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“Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms shouldn’t be a federal agency...it should be a convenience store”

Disclaimer...I’m not a fan of the BATF either. So the below story isn’t in support of the ATF.

Back in the early 90s, my wife and I were on a return trip from Cinncinati, OH back to Oklahoma City, OK. We had just gotten through St. Louis when we ran into a horrible traffic jam about 5 miles (east) outside of St. Louis. We we in stop and creep traffic for over an hour and barely went a mile. I had an old fashioned AAA “trip tic” that planned by route to OKC. The map showed if we exited at the next exit North into rural MO we could take state hwys around and come back onto I-44 about 30 miles down the road and hopefully beyond any jam. So, we took the chance and exited 44 to the rural hwys.

Well, I was used to flat OK back then and had never seen a true rural area. The AAA map didn’t even begin to show the roads correctly. So, about an hour into the trip with the sun going down, we found ourselves lost. We entered some small town and decided to ask for directions. We pulled up to a “quick trip” type gas station store. Being a real man, I sent my wife inside to get the directions.

While I was sitting in the car waiting, I looked up at what was painted on the side of this building where I was parked. In foot high red letters it read:

LIQUOR
AMMUNITION
FOOD

When I saw this, I had to do a double take. It immediately caused this mental image to pass through my mind. “A bunch of KKK guys come to the store to buy booze and ammo to get drunk and shoot up the local black minorities, and then have plenty of food for a feast afterward.” Of course, now that I have gotten to know Missouri much better, I realize I was wrong. But, I still chuckle when I think about the sign on that wall and how it freaked me a little.