The City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department (PRD) rejected Prescott Pete’s Highfalutin Shooting Gallery for its July 4 celebration on the basis that the gallery made guns look “fun.”
AZ Family reports that gallery owners Pete and Valerie Fowler believe the city made the decision, in part, because of the terror attack in Orlando, but the PRD contends it voted to reject the gallery prior to that. PRD spokesman Gregg Bach said, “The planning committee was not comfortable with an exhibit/game that presented guns in a fun or glorified way.”
Pete observed, “If it had happened immediately following the shooting in Orlando, I would have been a bit more understanding, but this was just out of the blue. For us to make this business work, we have to get into big events like (Fabulous Phoenix 4th).”
It is important to note that Arizona’s culture is a gun culture, and the state’s history is a highlight reel for the Wild West; the shooting gallery is designed to highlight these things.
Pete said, “We supplied enough reference material for [the PRD] to see that we’re not shooting people or glorifying it. It’s just a fun amusement. But apparently, a historically correct shooting gallery is promoting violence.”
AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.