San Francisco - Neighbors Object to Lone Gun Store Reopening

In a surprisingly positive column in the San Francisco Chronicle, Phil Bronstein describes the fight that High Bridge Arms is having to endure in order to reopen their store. The store was closed temporarily and the North Bernal Alliance and three other neighborhood groups are fighting their reopening.

The neighborhood groups are asking the city authorities to deny the store the license it needs to operate. They say their members don't want a gun store "near our homes and/or schools." And, officially, they say they don't object to people owning guns. However, as one member said:

They'd just "rather have something the neighborhood could enjoy - a laundry or wine and cheese shop."

According to Yahoo Local, San Francisco has 131 specialty food stores and another 64 specializing in natural and organic foods. This is in addition to 675 grocery stores. Do they really need one more wine and cheese store?

High Bridge Arms has been in business for over 50 years and serves a good bit of the law enforcement community. The local police captain said they have never had any trouble due to the store. That said, he is getting 10-1 negative to positive e-mails about the store.

Fortunately, the local branch of the Pink Pistols is rooting for the store. Tom, the local chapter president said:

"California now has a law that you can't receive ammunition through the mail. And many people in San Francisco don't have cars." Therefore, a city gun store is helpful and encourages the use of mass transit.

As Bronstein noted, Tom was trying to put a "green" spin on it. Tom did make the point that High Bridge is "a lawful business conducted in a lawful way for people who want to lawfully participate in the shooting sports."
 
Bronstein concludes by urging everyone just to be a little sensible about it.
 
The article generated a lot of comments as one might expect. However, they weren't as bad (for the most part) as one might expect. Here is a sample:

OMG... I've read a page or two of thoughts from the readers, I can't believe these are chron readers? My second thought was, I didn't know there was a gun store in SF.

This store, when it was open, always had the most insipid, tasteless posters in its windows advertising their brand name weapons for sale (Glock for example). The last one I noticed was an oversize glossy poster of a scantily clad blond white nurse in white pumps and white mini skirt being "saved" by white steroid junkies in kevlar from dark skinned perps. This owner may be mild mannered when the press calls but the fantasies he perpetuates with his adolescent window displays are everything but(t).

Guns are evil.

Are you kidding, a local "Gun Store" in San Francisco? We've even tried to close down a popular sandwich shop in the Castro simply because neighbors are complaining about the smell of bacon. "I love the smell of bacon in the morning... Smells like, Victory!" What next?

I am a happy card-carrying progressive on just about every issue out there. However, I am also a happy card-carrying member of the NRA. So, if these whiny Volvo-driving Montessori types think that guns are somehow "evil," I'd like to remind them that so are criminals. Get out of 1968, kids. Our state needs a concealed carry law.

If the majority of comments are any indication, there may be hope for San Francisco after all.