Shelter Hope Pet Shop in Thousands Oaks, California, says it will not allow customers who are pro-gun and/or pro-NRA to adopt any animals.
On June 13, 2022, the New York Post reported that Shelter Hope’s adoption ban for pro-gun customers was made in response to high-profile mass shootings, including the November 7, 2018 attack that killed 12 at a bar in Thousand Oaks.
The Shelter Hope website contains the new policy, which says in part, “We do not support those who believe that the 2nd amendment gives them the right to buy assault weapons. If your beliefs are not in line with ours, we will not adopt a pet to you.”
The policy warns those who are thinking of adopting a dog:
If you lie about being a NRA supporter, make no mistake, we will sue you for fraud. If you believe that it is our responsibility to protect ourselves in public places and arm ourselves with a gun–do not come to us to adopt a dog. We have a choice of who we work with. Shelter Hope chooses to work with only like-minded humans.
The policy also says:
We live in the only country in the world that continues to support weapons and not communities. We will continue to support our community, but if you are pro guns and believe that no background check is necessary, then do not come to us to adopt. We will grill you before you even get an appointment and visit our rescue. If we ask you “do you care about children being gunned down in our schools?” If you hesitate, because your core belief is that you believe teachers need to carry firearms, then you will not get approved to adopt from us.
Shelter Hope is asking that people who “believe in guns” to return any pets they are fostering.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.