North Carolina gun store owner replaces billboard targeting ‘The Squad’ congresswomen
The owner of the Cherokee Guns store in North Carolina has replaced billboards that targeted the four congresswomen dubbed "The Squad."
The owner of the Cherokee Guns store in North Carolina has replaced billboards that targeted “The Squad” congresswomen due to complaints but he will not apologize.
On the billboard, the four Democratic congresswomen Rashida Tlaib, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley and Ilhan Omar were illustrated as the “4 Horsemen” of the apocalypse opposed to lawmakers. The billboard was described as “inciting violence” by members of the House and the owner of the store, Doc Wacholz, has revealed he has received threats.
“I don’t care if it was four white women or four white guys that had their view — they’d be on the billboard,” Wacholz told WTVC-TV.
The replacement of the billboard was confirmed by Allison Outdoor Advertising says they requested the change after the back-to-back tragedies in Texas and Ohio. Wacholz says he did not remove them in response to the mass shootings; instead it was for his safety. He would also add that he will not “apologize to anyone.”
According to Newsweek, in addition to referring to the congresswomen as the four horsemen, the billboard also called them “idiots.” The replacement ad now states, “First Amendment. Enough said.”
“We had more support than hate and continue to receive lots of positive feedback on the board nationwide,” Wacholz said.
—Rep. Ilhan Omar uses Africa visit to troll Trump on Twitter—
Tlaib spoke out against the billboard for promoting violence but also blasting President Donald Trump for his role in fostering the environment of America.
“#Racist rhetoric from the occupant of the @WhiteHouse has made hate our new normal. We are still vulnerable,” Tlaib tweeted.
In support of Wacholz, another local gun store owner reached out to a local television station to state the necessity of providing arms to citizens. After the events of last week, the owner said: “People are scared, they want to know how to protect themselves.”
