https://www.facebook.com/christopher.mason.779/videos/1513155822085594/
A Virginia man claims a white gun store owner refused to sell him a firearm, then called the cops on him when he demanded to know why.
As seen in Facebook video posted last week, local man Chris Mason was prepared to buy a gun from Hopkin’s Gun and Tackle in Arlington, Va., as he had done a few times in the past. Store owner Vance Hopkins declined to sell Mason a firearm the moment he walked into the store, the Virginia man alleged, and didn’t feel the need to give him an explanation why.
“I’m not going to sell you a gun,” Hopkins is heard saying in the video. “I don’t have to have a reason not to sell you one.”
The video then shows Mason turn to another worker at the store, who confirmed that he had in fact purchased firearms from the store on “a couple” of occasions with no issue. In fact, Mason said he currently had a gun on layaway.
Though Hopkins’ never gives an outright reason for refusing to sell to the Virginia man, Mason suggests it’s because the owner had “reason to believe” he would try and sell the gun to someone else.
“He would not sell me and my friend a firearm because he has reason to believe I will sell it to someone else,” Mason can be heard saying, adding, “He ain’t even know I was a regular customer. I’ve purchased a few from here.”
Hopkins is seen continuing to make his call to police, describing Mason’s appearance to authorities on the line. Mason eventually makes his way out of the store, but not before vowing to never purchase a firearm from Hopkins’ Gun and Tackle again.
“Oh this will go viral, best believe,” he tells the owner. “You’re gonna lose a lot of business, my man.”
So far the video has gotten over 4 million views and more than 7,000 likes on Facebook. Many came to Mason’s defense while others agreed that Hopkins had the right to refuse service to the Virginia man.
