You must be at least 25 to adopt a cat or dog from the Southern California animal shelter.
Kim Sill, Shelter Hope Pet Shop owner, stated that membership in the NRA can be a deal breaker.
Sill stated that “we do not support people who believe the 2nd Amendment gives them the right buy assault weapons.” Sill posted the following statement on the website of Thousand Oaks shelter, California, which is about 40 miles northwest from Los Angeles. We will not adopt you if your beliefs do not align with ours.
Sill said, “If your lie about being an NRA supporter make no mistake, you will be sued for fraud.”
Sill spoke out with NBC News to say that many of the donors to her shelter were Republicans. Some have threatened to stop funding Sill’s shelter if she does not remove the question “Where do you stand regarding gun control?” which she requires all potential adoptees to answer during a screening interview.
She said, “I say, fine. Keep your money.” “If I go out-of-business, then I go out. But I must do something. This is all I can do to end mass killings perpetrated by people armed and equipped with guns.”
Later Thursday, the National Rifle Association was weighed in.
Amy Hunter, spokeswoman for the NRA, stated that “having this asinine political litmus check comes at the cost of needy or homeless dogs and cats.”
Nadav Shoked, a Northwestern University constitutional law expert, stated in an email that Sill appears to be the law’s side.
Shoked stated that “the federal law isn’t an issue here.” It doesn’t apply in stores and, even more importantly, it does not ban discrimination based upon race or religion — which is what the pet shop is doing.”
Shoked stated that state laws often add to “race and religion” things such as gender, gender identity, marital status, veteran status, and other, but not their political preferences.
He said that there might be a law or ordinance that regulates pet shops or pet adoption practices. However, this would be a problem specific to this type business.
Emily Berman, a Constitutional Law professor at the University of Houston Law Center said that federal law doesn’t protect Americans against discrimination “on basis of gun ownership or support of guns rights.”
Berman stated that there was theoretically no stopping localities and states from imposing these kinds of rules. “Just like a state could prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, it is possible for them to do so based on an individual’s views on guns.”
Sill stated that she implemented the new rule May 31 following the Texas elementary school massacre at Uvalde, which left 19 students and 2 teachers dead. This triggered another national debate about gun restrictions.
She said, “That was a tipping-point for me.” But there was another reason.
Sill claimed that four years ago, an ex-Marine set fire to a local watering hole called Borderline Bar and Grill and killed around a dozen people, before he himself.
Sill stated that the shooter came to her shelter three months prior to making an earlier arrest.
She said that one of the volunteers saw him in flip-flops when he came in and informed me. “When I told him that he should wear something like gym shoes and he was very responsive, he became really snappy with my suggestion.”
Sill explained that he was a Vietnam veteran and she had assigned him to work with Larry.
Sill stated, “After a day Larry said we couldn’t work together, and I had no choice but to let him go.”
Sill claimed that the FBI and police had told her that the ex-Marine had viewed her shelter as a potential target after the massacre.
She said, “Their advice was to me to hire security, which I did for a while.” It was unarmed security but it was security. Someone was standing at the door. Another piece of advice I received from the police was to come up with an escape strategy.”
Sill claimed she almost laughed at their jokes.
“An escape plan? She said that she had many senior citizens as well as dozens of pets and cats. “How could we escape a gunman who entered here to kill us?”
Sill stated that she felt guilt at first after the Borderline Bar and Grill murder.
She said, “Maybe I should’ve warned somebody, said some thing,” He was so rude to my face. He clearly had issues with women. He was clearly a problem with women, but I wasn’t sure he would be a mass killer.”
Sill explained that her guilt became a persistent fear that she is unable to shake.
She said, “I found myself constantly looking over my shoulder when I went to work.” “And I realized that I couldn’t live like this for a long time.”
Then Uvalde happened.
She said, “That did it.” “I needed to do something so I did this.”
Sill stated that she was moved by Matthew McConaughey’s plea to Congress for gun legislation. She claimed that the actor’s wife Camila Alves McConaughey had adopted two dogs from her shelter many years ago while they were living in Malibu.
