A man at a "Muslim-free" gun store and shooting range in Oklahoma accidentally shot himself on Tuesday in an incident the local sheriff seemed to have anticipated.
The man at Save Yourself Survival and Tactical Gear in Oktaha, Oklahoma, dropped a loaded gun, which then fired a bullet into his wrist, the local sheriff's department told News On 6.
He has not been publicly identified, but is expected to recover.
Armed volunteers have been "guarding" the shop since it announced earlier this month that it had banned Muslims.
"I saw several of those gentlemen out there yesterday," Sheriff Charles Pearson told Muskogee Now. "The way they were holding their weapons, with the fingers on the triggers, you can tell a couple of these gentlemen have no idea about weapons safety. It's like the Clampetts have come to town."
The Clampetts was the family in the long-running TV series "The Beverly Hillbillies."
The store said on Facebook the shooting victim was not a volunteer, but a friend.
The post, signed by "Niki," said the incident was the result of "a malfunctioning chest holster." The safety strap of what was described as an "old leather chest rig" broke and the Colt .45 fell out, firing when it hit the floor.
Earlier in the day, a U.S. veteran who is a practicing Muslim showed up at the range to protest its policies, and was initially turned away.
"I just wanted to express my disapproval," Chris Martin told Fox 23. "They just said, 'This is private property. You are not allowed here,'" said Martin, who served during the Cold War and Desert Storm.
However, the range softened its policy when they learned he was a veteran and allowed him in.
“They’re saying now it’s just [banning] someone who’s an extremist or terrorist,” Martin told the station.
The store made headlines around the nation earlier this month when it posted a sign saying: "This privately owned business is a Muslim free establishment, we reserve the right to refuse service to anyone. Thank you.”
It's one of several places that banned Muslims after the deadly shooting at two U.S. military locations in Chattanooga last month by Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez, a Muslim who was also killed in the attack.
"I didn’t want any terrorists, or Muslims, cult, whatever you want to call them, training on my gun range," manager Chad Neal, who is a veteran, told Religion News Service at the time the ban was announced. "There is a military recruiting station in the mall in Muskogee, and I thought this was one thing I could do to help protect our local soldiers."
The store claims on Facebook that it is "overwhelmed with the show of support from all corners of America."
The Council on American-Islamic Relations has called the sign illegal, and compared it to "whites only" signs at businesses before the Civil Rights movement. CAIR has also denounced the federal government for so far refusing to take action against business that have declared themselves "Muslim-free" zones.
"It is sad to see an Oklahoma business join the clearly illegal movement to deny service to American Muslims, and it is equally sad to note the silence of our government on this denial of religious freedom and equal access to public accommodations," Veronica Laziure, civil rights director of CAIR's Oklahoma chapter, said in a news release. "As a nation, we rightfully moved past 'whites only' businesses, but our national leaders seem unwilling to challenge ‘Muslim-free’ public facilities."
(h/t Raw Story)
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