Staff

Asheville Citizen Times

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Along U.S. 64 in Murphy, North Carolina, a billboard advertising a gun store mocks "the 4 Horsemen" — U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Oman, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley.

The "Cherokee Guns" tag at the bottom — it's a mile ahead on the right — almost seems like an afterthought.

The Citizen Times spoke to a man who described himself as the owner of Cherokee Guns and identified himself only as "Doc." The "about" section on Cherokee Guns' Facebook page lists Doc Wacholz as the store's 2012 founder.

"I'm not inciting any violence or being racist," Wolf said. "It's a statement. It's an opinion."

When asked why he chose to pair the congresswomen with his gun shop advertisement, Wacholz said, "They're socialists, from my point of view. I also feel a couple of them, being Muslim, have ties to actual terrorists groups."

'Jihad Squad':Illinois GOP group apologizes for offensive post about AOC, Omar, Tlaib and Pressley

Wacholz reiterated that his billboard is protected by free speech and said he paid about $250 a month to rent it.

Allison Outdoor Advertising Inc., the owner of the billboard, doesn't screen the ads that renters display, said Danny Coleman, the account executive responsible for Cherokee County.

"As long as there's no vulgar stuff or stuff with kids," Coleman said. "That's the only thing I could think of."

"Doc" has a history

At least three previous Cherokee Guns billboards involve words or images that mock Islam or Arab or Muslim Americans.

In 2015, Wacholz rented a billboard that said "Give me your tired, your poor ... Keep your Syrian refugees."

“People on Facebook were saying it was ignorant or racist,” Wacholz told the Citizen Times in 2015, but “all the feedback I’ve gotten from people coming into my shop is completely positive. People have come in and tried to actually give me money just to keep the billboard up.”

Online critics say this pairing — of guns and racial generalizations — is particularly worrisome in the wake of mass shootings committed by white supremacists. When asked whether he thought people might be less concerned if the billboard were a stand-alone political message without mention of guns, Wacholz said he "hadn't considered it."

"If (Wacholz) were a business owner and a member of ours, we would try to discourage him," said Sherry Raines, executive director of the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce. Raines noted Cherokee Guns' history of "controversial" advertisements.

Murphy Mayor Rick Ramse did not respond to two calls for comment on July 30.

Fact check:Trump’s false claims about Rep. Ilhan Omar

And U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows did not respond to multiple requests for comment July 30. Murphy falls in his 11th Congressional District.

No 'Snowflakes and Liberals'

Wacholz hasn't shied away from the publicity the billboard has attracted.

According to a July 29 Facebook post on the Cherokee Guns account, Wacholz plans to offer a "FOUR HORSEMEN COMETH STICKER."

The post continues with instructions for would-be bumper sticker buyers: "(E)at a piece of bacon ... tell us you're voting for Trump in 2020 ... then get your limited edition bumper sticker!!"

"Snowflakes and Liberals are not eligible ... sorry," the post said.