Went to ESS today, and I must say I'm a bit bent out of shape. Email copied and pasted:

"Good afternoon

This morning I brought my sister to Elite Shooting Sports in order to continue teaching her marksmanship fundamentals. We've been to Elite a few times in the past and we have always enjoyed the facility, the staff, and the general experience. Today, unfortunately, was a somewhat different story.

While sitting in the lobby awaiting a lane at the 100 yard range, we were treated to the sight of a young black man wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the phrase "FUK DA POLICE" in oversized lettering. While this, in and of itself, was offensive, the fact that it was being worn openly by someone talking loudly about needing to "practice with [his] shotgun in case Trump wins" was downright unsettling.

I cannot reasonably expect to be protected from speech or expression that I find distasteful. However, I was genuinely appalled by the fact that this young man spoke to at least two different ESS employees while wearing this shirt and was at no time asked to change, turn his shirt inside out, or leave. Messages of that sort may be legally protected, but ESS is under no obligation to tolerate or permit them on private property. I cannot imagine that I would be permitted to use the facilities at ESS while wearing a shirt with an enormous Swastika emblazoned on it, and this is no different.

It would be truly unfortunate if the casual indifference of a few sub-par employees resulted in the perception that Elite Shooting Sports condones a message like "FUK DA POLICE" or anything similarly vile.

I would suggest that you contact me in regards to this, and quickly."

Within 30 minutes of submitting this email, I was phoned directly by an employee of ESS. This employee seemed like he was as annoyed by this as I was, and assured me that ESS personnel were going out of their way to find the person wearing that shirt. I asked if he would be banned from ESS facilities, but <employee> kind of dodged me on that. Whatever, I was pleased with the fact that they even listened. Seems like they're doing the right thing, right?

Wrong. WRONG. Wrong and full Goddarned stop.

A few hours after my conversation with <employee> I had the dubious pleasure of speaking with <Employee 2>. <Employee 2> assured me that she "understood" why I was "hurt," and that she was a "big fan of law enforcement." Every time I tried to get a word in edgewise, she assured me that she "understood," and that she "felt the same way." I was told that the, ah, "gentleman" wearing the shirt would be "talked to."

I said I wanted him banned. I said I wanted the employees who talked to him (and not just sort of saw him wandering by, but actually talked to him at close range) fired. I was able to see his darned shirt from across the room; you can't tell me these employees didn't see anything at grappling distance.

I was told emphatically by both <employee> and <employee 2> that none of the Elite Shooting Sports employees saw this shirt. I asked both people I talked to if their employees were either liars or blind. No one had an answer.

Both <employee> and <employee 2> assured me that they'd "have a talk" with the workers at ESS. Call me crazy, but that seems insufficient.

Spaceholder for updates, if any.

Most businesses reserve the right to refuse services and this should have been one of those times!

I've not been to Elite Shooting Sports, so I am not taking one side or the other, but I would say they are in a difficult situation on this one.  Under the Obama regime, if they ban the guy, they risk getting shaken down by Obama's justice department or our equally corrupt Attorney General.  Communist Attorneys General all over the country are intimidating businesses with lawsuits or the threat of lawsuits if they attempt to exercise rights that run contrary to the Communist Left's agenda.  Bakeries are being run out of business if they don't bake cakes for gay couples.  Catholic nuns are being sued if they don't provide birth control in their health plans.  I'm sure that our Attorney General would like nothing more than to bring a lawsuit against a "racist, homophobic, xenophobic, bigoted, etc., etc." business for denying a person of color from using their facilities.  And of course the media would be right there to perpetuate the Communist propoganda.  It's unfortunate because the Communist Left in our country is intimidating the silent majority with the threat of economic ruin for expressing an opinion or exercising a right that they disagree with.  

"I said I wanted him banned. I said I wanted the employees who talked to him (and not just sort of saw him wandering by, but actually talked to him at close range) fired. I was able to see his darned shirt from across the room; you can't tell me these employees didn't see anything at grappling distance."

OP, why didn't YOU say anything to the douchebag about his shirt? Probably for the same reason the employees didn't say anything either. (not a flame but simply a comment of how far our "society" has fallen)

If I were ESS I would be entirely unwilling to terminate an employee in this situation. In fact, I would view the demand as unreasonable, and I would back my employee. If they don't have a standing policy/instruction dictating that they intervene, there is no reasonable cause for termination. I have worked in retail at a few different points in life, and good managers back good employees. Sure, this situation is regrettable, and maybe they should change their policy, but if they don't HAVE a policy, then the solution is that the develop one, not fire people.

-shooter

A lot of the people at ESS have been there a while and are good folks.  I know they have been there because I'm member #24 and have seen them since my first visit (I joined months before they opened).  That would suggest they are good employees, not just because they are polite to me.

