A North Carolina gun shop that came under fire for erecting a billboard targeting four congresswomen of color replaced it Monday with a sign advocating the First Amendment.
The sign’s removal comes just days after two deadly mass shootings in Texas and Ohio. The billboard for Cherokee Guns called the congresswomen – Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, and Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts– “idiots” and the “four horsemen” of the apocalypse.
The billboard company, Allison Outdoor Advertising, decided to remove the sign.
“The billboard is coming down,” the advertising company posted on Facebook. “We understand this is a delicate subject and we greatly apologize for it ever going up.”
Cherokee Guns addressed the controversy on its website Monday, saying the “message went nationwide very quickly … and the positive support received was, and is really amazing.”
“Of course you have those in their parents basement trying to put a spin on the real message," the website states. "To those … maybe I will do another ‘idiots’ billboard for you.” The gun shop’s Twitter page was “temporarily restricted” because of “some unusual activity from this account.” The replacement billboard says, “First Amendment. Enough Said,” according to WTVC.
Soon after the billboard was erected last week, Tlaib responded, “How the hell is this not inciting violence?”
How the hell is this not inciting violence? https://t.co/rgdDloiePq
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) July 31, 2019
Stay on top of Detroit news and views. Sign up for our weekly issue newsletter delivered each Wednesday.
