- Don Davis (gun activist)
-
Don Davis is the owner of Don's Guns and Galleries, a firearms retailer in Indianapolis, Indiana. Davis is the largest independent gun dealer in the United States,[1] and his store has been called the largest public display of firearms in America.[2]
At one point in time, Davis operated at least one other store in the Indianapolis area. The stores were then open 24 hours a day. One night, one of the stores was robbed and an employee shot and killed. Soon after the tragic incident, Don closed all except for the Lafayette Road store. It was no longer open 24 hours a day.(Citations needed)
Davis was named in the top 5 dealers who sell guns to criminals by the United States Department of Justice, ranked at #4 in the US.[3] He has said that the problem is not with him selling the guns, which requires FBI screening, but with those who purchase them privately reselling them, which he describes as a major loophole in the gun control laws.
Davis or Don's Guns is far from the oldest or largest firearms dealer in the country, Midwest or even Indianapolis. The only verifiable fact (thru BATF) regarding Don's Guns in Indianapolis, is they are in the top 10 of all FFL holders who have guns traced backed to crime scenes in the US.
Davis was a vocal proponent of the Brady Bill, who went so far as to burn all of his high-capacity assault weapons on national television while the bill was being debated in congress. Davis has since discredited the Brady Bill as largely ineffective, because of the wording of the bill, which does not ban guns by type or firing capacity, but rather by specific technical attributes.[4]
Locally, Davis is famous for his late night television commercials. Indianapolis Magazine voted his commercials as worse Indianapolis based commercials in 1984 and 1985. Davis traditionally ends all commercials with his slogan, "I don't want to make any money. I just love to sell guns."[5]
Davis was interviewed by NPR's Michele Norris on All Things Considered[6] to discuss the sunset of the Brady Bill. He had previously been interviewed by Paula Zahn on CNN's Paula Zahn Now.[7]
References
- ^ "As Expiration Looms, Gun Ban's Effect Is Debated", The New York TImes, 10 September 2004.
- ^ "To protest killings, owner of gun shop burns assault rifles", Post Tribune (IN), 31 October 1993.
- ^ WTHR.com
- ^ "High Demand for Assault Weapons", Indianapolis Star, 19 August 2004.
- ^ Don's Gun Garage Band Commercial [1]
- ^ "Gun Dealer Sees Changes in Weapons Law". All things considered. National Public Radio. 8 September 2008. 3:57 minutes in. Transcript.
- ^ "Assault Weapon Ban to Expire". Paula Zahn Now. CNN. 9 September 2004. Transcript.
External links
Categories:- Living people
- Activist stubs
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
