Guns and Ammo will remain open following a public hearing on Tuesday. The Tuscaloosa City Council voted 4-2 in favor of Josh Wakefield, the store’s owner, allowing him to maintain his business license following various charges.
The primary charge against him was that he failed to file a report for the sale of used merchandise, specifically a stolen weapon purchased from a customer. The gun was then sold to another customer, who faced a felony charge for possessing the stolen weapon.
“Last month, TPD executed a search warrant against Guns and Ammo that led to various charges getting brought against the manager and the owner of Guns and Ammo,” said Hudson Cheshire, assistant city attorney. “Those charges are down in Municipal Court.”
Cheshire’s main argument is that a business handling buying and selling used weapons should not have any mistakes in bookkeeping, out of concern for “public safety.”
Cheshire added that Wakefield claimed he received these charges based on bad bookkeeping, which Cheshire said “jeopardizes public safety.”
Wakefield was accused of selling a stolen weapon to a customer and not reporting it, leading to a felony charge for the customer who purchased it.
Rex Piggot, a Guns and Ammo employee, allegedly purchased a fifth weapon from a convicted felon, despite Tuscaloosa Police Department Investigator Jeff Curvin informing him of this after the fourth purchase.
Piggot said that he did not know the customer was a felon beforehand. However, even after Curvin informed Piggot of that, he purchased another weapon from the same customer.
Curvin visited the store to investigate further, and Piggot said that the owner of the store told him to have the investigator trespassed. Curvin returned five days later with a warrant and discovered even more guns that were not complying with city codes.
Wakefield was previously convicted for violating city code by not reporting the sale of a used weapon and then selling that weapon to another customer.
Cheshire motioned for Wakefield’s business license to be revoked, calling it a matter of “public safety.”
Cheshire said the actions of Wakefield should lead to his business shutting down because he does not care about law enforcement or the law in general.
Curvin said that Wakefield was not cooperative when given the citation.
In the evidence submitted into the investigation, it was found that Wakefield refused to comply with the code, stating he did not agree with it.
All of the citizens that spoke at the podium at the hearing supported Wakefield, saying they wanted the council to consider how serious this matter is and make sure they have all the right evidence before making a decision.
“From buying guns from him and from working there, that man is a stickler for the fine details of what we are supposed to do,” said Michael Ledbetter, a Tuscaloosa business owner. “People make mistakes … but he wants everything done right. I can assure you of that. It would be a shame to take his license away from him.”
Ledbetter added that he believes Wakefield is a “good man” and “runs his business well.”
“I have spent lots of time in the store. I have never seen anything wrong or out of the ordinary,” said Justin Williams, a Tuscaloosa resident. “He has turned business away thinking it was somebody buying a gun for somebody else. That shows you he is trying to keep guns out of the wrong people’s hands.”
Williams added that he spoke to Wakefield and he has no criminal record, so in his opinion, there was nothing wrong with Wakefield’s business.
Joshua Swords, Wakefield’s attorney, used this in his argument that Wakefield’s license should not be revoked.
“I didn’t hear anyone from the public come up and cry nuisance and cry public safety,” Swords said. “I heard the opposite.”
Swords added that he knows Wakefield and that he and his wife are great people, stating the public and himself believe this is a business they want to keep around.
“Tuscaloosa Police Department went into his business unannounced for three hours,” Swords said. “They found zero stolen guns.”
Swords added that going through a search and finding zero stolen firearms meant that Wakefield’s business is a type of business that Tuscaloosa citizens want around.
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