Big Daddy Guns held a grand opening Saturday for its first store in the Tallahassee area. It is located in upscale Northeast Tallahassee in the Bannerman Crossings complex, next door to Market Square Liquors.
The store saw an influx in customers on its grand opening who came in to browse and purchase guns.
“I was excited to see the expansion of Big Daddy Guns to Tallahassee,” said Janine Granthan, a shopper at the retail store. “I’m originally from Gainesville and I am very familiar with the store back home. I love the various assortments of guns. My brother is currently looking for a gun to buy today. We waited all month for this grand opening and I think this store was needed here”.
Another customer who attended the grand opening shed a positive light on the benefits that Big Daddy Guns will bring to Tallahassee.
“I’m here today to check out the new store and find a new gun,” said Jared Reece. “I heard this store is bringing some nice guns to town and I love to hunt so this is the place for me. Having an official gun store in town feels much better than buying guns at a local pawn shop. I know some people may feel like this gun store will cause more gun violence in town, but if people want to hurt other people they will do it anyway. Today, I exercise my Second Amendment right.”
While some customers were excited about the store’s grand opening, others were skeptical about its presence in Tallahassee.
“I came to this plaza this morning to shop at about four stores here,” Richard Wallace said. “Since I’ve been here I feel like I have seen at least 100 prospective shoppers walk in and out of that store today. I’m not so sure that I want another gun store in town since a lot of people are not responsible with them. It will bother me if I hear that a student was gunned down by a gun that was purchased from Big Daddy Guns. ”
Big Daddy Guns started as an online retailer. The Tallahassee outlet is the company’s third location in Florida. The others are in Gainesville and Ocala.
“We grew a very large footprint across the country online,” said store manager Rontez Phillips. “We’re not your typical dark, dingy gun store, and we focus on customer service and educating the customer on the best firearm and accessories that suit them.”
The company has plans to expand into Georgia soon.
People can stop by the store to purchase a gun Monday through Saturday or shop online at www.bigdaddyunlimited.com.