Gun sales are up, and most gun dealers consider it bittersweet because they know that the risk of new gun control is very high. They might enjoy brisk sales, but not with the knowledge that more gun control will likely be coming down the pike. But one major gun shop/range owner in Virginia is swimming in the dough from increased sales and then giggles like a school girl when he admits that he supported Obama in the election.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_jAyM2DD-4[/youtube]
Blue Ridge Arsenal is a pretty big range and gun store in Northern Virginia. I wonder how many of their customers know that the owner helped lay the foundation for possible future gun bans.
For those of you looking for a place to shoot in the DC area, I would suggest the NRA Range in Fairfax.
I’ve been there!
Hmm…and to think that I was considering buying a Colt Defender from them when I visited my parents over Christmas.
Oh well; that’s $900-ish that can go toward an Alexander Arms AR in 6.5, I guess.
Does the owner have NO CLUE how to put 2 and 2 together?
“Wheeee, look at all the gun sales! My man won! I’m on top of the world!”
The other side of the mountain awaits, dude.
NRA is a great range, but they don’t rent guns.
Gilbert Small Arms in Springfield is also a good alternative for shooting. They do rent.
Virginia Arms in Manassas is a good EBR/pistol shop.
Any of them are clearly a better place to spend your money.
If you do purchase something from his competitor, you should fax / email a scan / or snail mail him a copy of your receipt, along with an explanation to why you went elsewhere.
You should also ensure that the place you do give your money to is also aware of the reason. Positive dollars help too.
Negative dollars only help over a long period of time, or unless you prove that you did purchase elsewhere.
I would have said that’s unbelievable, but I guess there’s always another idiot willing to sell others down the river for a few extra bucks.
I actually received a prompt response from BRA just now, and have asked for permission to publish it. It looks like a form letter, but from it and the website it appears that their stance is essentially that shooting is a sport, not a right. I will give them credit for support of the shooting sports, as their website points out that they support two high school rifle teams, but I’m still not happy about their RKBA stance. I don’t want to go all 3%er and refuse to compromise, but at the same time their response seems more concerned about lost business than the opinions of RKBA folks.
I’ve just received confirmation, so here is my email and their response, complete except for my name being redacted:
“Hello,
I became aware of Blue Ridge Arsenal’s opposition to the right to keep and bear arms by way of the blog “Snowflakes in Hell” (http://www.snowflakesinhell.com/2008/12/09/blue-ridge-arsenal-owner-voted-obama-celebrates-with-increased-sales/#comment-35055). I had intended to purchase a Colt Defender from your store over Christmas; I will purchase it from Virginia Arms instead as a result of your stance.
You may be making money hand over fist now, but once this initial windfall is done your customers will remember your stance. There are other gun shops in Northern Virginia and I intend to ensure that my friends and those who read the websites The Firing Line and The High Road know what Blue Ridge Arsenal thinks about the Second Amendment.
Sincerely,
[Wolfwood]”
Their response:
“Dear [Wolfwood]
Thank you for your email. We understand your feelings and we are very sorry you had to write the email you did. We too were very surprised at the CBS story. Earl was told that the camera was no longer recording when the reporter asked that question and he felt free to give his personal response. Needless to say, he was shocked to see the final cut of the interview.
Earl and I are very sensitive to the political feelings of others, thus you will never see political flyers, leaflets, signs, billboards (as the type that was observed at Clark Brothers (McCain/Palin signs and “Obama – what are you hiding?) out front of this store. We assume that as long as you were a McCain supporter you are allowed to voice your opinion out in the open. We feel as business owners that our personal opinions are just that – personal, it was not meant for broadcasting to the nation. We welcome any and all people at our range and enjoy the diversity of people that frequent our range. We believe that this is what America is all about.
We are not of the belief that anyone coming into office in the current economic environment would be foolish enough to focus on gun ownership and gun control. We will fight anyone who tries to curtail the 2nd Amendment, why on earth do you think we purchased a gun store and gun range 6 years ago? To put it out of business?
We believe in everyone’s right to own and carry firearms and we provide firearms, range time and training to support that goal. That has been our business for the last 6 years and it will continue to be our business in the future. We are sorry for any concern this interview has caused our customers and apologize to everyone who was offended by this statement.
Earl and Deborah Curtis
Owners – Blue Ridge Arsenal
“Enjoy the Sport!””
In their permission to me, they indicated that they will put this response on their website, so it’s apparently a form letter.
Wow, what a response.
“Oops, we didn’t know that our efforts supporting anti-gun candidates would get out. We said our personal opinions are purely personal, that’s why we were speaking into a microphone while being interviewed about our business by a national news outlet. We regret that you guys who tend to vote with your wallets found out.
Ummm… We don’t want to lose money, so of course we wouldn’t support an all out ban. But, man, we do love raking in the moolah right now from people who don’t know!” (The last part is assumed from the smiles in the video.)
