Wisconsin Gun Shop Draws Protest After School Board Candidates Appear at Event

I confess that I don’t know much Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, but I’ve learned a couple of things about the town in recent days: It has a gun shop called Shepherd Arms, and a small group of residents have a big problem with both the First and Second Amendments. 

About a dozen people showed up outside the gun shop over the weekend, incensed by a recent campaign appearance by two school board members at the store 

“Kids safety is a priority in schools, and this just sends the wrong message,” protester Conor Olson said. “I know you want to get your name out there, advocate for your platform, but this isn’t the way.”

Steven Schwarz, an employee with Shepard Arms said it wasn’t the candidates Adam Sachs and incumbent Chris Stueland, who chose the location. 

“The primary point of the event was for Turning Point USA,” Scwharz explained. “They just happened to show up because Turning Point USA supports what they’re doing school board-wise.”

By Olson’s metric, candidates should avoid any appearances at restaurants where alcohol is served in addition to those locations where guns are served. 

None of the protesters interviewed by local media could explain exactly what message Sachs and Stueland were sending or why it was so objectionable to them. Instead, it seems like they just don’t like the thought of any candidate appealing to the gun-owning voters of Menomonee Falls

CBS 58 was not allowed inside, but it was advertised as a ballot-chasing event to help people get out and vote. We spoke with people outside peacefully protesting, and those attending the event. 

“I think it’s completely inappropriate and if they can’t see the optics of that, then their poor judgment disqualifies them to be on their school board,” said Mary Przybylski, protester. 

“Nothing had to do with anything with the gun shop itself, anything with the second amendment they just stated, you know, what they are running on, their campaigns,” said Richard Longfellow, parent. 

I guess it’s more than the fact that I don’t live in Menomonee Falls that disqualifies me from a seat on the school board, at least in the eyes of Przybylski, because I can’t see the bad optics of appearing at a get-out-the-vote event held at a shop that helps folks exercise a fundamental civil right. If anything, you’d think Przybylski would be happy that Sachs and Stueland are letting community members know that they don’t believe walking through the doors of a gun store gives you cooties, since she apparently believes their appearance won’t be treated warmly by voters. 

I’ve got some news for Olson, Przybylski, and the other ant-gunners: the same First Amendment that protects their right to protest outside Shepherd Arms protects the right of Sachs, Stueland, and Second Amendment supporters to gather inside the store to discuss their election strategy and mobilize voters to hit the polls on Election Day. 

Given the paltry size of the protest, my guess is that most residents of Menomonee Falls couldn’t care less about the Turning Point USA event or where it was held. But thanks to the anti-gunners itch to create a controversy where none exists I’m also guessing that more voters are now aware of Sachs’s and Stueland’s candidacy, and that may prove to be very helpful to the pair when the ballots are tabulated.