As if cantankerous residents in the Sunshine State didn't get enough attention, a Florida man created controversy the weekend by uploading a YouTube video declaring his gun shop "Muslim-free."
"Unfortunately, I had to offend everyone to get my message across," said Florida Gun Supply owner Andy Hallinan, standing before a Confederate Flag backdrop. "I will not arm and train those who wish to do harm to my fellow patriots."
Hallinan said his decision stems from a July 16 shooting at the Navy Operational Support Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee that left four Marines and a sailor dead, along with suspected gunman Muhammad Youssuf Abdulazeez. While family members said 24-year-old Abdulazeez suffered from depression, an initial probe suggested he adopted views of established terror groups.
"I believe that the vast majority of Muslims are not out to kill us," Hallinan said. "But unfortunately, the Quran, the way it's written commands them to." Hallinan says customers who don't believe in Jihad and don't believe in killing innocent people in the name of religion are "as American as you or I."
Hallinan said one employee already quit after he posted the video.
The Council of American-Islam Relations (CAIR) argued Hallinan is violating a federal law and called for a Department of Justice investigation. CAIR representative Hassan Shibly said Hallinan should get to know Muslims as neighbors before taking action.
"We might be his doctor, his police officer, his firefighter," Shibly said in speaking with WKMG Orlando. "That's what the American-Muslim community is. And I think he should get to know us, and not let fear and hatred divide us as Americans."
Watch Hallinan's entire video below.