Organizers of a large home show in Flagler County, Florida are under fire for allowing two local guns shops to set up booths at the show, which will take place this weekend at a public high school.
The Flagler County Home & Lifestyle Show bills itself as one of the county’s largest events — hosting some 20,000 visitors — and a showcase for a couple hundred local businesses. “Not just home-related businesses, but everyone!” is their slogan.
However, reports WKMG, several local residents in this oceanfront community have blasted the event’s organizers for allowing two area gun shops — HSDS Guns and Larry’s Guns and Ammo — to book booths at the 27th annual version of the trade show.
Representatives of both gun shops told the CBS affiliate that they will not bring any guns or ammunition on campus. (School officials confirmed this detail.) Instead, the gun retailers will bring non-lethal products. They will focus on advertising gun safety classes and providing information about their inventory.
In the opinion of the angry residents, businesses that sell guns don’t belong on the campus of Flagler Palm Coast High School.
The kerfuffle began when Julian Bergman noticed in a newspaper ad that Larry’s Guns and Ammo would have a booth at the home show.
“At these home shows, all these kids are walking through there,” Bergman told the station. “I just don’t believe this is a place to start educating people about guns.”
Gun store employees disagreed.
“We have a right to be there like everybody else,” said Kirk Chong, who works at Larry’s Guns and Ammo. “It’s more of an informational booth just letting people know we’re there, and if they need anything, they know where to find us.”