Business: New gun store opens

FREDS Guns 2.0

Location: 261340 Highway 101, Sequim

Phone: 683-6812

Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday

Bag the biggest

Sign up for FREDS’ hunter contest for the biggest buck, bear or elk. There is a $10 buy-in and entries are due by Dec. 31.

After having a long relationship with Fred’s Hobbies and Guns, Seth and Rebecca Larson have purchased, renamed and moved the business that Fred Minker and Linda Phillips operated for 43 years. In a nod to Fred’s and the name of their new business: Firearms. Rescue. Emergency. Disaster. Supplies. — the store continues as FREDS.

“Prior to the purchase, we had an emergency supplies company and we thought how great it would be to join the two companies,” said Seth Larson. “It’s an honor to continue their legacy.”

FREDS opened in July and business has been booming, Larson said.

The store sells emergency supplies such as solar-powered chargers and lights, Community Emergency Response Team equipment that can be set up in the event of a widespread disaster, water filters, freeze-dried food, meals ready to eat, emergency medical supplies for civilians and tactical emergency medical supplies for law enforcement and public utilities.

Larson said four years ago, they started West Coast Preppers in response to threats of an earthquake in the Cascadia subduction zone.

“For 20 years, they’ve been warning about Cascadia so we saw there was a market for emergency supplies,” Larson said.

Guns and more

The largest part of the business consists of gun and ammunition sales.

“We sell all aspects of guns from pistols to rifles,” Larson said, over the buzz of gun buyers in the background. “The most popular is the Ruger LC9s — a lot of women purchase it because it’s small and concealable and the Ruger is very reliable.”

Larson said coming into fall, sales of hunting rifles and shotguns are picking up and since opening, sales of guns as concealed weapons have skyrocketed.

“We’ve sold over 300 with concealed permits since we opened. Every day we sell 10-12 a day and people are buying larger amounts of (emergency) supplies. Cascadia has a lot of people worrying,” Larson said.

To obtain a concealed carry permit, apply at the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office or your local police department. Fingerprinting and a background check are required.

“The screening also goes through me. I have the final say and if I don’t feel you’re mentally stable, I’m not going to sell to you, even if you pass a background check because safety is the most important thing to me,” Larson said. “I don’t want to be on the 6 o’clock news because a guy purchased a gun from me. If I don’t feel you’re competent, I’m not going to sell to you.”

Larson purposely hired for his staff of five retired law enforcement officers, a former gun store owner and active/retired military members.

“I need people that I can trust when I’m not here, people who are knowledgeable and who can answer people’s questions about safety and the laws.”

Larson plans to offer a safety course for female gun owners and a beginners course in October with hands-on practice and one-on-one instruction.

Second Amendment

“You don’t need a permit to buy a gun and without the Second Amendment, you don’t have a First Amendment,” Larson said.

“People are hunkering down because they don’t want their rights taken away. With the election taking place this year and the threat to the Second Amendment growing, we are busier than anticipated. More than ever, people are feeling the need for security for themselves and loved ones, no matter what their political view is.”

Larson indicated that he invites browsers and buyers of all political stripes to discuss gun ownership with him.

“What’s great about our country is we have both sides, conservatives and liberals, and that we can agree to disagree — that’s what makes America so great.”