Who's Online
10 registered (sandrock, Land, Nacholibre, kchisholm1960, TWG, glockaroundtheclock, ruckersvillan, JBecker, ELTray1997, Ayal), 14 Guests and 0 Spiders online.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Topic Options
#1103678 - 10/10/16 09:46 PM Elite Shooting Sports and "F** DA POLICE"
68Whiskey Offline
What's the most you've ever lost in a coin toss?

Registered: 11/26/12
Posts: 499
Loc: Leesburg
City or County: Loudoun
Hello all

So, as some of you may or may not know, I shoot at Elite Shooting Sports in Manassas from time to time. This morning was one of those times.

I went out this morning with my baby sister to help her get her stuff together when it comes to shooting rifles. She's left handed and right eye dominant, so it's been a bit of a process. Nonetheless, she's coming along well, and shot a 1.5" 10 round group at 25 yards with my 522 and red dot. Trust me when I say that's a big improvement.

That said, I'm a bit bent out of shape over today's visit to ESS. It's easier to copy and paste my email to ESS here than describe in too much detail:

"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.
_________________________
As the great warrior poet Ice Cube once said, "If the day does not require an AK, it is good."

Top
#1103693 - 10/10/16 10:23 PM Re: Elite Shooting Sports and "F** DA POLICE" [Re: 68Whiskey]
altajava Offline
Pea Shooter Extraordinare

Registered: 03/29/09
Posts: 105
Loc: Virginia
City or County: Warren
Honestly, I'm turned off by the place because I got lectured for letting a gun cool off before removing it from the shooting bench while I shot something else. This is the only range I've used that a one gun at a time requirement. Your experience doesn't surprise me based on my interactions with several employees there. Personally I'm not overly upset about the shirt, 1A and such, but the combination of the shirt and quoted statements would definately bother me. Unfortunately I'm the type that would say the same type of thing back to let him know how I felt about it.

Top
#1105912 - 10/16/16 03:42 PM Re: Elite Shooting Sports and "F** DA POLICE" [Re: 68Whiskey]
imaduckin Offline
Gun fool

Registered: 11/12/10
Posts: 890
Loc: moved to SC
City or County: eastern sc
welcome to northern va, rudeness and racial problems abound
_________________________
Glocks are ugly, and please dont quote from buds gun shop bible, i really dont care

Top
#1106445 - 10/17/16 09:40 PM Re: Elite Shooting Sports and "F** DA POLICE" [Re: 68Whiskey]
haulingman Offline
Addicted

Registered: 04/17/15
Posts: 537
Loc: springfield, va
City or County: Fairfax county
I'm not by any measure a fan of how law enforcement in this country is trending, BUT this young idiot is over the top. I would have called the secreat service emergency number and waited for them. If he left, they would have a tag number & photo of him when they got there. Maybe called Prince William County Police so they could at least collect his information and write a report. The 1st amendment doesn't cover terroristic threats or threats on a presidential candidate, and this piece of work came real close and perhaps rang the bell.

I bet if some whackadoo showed up with a shirt that said F (the N word in plural) support your local KKK they would have been banned.

Top
#1106458 - 10/17/16 10:24 PM Re: Elite Shooting Sports and "F** DA POLICE" [Re: 68Whiskey]
panic788 Offline
Marksman

Registered: 08/29/13
Posts: 385
Loc: NOVA
City or County: Alexandria
Hard to tell 100% exactly from the pictures, but it looks like a city skyline above the words, and the colors are red green and yellow.

Guessing it is a play on the words of an NWA song, with a skyline of Los Angeles, colored like a rastafarian flag.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N.W.A
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rastafari
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles

OMG. Triggered.

Top
#1124461 - 12/01/16 11:20 AM Re: Elite Shooting Sports and "F** DA POLICE" [Re: 68Whiskey]
daltona117 Offline
Valar Morghulis

Registered: 10/21/10
Posts: 3007
Loc: Richmond, VA
City or County: Chesterfield
Gosh, 68, you're such an intolerant racist for taking issue with this fine, upstanding young person's apparel.

Though if he comes prowling around with his "shotty" now that Trump won the election, you will definitely be able to see him easily with his nice, brightly colored T shirt.

Top
#1137797 - 01/01/17 07:35 PM Re: Elite Shooting Sports and "F** DA POLICE" [Re: 68Whiskey]
toughtom12 Offline
Gun fool

Registered: 11/15/11
Posts: 942
Loc: Centreville/Manassas
City or County: Manassas
You can't blame the employees for being scared to confront the man about his T-Shirt. Employees would be imagining a BLM protest in front of the building the next day with news cameras, and the gentlemen with the T-shirt describing how the "white supremacists workers" intimidated him over his choice of clothing that happens to be a hit song by a popular rap group. Employees did the smart thing by ignoring the mans shirt. And they don't really have any grounds for banning the guy from the facility, he didn't make actual threats. He could justify his statements by claiming that he believes a Trump Victory would embolden dangerous White Supremacists. He is just practicing in case he needs to protect himself and his family.

Top