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20150710__F-BOMB

“(W)e don’t control how other people are offended…There are a lot of things that offend me in America, and I just have to deal with them.” That’s the pronouncement of the owner of a new gun store in tiny St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin. A town where they got trouble. Right there in river city. And it has nothing even remotely to do with pool. The issue that’s riling the populace is the store’s name: F-Bomb Ordnance opened up on Main Street where everyone – even children! – can see their signs. At a city council meeting, Amy Klein – between whiffs of smelling salts – objected to the store’s phraseology: “The innuendo around it is enough that it really lowers the standards in this community…I just think that we as a community need to hold ourselves to higher standards.” . . .

“It just reflects such an inconsistency with what we want our community to be,” said Klein, who has lived in St. Croix Falls for 13 years.

F-Bomb isn’t giving any ground, though.

“We don’t think it offends the morals and decency of the community,” co-owner Dr. Geoff Gorres said. … “We won’t be changing our name,” he said. “We won’t be moving. And I think it’s unlikely that we’ll be changing our signage in the near future.”

In fact the doc says their name isn’t the real problem. He thinks their products are the trouble…with a capital ‘T’ that rhymes with ‘G’ and that stand for guns!

Both (Mayor Brian) Blesi and Gorres said there is another issue influencing the backlash against the business: concern by some about F-Bomb Ordnance selling firearms. Gorres said that is “absolutely” a factor in the uproar over the name.

“If the name of our business was F-bomb Records, I don’t think that we’d be having this discussion,” said Gorres, who is an emergency room physician.

Hizzoner seems to be surfing the edge of the fence on the controversy.

Mayor Blesi, however, doesn’t see the business’ signage as a First or Second Amendment issue.

“It’s a local ordinance issue, and it’s related to how visitors and people within the community perceive a business on Main Street,” he said. “What perception do we want visitors to our community to have and to leave with?”

We’re sure that he’ll ultimately announce exactly what the city council intends to do with seventy-six trombones a-blaring.

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121 COMMENTS

      • That is pretty funny.

        I walked up on an OCT group a couple of years ago, hadn’t heard of them then . It was before they really started making the news.

        A couple of them had a “drop acid not bombs” sign. They did not really fit with the rest of the crowd. And they did not have rifles.

        So he is probably right, mostly.

        • And imaginary false flag nonsense makes ammosexuals look like uneducated and penniless idiots that live in their mamma’s basement.

    • So you’re saying it seems like a name that isn’t doing the gun community any favors, and I have to agree.

      But the name controversy isn’t about guns IMHO. If there’s ALSO an issue they have that it’s a gun store, ok that’s on them. But what kind of jackass names ANY kind of store “F-Bomb whatever” on a small town Main Street? If it was F-Bomb Donuts, it would be inappropriate, too. I believe this falls under the “legal but stupid” category. Unless it’s not legal, which I guess they’re still working out.

      This is from their shitty website:
      “F-BOMB ORDNANCE, BECAUSE WE BELIEVE IN BEING THAT GUY!”

      “THAT GUY” meaning “a dick”, of course. Congratulations dick, you have a gun store in a small town whose name pisses people off. I guess now you’ll find out if that helps your business or not.

      Just because some idiot sells guns doesn’t mean he’s a swell guy and we should all stand behind his shitty choices. These guys need to man up and own their childish antics and not cry that they’re yet another victim when people don’t like how they went out of their way to poke everyone in the eye by choosing a controversial name for their business/signage. When the business fails (as most do), it won’t be because they alienated a bunch of customers, it’ll be because “everyone’s against us because guns” or something. I’m calling it.

      • I think he’s right, though. If it were F-bomb Music, then it would be seen as hip and counterculture, and people criticizing them would be seen as needing to get over themselves. A gun shop with F-bomb in the name gets no such consideration.

        What to do with that is another question. I don’t know if there’s anything to be gained by pushing the issue, at least in the short term. But I do think there’s bias at work here, and it would be good to get people to reexamine their thinking somehow.

