Shooters of Columbus criticized for target showing black teenager
Shooters of Columbus faced a wave of criticism Tuesday when a Facebook post alleging racist practices by the store went viral.
Javell Woods posted an image of a black man with a gun on a target, which he said he found at Shooters.
"So I go to the range yesterday and this is the pic they had for target practice.... I ask if he had any teenage white males I could practice shooting at and he told me I was a racist," Woods wrote.
The post was shared 59,234 times as of writing. A manager for Shooters of Columbus said the store received calls about it all day Tuesday.
Shooters management declined to reveal which staff member was on duty when Woods was shooting or if someone had told him that choosing a target with a white man was racist. Woods has not responded to requests for comment as of publication.
"They didn't have a target on the shelf," Woods wrote in a comment. "Not even an option. I'm making a life-size poster of the Brady Bunch and going back to wreck shop. It's just sad that it's even acceptable to buy something like this on the shelf."
David Peacock, who has worked for Shooters for a year, said there are many different targets people can choose to use on the the range. He said the target Woods posted showing a black teenager is one of many choices.
Shooters of Columbus management showed the Ledger-Enquirer a dozen targets depicting real people sold by the store. Most were white men with guns, though there was a white woman and an Asian man as well.
People who use Shooters' range are free to buy any of those targets, according to Peacock.
Peacock said Shooters of Columbus orders its targets from Law Enforcement Targets. According to the company's website, it provides targets for the government and law enforcement agencies as well as shooting ranges.
The most popular target at Shooters, according to Peacock, is actually an image of a zombie from the television show "The Walking Dead."
"I'm really sorry the internet was not factual for the first time in history," Peacock said. "If we only offered black posters I wouldn't be working here."
So I go to the range yesterday and this Is the pic they had for target practice.... I ask if he had any teenage white males I could practice shooting at and he told me I was a racist.
Posted by Javell Woods on Monday, July 13, 2015
This story was originally published July 15, 2015 at 1:37 PM with the headline "Shooters of Columbus criticized for target showing black teenager."