Gun store marquee advertises ‘back to school' sale on firearms

KATY, Texas - A sale sign in the front of a gun store in Katy, Texas advertising a “back to school sale,” caused controversy after a woman shared a photo of the marquee on social media.

Michelle Simons, who lives in the town with her family, said she saw the sign in front of Boyert Shooting Center on Aug. 8 while she was driving in the area with her husband.

She captured a photo of the sign and immediately shared it with her friends and family, all of whom she said are “mostly made up of pro-gun Second Amendment supporters.”

“I was shocked,” she said. “At a time in our culture when we wonder if even our 5-year-olds will make it home to us at the end of the day, it’s appalling to see a business linking guns with school for a sales promotion.”

The sign advertised the “back to school” sale and stated firearms were “up to 50% off.”

Simons said her husband was “equally horrified” when he saw the marquee.

On Sunday, Boyert Shooting Center posted about its sale on Facebook but did not make reference to it being a “back to school” sale.

The shooting center provided a statement regarding the backlash over the sign.

"We have friends and family who are teachers. Our way of reaching out and saying thank you to them is by offering a summer long promotion of discounted training courses, firearms and accessories," the statement said, in part. "A lot of Texans are not aware, but it is now legal to conceal carry in some colleges and for teachers in certain school districts to conceal carry as well. We are wrapping up the program that we have been running since the beginning of June with a huge sale to benefit everyone."

Simons, who saw the statement, said the business could have advertised the sale in a better way.

“I’m not saying they shouldn’t run this sale, but please, call it anything else,” Simons said. “Our kids are dying. We don’t ever need to associate guns and school in business promotions, regardless of the concealed carry laws they cite in their statement.”

The full statement from the Boyert Shooting Center is below:

"We have friends and family who are teachers. Our way of reaching out and saying thank you to them is by offering a summer long promotion of discounted training courses, firearms and accessories. A lot of Texans are not aware, but it is now legal to conceal carry in some colleges and for teachers in certain school districts to conceal carry as well. We are wrapping up the program that we have been running since the beginning of June with a huge sale to benefit everyone.

Over the summer we partnered with local law enforcement at the 2019 Katy Safety Fest to promote safe firearms handling and storage. We handed out free trigger locks, talked with new firearms owners about firearms safety and the benefit of proper training. More importantly, we were able to communicate the fact that firearms are not toys.

We have partnered up with a local law enforcement agencies, a local citizens police academy and the Marine Moms Organization. Community involvement and education is something we strive for at Boyert Shooting Center, which is why Active Duty Military Personnel and First Responders always shoot for free.

Once again, all summer long we have been running special promotions and sales for teachers, faculty and qualified students that are of age. Firearms ownership is a huge responsibility and at Boyert Shooting Center we strive to do our part by keeping the community educated and safe."

This story was reported from Los Angeles.