Don Davis (gun activist)
Encyclopedia
Don Davis is the owner of Don's Guns and Galleries, a firearm
s retailer in Indianapolis
, Indiana
. Davis is the largest independent gun dealer in the United States, and his store has been called the largest public display of firearms in America.
At one point in time, Davis operated at least one other store in the Indianapolis area. The stores were then open 24 hours a day. One night, one of the stores was robbed and an employee shot and killed. Soon after the tragic incident, Don closed all except for the Lafayette Road store. It was no longer open 24 hours a day.(Citations needed)
Davis was named in the top 5 dealers who sell guns to criminals by the United States Department of Justice
, ranked at #4 in the US. He has said that the problem is not with him selling the guns, which requires FBI screening, but with those who purchase them privately reselling them, which he describes as a major loophole in the gun control laws
.
Davis or Don's Guns is far from the oldest or largest firearms dealer in the country, Midwest or even Indianapolis. The only verifiable fact (thru BATF) regarding Don's Guns in Indianapolis, is they are in the top 10 of all FFL holders who have guns traced backed to crime scenes in the US.
Davis was a vocal proponent of the Brady Bill
, who went so far as to burn all of his high-capacity assault weapons on national television while the bill was being debated in congress. Davis has since discredited the Brady Bill as largely ineffective, because of the wording of the bill, which does not ban guns by type or firing capacity, but rather by specific technical attributes.
Locally, Davis is famous for his late night television commercials. Indianapolis Magazine voted his commercials as worse Indianapolis based commercials in 1984 and 1985. Davis traditionally ends all commercials with his slogan, "I don't want to make any money. I just love to sell guns."
Davis was interviewed by NPR's Michele Norris
on All Things Considered
to discuss the sunset of the Brady Bill. He had previously been interviewed by Paula Zahn on CNN
's Paula Zahn Now.
Firearm
A firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...
s retailer in Indianapolis
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. Davis is the largest independent gun dealer in the United States, and his store has been called the largest public display of firearms in America.
At one point in time, Davis operated at least one other store in the Indianapolis area. The stores were then open 24 hours a day. One night, one of the stores was robbed and an employee shot and killed. Soon after the tragic incident, Don closed all except for the Lafayette Road store. It was no longer open 24 hours a day.(Citations needed)
Davis was named in the top 5 dealers who sell guns to criminals by the United States Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
, ranked at #4 in the US. He has said that the problem is not with him selling the guns, which requires FBI screening, but with those who purchase them privately reselling them, which he describes as a major loophole in the gun control laws
Gun law in the United States
Gun law in the United States is defined by a number of state and federal statutes. In the United States of America, the protection against infringement of the right to keep and bear arms is addressed in the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution...
.
Davis or Don's Guns is far from the oldest or largest firearms dealer in the country, Midwest or even Indianapolis. The only verifiable fact (thru BATF) regarding Don's Guns in Indianapolis, is they are in the top 10 of all FFL holders who have guns traced backed to crime scenes in the US.
Davis was a vocal proponent of the Brady Bill
Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act
The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act is an Act of the United States Congress that, for the first time, instituted federal background checks on firearm purchasers in the United States....
, who went so far as to burn all of his high-capacity assault weapons on national television while the bill was being debated in congress. Davis has since discredited the Brady Bill as largely ineffective, because of the wording of the bill, which does not ban guns by type or firing capacity, but rather by specific technical attributes.
Locally, Davis is famous for his late night television commercials. Indianapolis Magazine voted his commercials as worse Indianapolis based commercials in 1984 and 1985. Davis traditionally ends all commercials with his slogan, "I don't want to make any money. I just love to sell guns."
Davis was interviewed by NPR's Michele Norris
Michele Norris
Michele L. Norris is an American radio journalist and current host of the National Public Radio evening news program All Things Considered since December 9, 2002. She is the first African American female host for NPR.-Early years:...
on All Things Considered
All Things Considered
All Things Considered is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio. It was the first news program on NPR, and is broadcast live worldwide through several outlets...
to discuss the sunset of the Brady Bill. He had previously been interviewed by Paula Zahn on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
's Paula Zahn Now.