopping area not currently zoned for FFL dealers. Ms. Donna Herrick, the store's 70+ year old owner, is running out of options as she has just a few short weeks to relocate. If she doesn't land in Temple City, the only receptive area where rent is reasonably priced, she will be forced to close her doors. Those of you in the Los Angeles area please call the Temple City Council members and ask that they vote "YES" on the variance to allow Lock, Stock and Barrel to move within the city limits. Mayor Kenneth Gillanders and council members Vizcarra, Souder Wilson, and Zovak can be reached by calling (626) 285-2171.

Thank you!

Carrie Herbertson

CA Elections/Grassroots Coordinator

NRA State and Local Affairs Division

[Redcloak]

I received this the other day via email. Lock, Stock, and Barrel was my neighborhood gun store when I was a kid. It had a great selection for such a little shop. As a kid, I was facinated by the curio and relic guns they had. They also stocked a good amount of hunting and camping supplies. It's sad to see them leaving their old location; it would be sadder still to see them leave altogether.

Now, I live in the city of L.A.. They are slowly but surely driving all of our local gun stores out of business. We don't have anything that compares to Lock, Stock, and Barrel around here. This is a store that's well worth saving. Please call the TC city council and politely ask them to allow the variance for the shop.

[Redcloak]

BANG!

[ibbryn]

Good luck to you. Two of the major gunstores in LA County closed within the last 6 months. It's just another way to kill the "gun culture."

[Indrid Cold]

Next time the cops need to borrow firepower during a bank robbery, I guess they'll be driving to Nevada.

[Redcloak]

I guess so. That store was B&B. They've just recently closed.

[backhoe]

I don't have the exact stats handy, but during clinton's rotten reign the number of FFL holders declined something like 75%-- and nobody seemed to care outside of the industry.

[MileHi]

BTT

[Redcloak]

A lot of those dealers were so-called "kitchen table" dealers who were harrassed out of business. These are mostly guys who work gun businesses part time at gun shows.

[backhoe]

Again, I don't have it handy ( magazine ) but American Firearms Industry had stats that proved- at least to them- that killing off the "kitchen-table" dealers was bad for everybody's business nationwide, across the board.

[white trash redneck]

Actually, the stocking gun dealers were just as glad to get the "kitchen table" gun dealers out of business, since these were competitors with little to no overhead who could undercut them on prices. That's why there was little to no outcry from the industry.

I will concede second place to nobody in my contempt and disdain for the Clintons, but it's only fair to point out that the larger, stocking gun dealers were complicit in this particular scheme of theirs.

[backhoe]

it's only fair to point out that the larger, stocking gun dealers were complicit in this particular scheme of theirs.

Yes, you are correct. AFI's point- and they had statistics to back it up- was that it was detrimental to the gun trade as a whole, and played into the anti's hands.

[El Gato]

Lock, Stock and Barrel Gun Store", which is currently being forced out of its 36 year location in San Gabriel

What is the background on this. Who or what is forcing her out? San Gabriel government, local crime conditions, or just an unsupportable increase in her rent? What?

[Redcloak]

My guess is that the rent's gone up. Her problem is that she can't pick up and move just anywhere. Only TC sounds like they'd welcome a gun store.

[El Gato]

Well, she could move to Texas. We're pretty gun store friendly. :) I count about 20 within 10 miles of my apartment in San Antonio. Expand that to 30 miles, to get all of San Antonio, and then some, and you get 40. Admittedly that includes about 4-6 pawn shops. Always room for one more. :)

[Redbob]

You're right: there's never a shortage of narrow-minded gun-shop owners who think it would be just fine if all gun-shows were banned, and all mom & pop dealers forced out.

But how does one get to be a "stocking dealer" if he can't start out small, working out of his garage or spare bedroom until he builds up a clientele?

[backhoe]

But how does one get to be a "stocking dealer" if he can't start out small, working out of his garage or spare bedroom until he builds up a clientele?

Well, you don't- unless you can talk a bank into loaning you enough money to buy a pile of starting inventory.

The classic way of building a business from scratch is to sell an item for enough money to buy 2 more, then 4, then eight, etc., building up an inventory, and at some point you cut your profit down to boost sales volume & sustain the existing inventory at present levels.

[supercat]

A lot of those dealers were so-called "kitchen table" dealers who were harrassed out of business. These are mostly guys who work gun businesses part time at gun shows.

Actually, my understanding was that a fair number of them just about never actually sold any firearms. The reason they had their FFL was to be able to buy guns from out of state without having to pay another FFL $50-$100+ to do the transfer.