ALL THAT BEING SAID, it's entirely possible they never thought to create a policy covering such actions.  Almost all policies are a direct result of a problem coming to light and not knowing how to handle it - thus a policy being created for a future "lessons learned", if you will.

If the guy comes back with the offensive shirt, ask him to leave.  If he won't, have him removed and trespass him from the property.  I get your anger, it's making me mad as I type this, but you can't expect them to fire employees over this.  They simply work there, they don't make company decisions.

But I can almost guarantee if they heard that comment he'd be out the door.  They don't want to be on the front page of the Washington Post for the wrong reasons.

This......

OP:  your actual dispute is with that customer, and you watched the customer long enough to have interacted with the customer yourself.

You failed to do that.

So why are you now making this incident into an attack on Elite and its employees?

They have already reached out to you (twice) and are likely to be on the lookout for that tee shirt/that customer.  I'd call that excellent customer service on ESS part.

At this point, you need to let it go as long as it doesn't happen again.

Seems completely hypocritical to me for a forum hell bent on preserving our 2nd Amendment rights to get so upset and demanding bans and firings over some individual expressing their 1st Amendment rights.  No single Amendment is superior to another.  Either you believe in and support the Constitution in its entirety, or you subscribe to the same flawed logic as liberals.

Had an open carrier gone into an establishment where this was not explicitly prohibited would you deem it "American" to kick them out, demand they remove their "offensive" gun or fire any employee who did not confront them.  Of course not.  We would instead be discussing how the person's Constitutional rights had been violated.  There would be calls to boycott the establishment.  

Sure you are free to disagree and believe how you will, but just don't act surprised when the same flawed logic continues to erode the protections of the 2nd Amendment.

There are two separate issues at hand here:

1. Someone wore a shirt that said a naughty thing and you were offended.  

 - Guess what, everyone gets 1st Amendment rights, sure you have the right to be offended, but you dont get to tell him what shirt to wear.

2. Someone was making threatening comments.

- Again, 1st Amendment rights as long as he didnt directly threaten anyone, and you still have the right to be offended.

Now, it seems to me you're upset at this kids shirt as you mention it most of the time in why you want him banned, and not his threatening comments.  That says to me that you didnt really consider them threats and therefore the speech is protected.  The shirt is also protected by the 1st Amendment and it doesn't advocate any sort of threat.  So basically you're doing the Gun Owner Equivalent of the Democrats in that you're going to cause a huge fuss with a business and try to drag their name through the mud because they didn't kick this guy out because they didn't like the Protected Speech he was saying/advertising.

You have every right to do what you're doing, just like that young man, and i equally support both of you in your rights.  Do i think you both should knock it off and not act like children?  Yup, and thats my right.

Yeah, sorry OP I'm not trying to pile on you but you didn't like the man's shirt, and you didn't say anything to the gentleman. Why would the ESS employees do so? He's a paying customer (presumably) who is exercising his first amendment rights while exercising his second. Now, if you wanted to ask ESS to please consider a policy about appropriate attire at the range, well, I can certainly understand but just because this gentleman was a fan of NWA is no cause to have him change, turn his shirt inside out, or leave.

 

Well stated

The Constitution is all or nothing, you can't cherry pick the amendments you like, or suits your agenda.

We're all special butterflies.

I demand you get banned for wasting my time reading this.  Seems like a reasonable request.

I respect the first ammendment until it is used to where I disapprove.

Ayup.

Yup. Dipshits cash spends just as good as yours. If you don't like it open up your own range.

Although he's self-identified as someone on the other side of the line from you his rights are just as valid as yours so long as we continue to live together under this social contract we've got going on. Maybe one day we'll decide to renegotiate the contract. Until then, he's just a fellow America enjoying the freedoms provided him by the Constitution he doesn't give a shit about. I just try to smile and live in the moment, appreciate what we've got while we've got it.

My take on this -

T-shirt: Not terribly concerned. Now, if the guy had been dressed as a clown - I would have screamed and jumped through a window.  

Remarks on shotgun practice in case Trump wins: Not cool. Imagine if someone was announcing that their reason for practicing with their
AR was in case Hilary wins. If Shirt Guy goes off the rails a month from now and it comes out that he was at ESS announcing his intentions,
that would be bad. People get visits from the Secret Service for saying dumb stuff like this.

-Warren-

Pretty much nailed it there.

Grow thicker skin OP.

Been a member for a while now. Always have had an excellent experience there.

Wow.

I don't care what other peoples clothes say, and I couldn't care less about their comments or opinions either.

I'm certainly not going to let something like a t-shirt ruin my day.

Im at ESS a lot. Its a good range.

Who the hell are you to try to force an employer to ban a customer/member, and fire an employee?

Get a life.

Sure OP mishandled but I don't sell or let peeps like that shoot at my place...of course I'm not in it for the $.

I think we've come to an end here.