Don Davis (April 10, 1933 – February 4, 2016) was an American gun retailer, the owner of Don's Guns and Galleries, a firearms retailer in Indianapolis, Indiana. He claimed to be the largest independent gun dealer in the United States,[1] and his store has been called the largest public display of firearms in America.[2] For a while, he operated multiple 24-hour stores in the Indianapolis area.
Don Davis | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 10, 1933 |
| Died | February 4, 2016 (aged 82) |
| Occupation | Gun store owner |
On October 4, 1997, Davis' Greenwood, Indiana, store was robbed, and employee Steven Stapleton was shot and killed.[3] Soon after the incident, Don closed all his stores except for the Lafayette Road flagship store, which reduced its business hours. On September 17, 2012, a customer visiting the store to utilize its indoor shooting range intentionally shot a store employee twice. The employee immediately returned fire, killing his attacker.[4]
Davis was named among the top five dealers who sell guns to criminals by the U.S. Department of Justice, ranked at #4.[5] He said that the problem was not with his selling the guns, which requires FBI screening, but with those who purchase them and privately resell them, which he describes as a major loophole in the gun control laws. Some area residents feel that Davis catered to a less-than-upstanding clientele, largely profiting from inflated prices for people that have been described as dubious.[6]
Davis was a vocal proponent of the Brady Bill. He later called the bill largely ineffective because of its wording, which does not ban guns by type or firing capacity, but rather by specific technical attributes.[7]
Davis was locally known for his late night television commercials. Indianapolis Magazine voted them as the worst Indianapolis-based commercials in 1984 and 1985. He traditionally ended them with his slogan, "I don't want to make any money. I just love to sell guns, heh-heh-heh."[8] Buddy Kalick's Buddy's Carpet used this slogan in his earliest commercials with "carpet" substituted for "guns."[9]
Davis was interviewed by NPR's Michele Norris on All Things Considered to discuss the sunset of the Brady Bill.[10] He had previously been interviewed by Paula Zahn on CNN's Paula Zahn Now.[11] He died at an Indianapolis hospital on February 4, 2016, aged 82.[12]
References
edit- ^ "As Expiration Looms, Gun Ban's Effect Is Debated", The New York Times, September 10, 2004.
- ^ "To protest killings, owner of gun shop burns assault rifles", Post Tribune (IN), October 31, 1993.
- ^ "Murder Suspect Eludes Cops". Chicago Tribune. October 8, 1997. Archived from the original on November 13, 2012. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
- ^ Steve Jefferson. "Two shot at Don's Guns; one dead - 13 WTHR Indianapolis". Wthr.com. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
- ^ "Don's Guns named among top five dealers selling guns to criminals - 13 WTHR Indianapolis". Wthr.com. May 24, 2006. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
- ^ "Indy Gun Shop Series: Don's Guns – Gun Nuts Media". Gunnuts.net. January 28, 2008. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
- ^ "High Demand for Assault Weapons", Indianapolis Star, 19 August 2004.
- ^ "Don's Guns Garage band commercial". YouTube. May 24, 2008. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
- ^ "Why do local car dealerships think that their kids or grandkids as spokespersons for their dealerships is the key to getting customers through the door?". May 28, 2015.
- ^ "Gun Dealer Sees Changes in Weapons Law". All things considered. September 8, 2008. 3:57 minutes in. National Public Radio. NPR's Michele Norris talks with Don Davis, owner of Don's Guns in Indianapolis, Ind., about the upcoming expiration of the 10-year-old federal ban on assault weapons. Davis talks about how his business was affected by the ban, and how he adapted to sell legal weapons.
- ^ "Assault Weapon Ban to Expire". Paula Zahn Now. September 9, 2004. CNN. ZAHN: I am joined now by a gun store owner. His name is Don Davis. He owns Don's Guns in Indianapolis.
- ^ "Gun shop owner, pitchman for Don's Guns dies at 82". Dailyjournal.net. Archived from the original on 7 February 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2016.