Osseo gun shop under fire after offering ammo for 'trip to the hood'
A gun shop in Osseo is facing heavy criticism on social media after it allegedly sent an e-mail advertising ammunition for customers' "trip to the hood."
Several customers left unfavorable reviews on the Osseo Gun Club and Pro Shop's Facebook page after getting the e-mail sometime late last week. The store's Facebook page has since been deactivated.
But many have shared an image of the advertisement listing nine different styles of firearms that "just arrived." The e-mail also lists Smith & Wesson 9mm and SDVE40 handguns as its March specials.
Near the bottom of the e-mail and in parentheses, the ad reminds shoppers that "we have 30 rnd mags for your trip to the hood."
Some took to social media to ask if the shop is promoting and advocating violence in the inner city. At least one person on Facebook called for a boycott of the store at 22 NW. 4th Street.
In a review of the gun shop, St. Paul resident Alphonso Fleming Jr. called the e-mail "deplorable" and "beyond racist."
"There is ZERO humor in suggesting a person carry additional bullets to neighborhoods or any geographical area with the intent to use them," he wrote.
Attempts to reach store management for comment through phone calls and e-mails were unsuccessful.
The Osseo Gun Club, which opened in 2014, describes itself on its website as a local, woman-owned business "providing a family friendly facility for people of all ages to enjoy the shooting sports."
Tim Harlow • 612-673-7768
