Meg Wagner, MSN, July 21, 2015

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Andy Hallinan declared Florida Gun Supply in Inverness a “Muslim-free zone” Saturday in response to a Kuwait-born gunman’s shooting rampage in Chattanooga that killed four Marines and a sailor.

Hallinan announced his shop’s new policy as he sat against a Confederate flag back drop. The video, posted to the store’s Facebook account, racked up more than 35,000 views by Tuesday morning.

“I have a moral and legal responsibility to ensure the safety of all patriots in my community, and so effective immediately, I’m declaring Florida Gun Supply as a Muslim-free zone,” he said in the Saturday video. “I will not arm and train those who wish to do harm to my fellow patriots.”

Hallinan admitted that the new policy will be hard to enforce, but maintained that the rules are designed to keep his customers–and the country–safe.

“I’m not going to be asking every person who walks in what their religious background is. That’s not my business,” he told WFLA. “But I do have the right to deny firearms and training to anyone I deem as a threat.”

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“We are in battle, patriots, but not only with Islamic extremism,” he said. “We’re also in battle against extreme political correctness that threatens our lives, because if we can’t call evil, evil for fear of offending people, then we can’t really defeat out enemies.”

In addition to barring Muslims from the store, Florida Gun Supply will also offer free conceal carry classes and open its practice shooting range to the public, so citizens can be properly trained to carry daily, Hallinan said.

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He also defended the Confederate flag–“This flag represents nothing but the rich heritage of the South”–before issuing his battle against Islam.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations called for the Department of Justice to review the no-Muslim policy, which it claimed violates federal civil rights laws.

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