I noticed Earl Curtis is black. He said that he voted for Obama, like about 96% of all other black voters, so that’s no surprise there, gun shop owner notwithstanding.
I’m not really concerned about what color the guy is, I’m concerned that he makes his living off guns and gun owners, and he voted for someone who has made his career trying to demonize the former, and get rid of the latter (or did I reverse that?).
I love how there are some folks on AR15.com defending him under the guise that the good he has done for the Second Amendment by running the range and shop outweighs his poor vote. Give me a break. All it takes is one sweep of the pen (capable under the man he helped elect) to put him out of business and take away our freedom.
What is it with these guys? Are people this stupid? I guess he just wants to make his dough and get his little golden parachute. What a F’ing scumbag! I hope a wide receiver shoots himself at the range and sues his ass!
Go in there occasionally, but have never bought from them or shot there. Buy from VA Arms (and Guns & Ammo Warehouse)and shoot at the NRA. Will give the new range in Woodbridge a try when it opens. These guys ain’t what I call supporters of our RTKBA.
Blue Ridge Arsenal is a shithole.
Its a notoriously poorly run range and overpriced shop that essentially had a monopoly as the only gun shop in Fairfax for years. Thats not the case anymore, but its still a shit hole.
The only positive thing I can say about it is that they rent guns. Wish the NRA did. This guy is the new owner, and while he’s cleaned it up a bit, its still a shithole and I’ve never felt safe shooting there. Indeed, I had a guy next to me blow his brains out while I was shooting there.
As to the support at AR15.com, not sure if its still the case, but at least 3 or 4 years ago (well, whenever the AWB expired) one of the Blue Ridge guys was a mod or something over at AR15.com
Not surprised in the least. What a shithole. Virginia Arms is lightyears ahead of this place.
WHAT??? Oh, you’ve GOT to be kidding! I go there all the time! They’ve always been terrific to me! :-( I taught my kids how to shoot at their range.
This is horribly sad.
“The other side of the mountain awaits, dude.”
And it’s a slippery slope with lots of rocks and cactus.
What a jerk. Making money co-opting our rights.
If I lived in the area I’d travel any distance not to do business with this asshat.
$#!+ – I’ve got an annual membership there. Time to cancel it, and start one at the NRA range.
I was on the way to the shooting range tonight with a friend and I called Blue Ridge Arsenal (BRA). I identified myself as a customer of LONG standing and with my name. I asked that the employee relay my message to those in charge of Blue Ridge.
I very politely and calmly started to explain my concerns about what was transpiring as well as my decision to make my range outing somewhere other than Blue Ridge (I went to the NRA range). As soon a the BRA employee figured out why I was calling he interrupted me, saying words to the effect of: We are not taking calls on this matter AND then he hung up on me!
I have all the information I need.
I say let the boycott begin. Let everyone go public with their feelings on this one.
Wow, just wow. The guy trusted the media? The guy trusts obama? I have used the range a few times, and have purchased ammo while shooting there, but I doubt I will go back. I will just drive a bit more and support the NRA range more. Or, I will drive out to Clark Brothers.
Folks, just to hammer the point home, be sure to let the range know that you’re not supporting them. Sending them copies of your receipts, asking for refunds for unused memberships, etc. Make sure they actually SEE their business slip away rather than just not show up.
And if you have a membership and they won’t refund your money, use the range as much as possible but let them know you’re not purchasing a renewal nor will you purchase ammo or gear from them.
Ted,
That’s horrible! It’s one thing if they say they don’t have any additional comment on it. It’s another to hang up on a current customer.
It sounds like Blue Ridge deserves to be abandoned by shooters if only because they have crappy customer service.
I’ll be honest, I never went there because my understanding was that I was not wanted as a customer. When I moved down to NoVA, I read somewhere at the time that Blue Ridge had a policy of not allowing new individual customers to come in and shoot after they had a guy off himself on the range. Well, I prefer to shoot alone, especially if I haven’t done it in a while. I just like to be on the range with my thoughts and try to concentrate on breaking any newly returned bad habits.
I am really saddened that instead of taking input from customers (or members of the Second Amendment ‘family’) this business chooses to, in effect, go straight to hell.
For a business that is profiteering to choose to support the politician that is causing wholesale fear of loss of key rights, that is creating the profiteering condition, is to my way of thinking, an abomination.
They tell us they are profiting as a result of people’s fear of loss of rights, while they crow about supporting the politician who is causing that very fear. Then they lie about the threat the politician presents and make a bad situation even worse, by poo-poo feedback from their customers who respond negatively to it all!
I’m expecting that most gun buyers are not going to want to give their hard earned dollars to folks like this.
Let the boycott begin!
