The head of a gun-rights organization, and an attorney formerly with the U.S. Justice Department, have varying opinions about a “Muslim-free” gun store.
“These are private stores and they’re free to do what they wish,” says Larry Pratt of Gun Owners of America. “And if they don’t want to sell to the enemy, then good for them.”
But the gun store can’t legally discriminate against Muslims based on the 1964 Civil Rights Act, says J. Christian Adams, who worked for the Civil Rights division at the Justice Department.
The federal law bans discrimination based on religion in public accommodation.
“And the retail store is considered a public accommodation,” Adams explains, “so it’s very difficult to see how CAIR can’t win this case.”
The attorney calls CAIR a “despicable bullying organization” but in this case, he says, CAIR is right.
Pratt, meanwhile suggests that other gun stores should follow the Florida one.
“Why would we want to sell guns to people who, when they go to hear a sermon on Friday, are told to go shoot everybody else?” he asks.
Andy Hallinan, the owner of Florida Gun Supply, announced his new “policy” July 17 after the shootings in Chattanooga, Tenn.
A USA Today story about Hallinan and the CAIR lawsuit can be read here.