SIMPSONVILLE, SC (WSPA) – Driving down Main Street in Simpsonville, a local gun shop sign is making a big political statement following President Obama’s call for tougher gun control in an address to the nation Sunday.
It implies you can stick it to the man, so to speak, by coming in and buying a gun and, it turns out, the sales prop is working.
The sign reads “Want to piss off Obama? Buy a gun.”
“It’s mainly just to sell guns, but there’s a little bit of political connotation to it also,” said Mark Teal, owner of Simpsonville Gun and Pawn.
It’s a political connotation, according to Teal, stemming from President Obama’s address to the country Sunday night regarding terrorism and gun control.
“Congress should act to make sure that no one on a no-fly list should be able to buy a gun,” said President Obama in his thirteen minute address to the nation.
President Obama also called for legislation to ban assault weapons like the ones used in San Bernardino.
“What could possibly be the argument for allowing a terror suspect to buy a semi-automatic weapon,” President Obama questioned.
Teal said he wasn’t impressed.
“I just think it’s strange that he has 24 hour security, his children and wife have 24 hour security with armed guards everywhere they go [and] it’s ok for them to have armed guards, but it’s not ok for us to protect ourselves,” said Teal.
Teal said it is fear from bad guys and the threat of political moves to remove guns from law abiding citizens that seem to boost his sales.
“When things like this happen – Sandy Hook and with this in San Bernardino – a lot of people who have never thought about owning a fire arm start thinking about it,” he said.
The stats speak for themselves. Major gun retailers like Smith and Wesson and Ruger report swells in shares in the 48 hours since the presidential address and a more than 10% surge in stocks since the San Bernardino shooting December 2nd.
Not to mention, Black Friday was the biggest day ever for background checks for gun sales, according to the FBI.
As for Teal, he stands behind his sign and it’s message, regardless of whether his gun sale spikes will ever actually anger the man in the oval office.
