The National Rifle Association asked members attending its annual convention in Dallas on Friday to boycott a nearby restaurant after learning that it would be donating a portion of its proceeds to help end gun violence.
The restaurant, Ellen’s, began including a message on the bottom of its receipts Friday morning, before the NRA’s weekend gathering.
“Thanks for visiting Ellen’s!” said the receipt, which went on to explain that some of the proceeds earned that week would be donated to organizations “dedicated to implementing reasonable and effective gun regulations.”
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In Texas, where guns and God are often mentioned in the same sentence, and the Republican Party opposes all laws infringing on the right to bear arms, this was a bold declaration.
It was even more daring when stated in proximity to about 80,000 members of the country’s most powerful gun rights group, who gathered at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center for the organization’s four-day annual meeting. Events included a leadership forum featuring U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence.
Once word got out about the receipts, the NRA on Twitter advised everyone to “steer clear” of the restaurant.
The post spawned thousands of comments, and while many were rallying cries to boycott Ellen’s, others expressed support for the restaurant.
“I will be sure to visit when in Dallas. Thanks for the tip,” one person wrote on Twitter.
On Friday night, the restaurant responded in a lengthy Facebook post — “What a day this has been!” — insisting that Ellen’s was not in favour of gun control. “The opposite is true,” the statement said. “We support the Constitution, including the 2nd Amendment, 100%. And like the NRA, we also support finding solutions to the senseless
