Gun store owner arrested in standoff

[Berks_Iraq_Vet]

Was in his shop several times. Am not surprised.

[Dragracer_Art]

edited to condense info.

[Munky]

Hurry up I have a new Kimber Ultra Carry II that I need to get some rounds through.

[Dragracer_Art]

edited to condense info.

[Dragracer_Art]

Did anyone catch a glimps of the picture in the Reading Eagle? Could have sword the "SWAT" or "Special" cop had a FN2000 with all sorts of tacti-cool rails and gadgets.

Good on them for having a nice practical CQ tool.

For the record, YES, that was the FN2000. That one in particular is full auto gun and that was a Cumru SWAT officer holding it. I was at the Dept earlier tonight for other business and spoke briefly with the officer about it. It's a really neat gun, but looks like a big problem to deal with any malfunctions or jams. I'd much rather have something built on the AR15/M16 platform for that kind of work.

You have a good eye... lol

[Dragracer_Art]

I will go on record here to say... expect some very big changes at the Gun Gallery in the coming days/weeks/months.
The store will soon be under new management and eventually sometime down the road, new ownership.

I can't get into details, as much of it is up in the air right now with the attorneys... but I can give a hint as to the direction I will try to take the business.

When the store reopens, the shooting range will be available to all current active military and LE at NO CHARGE.

This is where I plan to start. I need the right people coming through the doors in order to keep the wrong people away. Once the word hits the street that the Gun Gallery caters to Law Enforcement and Military, the criminals and thugs will avoid the place like the plague. Those criminals and thugs are not welcome in this store. I also plan to staff the store with part time off duty Police officers if/when possible. It should also be mentioned, store prices will be adjusted in an effort to stimulate business. If you see something you like, don't be afraid to ask for a discount... If there is any room to negotiate, I will make my darn best effort to sell you that gun.

Just give me a little time, support and most importantly, your business.

I look forward to seeing you all in the future !

Thanks,
ART

Art Wittig
Reading, PA

[Munky]

What about the people that already were paying members of the range?

[Pagoda240]

Good luck with the transition. I will be in Monthly if not bi-weekly taking advantage of the range.

p.s. If the Para P12 , i have (had) on layaway is still around I still want it

[Dragracer_Art]

What about the people that already were paying members of the range?

I will need to get in the store and "learn as I go" so to speak. I will deal with any issues one on one and one person at a time. I'm not sure exactly what kind of arrangements were made with folks previously, but I will do my best to accomodate and make everyone happy. If you are concerned about a paid membership being null and void, you have nothing to worry about. Any previous membership or sales agreements will still be honored. The absolute last thing I want to do is pi$$ off good loyal customers. I want everyone to be happy.

If everyone trys to bumrush the store looking for refunds, there will be a problem, I can tell you that right now. The store is barely clinging to life right now and I'm trying to help save it.

What I need is for people to please understand the complicated nature of this challenge I've decided to tackle... and to please be as patient as possible.

Right now all efforts are being focused on getting the store legal to operate again. Once the Sheriff and BATF requirements are satisfied, the store will most likely reopen and operate still as the "Gun Gallery" until other arrangements are made.

I have a HUGE task ahead of me... so please be patient.

My biggest concern right now is getting good customers in the store and eliminating the bad customers. I also need to overhaul the inside of the store... so it will probably look worse before it starts to look better. lol

Another big change will be business hours. I haven't made a firm decision yet, but I'm considering staying open 7 days a week.

As soon as the attorneys give us the green light to unlock the doors, I will be sure to update everyone here.

Thanks again,
ART

Art Wittig
Reading, PA

PS. I welcome any and all feedback or suggestions !

[Munky]

Hopefully you can pull this off. It may have been a bit of a shit hole but its the closest indoor range and that'll all I ever worried about. The prices and guns were somewhat outrageous but I knew beforehand not to deal with them for that. I was just there to shoot my own weapons and perfect the craft so to speak. Good luck to you and definitely keep us updated.