The National Rifle Association is urging its membership to avoid a popular Dallas restaurant after the owner announced that a portion of their profits would go to organizations that support gun control.
An eagle-eyed NRA member, who had eaten at Ellen’s in the West End, spotted a notice written at the bottom of his receipt.
“Thanks for visiting Ellen’s! A portion of this week’s proceeds will be donated to organizations dedicated to implementing reasonable and effective gun regulations. Welcome to Dallas,” the notice read.
The only thing worse than a Southern-style restaurant that serves unsweet tea, is a Southern-style restaurant that doesn’t support the Second Amendment.
“If I had known we wouldn’t have eaten there,” Rusty Shackleford tweeted. She also posted a photograph of the receipt from her meal — and it did not take long for word to spread among the 80,000 convention attendees.
Dallas News reports that owner Joe Groves wrote on Facebook that he was appalled by the behavior of some NRA conventioneers.
“I’m making a list of the vile, racist, moronic conversations overheard from NRA attendees eating at the restaurant,” Groves wrote. “They don’t even speak softly.”
But consider what was posted on Groves’ personal Facebook page on March 25:
The National Rifle Association wasted no time in letting law-abiding gun owners know that they should probably avoid the chicken-fried steak and biscuits at Ellen’s.
Attn @AnnualMeetings attendees. Steer clear of Ellen’s in downtown Dallas! Why go there when there are so many other great choices. ?#sorrynotsorry #StandAndFight #DefendTheSecond pic.twitter.com/joX7pPoPm4
— NRA (@NRA) May 5, 2018
Groves tried to walk back the controversy, but as they say in the Deep South — that chicken’s already been fried.
“We believe in the 2nd Amendment. We also believe that patriotic people can come together to find solutions to end needless gun violence. That’s all we are proposing,” Grove told Dallas News.
If the owner of Ellen’s wants to support anti-Second Amendment organizations, they should be free to do so. But law-abiding gun owners should not be forced to fund those efforts.
“The majority of people in this country want compromise. They want peace and clarity,” Groves told Dallas News. “But when you have people on the fringes on either side, then you have a problem.”
Ellen’s may be known for its delicious Southern cooking, but they have a long way to go when it comes to Southern hospitality.
