Navy vet threatens to sue Flagstaff, claims 1st Amdt violation for rejecting gun range ads at airport

NAVY VETERAN AND FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA RESIDENT – ROB WILSON – HAS BEEN DENIED THE ABILITY TO ADVERTISE HIS BUSINESS – TIMBERLINE FIREARMS AND TRAINING INDOOR GUN RANGE AT THE FLAGSTAFF PULLIAM AIRPORT.

WILSON FIRST RAN THIS 10 SECOND SILENT AD IN THE AIRPORT IN 2019 – HOPING TO ATTRACT TOURISTS VISITING THE AREA.

THE AD, WHICH HAD RUN ON A LOOP AT BAGGAGE CLAIM AND HAD BEEN SEEN THOUSANDS OF TIMES, SHOWS FOUR PEOPLE STANDING, SMILING AND HOLDING GUNS… AND THEN WILSON AS A FIREARMS INSTRUCTOR SHOWING A STUDENT HOW TO SHOOT AT THE INDOOR RANGE.

THIS YEAR – WILSON SAYS WHEN HE TRIED RENEWING HIS AD REQUEST WITH THE CITY – HE WAS TOLD HIS AD DID NOT ALIGN WITH THEIR ADVERTISING GUIDELINES.

WILSON SPOKE WITH ARIZONA’S K-T-V-K ABOUT THE ORDEAL:

ROB WILSON / OWNER, TIMBERLINE FIREARMS AND TRAINING
“After spending 22 years in the Navy on active duty, defending our rights, I’m not about to give them up to a city council who wants to dictate to me what my First Amendment is or is not”

[ANCHOR]
ACCORDING TO WILSON… THE CITY TOLD HIM – HIS AD VIOLATES A CITY BAN ON “SHOWING VIOLENCE OR ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOR.”

THE CITY OF FLAGSTAFF HAS PROPOSED A NEW ADVERTISING POLICY – THAT’S NOT SET TO BE DISCUSSED UNTIL THE CITY’S NOVEMBER 14TH CITY COUNCIL MEETING. THE PROPOSED ADVERTISING POLICY WOULD, IN PART – PROHIBIT ADVERTISING “THAT PROMOTES, SOLICITS, DEPICTS, OR MARKETS THE SALE, USE, RENTAL, DISTRIBUTION, OR AVAILABILITY OF FIREARMS, AMMUNITION, OR RELATED GOODS OR SERVICES.”

WILSON’S LAWYERS AT THE GOLDWATER INSTITUTE IN PHOENIX – WROTE A LETTER ON WILSON’S BEHALF TO THE FLAGSTAFF CITY ATTORNEY – SAYING THE CITY HAS VIOLATED MR. WILSON’S CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS TO FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND DUE PROCESS OF LAW.” THEY ALSO ACCUSED THE CITY OF FLAGSTAFF OF “ABUSING ITS POWER TO PUSH AN ANTI-GUN AGENDA.”

WILSON’S LAWYER ALSO SPOKE WITH ARIZONA’S K-T-V-K…

JOHN THORPE / ATTORNEY, GOLDWATER INSTITUTE
“They can’t censor messages they don’t like and they can’t target people to try to silence them because they’re sharing those messages.”

WILSON’S ATTORNEY IS ASKING FLAGSTAFF’S CITY ATTORNEY TO PROVIDE WRITTEN ASSURANCE THAT MR. WILSON MAY CONTINUE RUNNING HIS ADS AT THE AIRPORT – AND IF NOT – THEY WILL SEEK LEGAL REMEDY.

[WILSON]

“I’d like to see the city council honor the oath they took to honor the constitution of the united states and the state of Arizona.”

[ANCHOR]

THE CITY OF FLAGSTAFF is set to PRESENT AN UPDATED VERSION OF IT’S PROPOSED ADVERTISING POLICY AT THE NOVEMBER 14TH CITY COUNCIL MEETING.