** ‘poo-pooing feedback’
http://tinyurl.com/68h22g
If Blue Ridge Arsenal’s take on our freedoms was not clear enough in the newsstory video or the ‘official’ correspondence from BRA, or from their employee hanging up on me, there is this from NPR on November 9th.
<>
One of the gun shops benefiting from the uptick in sales is Blue Ridge Arsenal in Chantilly, Va. The pistol range is busy today; so is the sales staff. And owner Earl Curtis is smiling.
“It’s been great — especially within the last three weeks,” he says.
Curtis says sales have doubled, but not because of hunting season — because of the election.
“People are afraid that their rights will be taken away, and all of a sudden they want to get large guns with [high-capacity] magazines, assault weapons. … People think we’re going to go back to the Clinton ages.”
Curtis says that could mean no guns with high-capacity magazines that are able to shoot 30 or more rounds, and no firearms with collapsible stocks so the gun can be adjusted.
<>
Imagine that, he is smiling with glee, he votes for Obama, helps keep Gunnies in the dark about the threat Obama poses to our freedoms, tells folks publicly that Obama et al are not going to attack our freedoms as he gleefully fills his pockets with our money, put there because of fear of loss of rights. We have elected a politician who is marshaling attacks on our freedoms, BRA and its owners are profiting and he calls it “GREAT”?!?
How sad.
I rented a MP 5 there during the summer. He is a piss poor owner he and his crew park as close to the front door as they can. We just about had to hike to the place.
They just lost ANOTHER customer……
lost me too
I have to ask myself what kind of common sense this guy has. He votes for a man that has a proven and consistent anti-gun and anti-self defense record and thinks it’s no big deal. That whole thing about peoples political feelings was nothing more than crap. I urge everyone in the area to boycott his store and seek other means to to do your business. We shouldn’t support a guy who is raking money in while selling us REAL GUN OWNERS and lovers of the 2A out.
That’s another Gun Shop I will never spend my hard-earned money in. I hope they go under and that someone lets us know when their last day is so that I can make the trip to point and laugh while they lock their doors!!
Yup. Its all true. You can also go to Guns and Ammo Warehouse just a mile south of Va. Arms. Great folks.http://www.gunshopfinder.com/bytownresults.asp?ID=4228
I taught my kids to shoot at BRA. I was a long-time member of the range. I feel like the ‘new’ owner just shot me in the back!
I buy from Virginia Arms and Guns & Ammo Warehouse. G&A gave me my bumper stickers for that guy who was Palin’s running mate. What was his name? Oh well, next time?
Unfortunately they wont refund yearly memberships. You have to finish it out. They are price gouging there aswell. New glocks are 625+, they use to be 499-525..
Ill never buy from them again. And am looking at nra and gilberts for my range needs
Repeat after me: There is no such thing as price gouging.
Higher prices for high demand items are not price gouging. That’s called a market. And if he can’t get people to buy the guns at that price, then he loses. If he can, then the customer obviously valued the product that much.
In fact, I actually think it’s prudent for dealers to raise prices right now so they can keep a bit of control over the run on guns. If Obama bans anything, they will lose out on inventory. If Obama doesn’t touch anything, then there will be a serious glut in the market and prices will fall so far that they likely can’t get what they need to be profitable. They will need to be able to get by on the higher profits from right now.
Let’s be clear, I still wouldn’t go near there because of the way he behaved. I just don’t think that those who don’t like higher prices during high demand are making the right arguments.
My boyfriend and I have a family membership to Blueridge and from the 2nd month on they have messed up the billing on the account. Double billing us and then billing to the wrong bank account and causing overdraft fees. We are fed up with them, but if you cancel your account at less than a year they charge fees just like a cell phone company! Add to all this the news about obama and we will be rid of them for sure as soon as we hit one year to be sure!
I’ve always done well there, good prices/staff – as good as anyone else in the area for sure.
I think folks might be getting drawn in by the film crew’s creative editing. There are two ways to interpret this:
1) Earl is happy that Obama won (and supported him) because he thinks Obama will implement new gun laws that will help his business.
OR:
2) Earl doesn’t believe Obama will implement new gun laws (maybe he’s wrong, but he has a right to his opinion), and voted for him because he thinks he’ll be a good leader (again, maybe his wrong — but he has a right). Then the film crew stitched who he voted for right after talking about how people are buying guns out of fear of the new administration.
Who knows what another person’s motive is, but if you know Earl you might realize that assuming option #1 might be a bit presumptive.
You want to know a right other than the second amendment?
The right to vote however the fuck you want.
I am a fellow gun nut who voted for Obama, and I am not worried about new federal laws ruining my fun. What I have had an issue with is the panic buying jacking prices through the roof and clearing shelves of ammo.
Boycotting a business over how someone voted? Hell you would think he voted for Hitler with how most of you are acting.
Pretty clearly you’ve paid no attention to the White House Web site which calls for banning private transfers of firearms, and a renewed assault weapons ban.