        • There are some things a store could use that name for and be seen that way, yes, but not most things.

          Personally, seeing that name and the very drab exterior, my first thought would be that it was a porn shop.

      • “These guys need to man up and own their childish antics”

        You mean like your gratuitous use of the words “dick” and “shi**y”?

        It seams like you should like these guys. Let me introduce you – pot meet kettle.

  3. they’re simply using their First Amendment rights, and being totally politically incorrect. I think that’s the whole point is people are tired of being politically correct all the time and being forced to do things against their will. Just my 10 cents worth.

    • “Curse” words like shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cock, and motherfucker are already very broadly suppressed. They are remove from content and posts (or the posts deleted) by the millions each and every day by automated filters or by moderators who try not to offend — somebody. It should come as no surprise that the mere suggestion of the colorful word “fuck” would put someone’s panties in a twist since the online use of the word is almost globally prohibited. Thus the censorship is supported and we will forever have to camouflage it somehow when using it. The censorship of such colorful language is far and away more disgusting than the words themselves.

      • ^ This !!!

        Words are only as meaningful or OFFENSIVE as the immature interpreter desires them to be.

        “If you’re offended by any word, in any language, it’s probably because your parents were unfit to raise a child.” D. Stanhope

        • LOL

          I love the quote — and it’s spot on! There are words that make me cringe to hear or use, and every time that happens I give an internal mental glare in the general direction of my mother.

      • Apples and oranges. Most websites, including this one, are privately held and therefore are not restricted by the First Amendment. So if RF wants to delete curse words or my posts, he is free to do so. A City is not so free to infringe upon First Amendment rights. If they had used the word “F***” it may be a bigger issue. But I’m willing to bet the “F-Bomb” will be harder to eliminate. It may ultimately stand for “First Amendment Bomb” in this case.

    • I truly think the issue would be quickly resolved if every person who was of a mind to complain about this store was required to stand up in public, before microphones and cameras, and state publicly EXACTLY what they believe the F in F-Bomb stands for.

      If they are unwilling to make that statement, fuck ’em.

    • And by the way, kudos to these guys for the marketing strategy – they are getting how many thousands of dollars of free publicity over this non-issue?

      • Free publicity = Genius. Like that it flies in the face of all the “proper” folks. Also like that it is NOT politically correct. If it was close I would visit the place and shake the owner’s hand. It says nothing wrong. All innuendo and protected by free speech as far as I can see. But the prissy, proper people don’t like it. Too friggin bad.

        • It never ceases to amaze me how the liberals, despite their claims of open-mindedness, share at least as much of the Puritan tradition of self-righteousness as the worst of the other side. It makes me want to go back in time and use Jedi mind tricks to turn every passenger of the Mayflower and its ilk into rabid libertarians.
          Or just sink the thing before it finished crossing.

    • 1. Open F-Bomb gun store.
      2. After 1 month rename F.U. Ordnance.
      3. Experience exponential publicity/sales.
      4. Profit!

  6. It’s their gun shop. If they want to give the impression they’re a porn shop instead of a gun shop that’s their business.

    Don’t expect me to take my grandkids into any shop with F-Bomb in the name regardless of the products sold there.

    • My grandpa would, but then again he smoked, he drank, he cussed, he paid taxes, and encouraged his grand kids to do awesome things like play with cap guns, urinate outside on a bush, and chase women.

    • I would take my grand-kids there. Well, if their mom and dad said it was OK. I suspect kids hear stuff like this in school and from their friends anyway. Why hide it from them ? Show them an example of free speech in action and use that example to explain the Constitution and Bill of Rights to them. I would also tell them that it is not polite to use the actual F-word in public and they probably don’t want to do that until they are old enough to vote. Especially around their parents. If they asked what the F-word was or meant I would refer them to their parents. But, I suspect, most kids already know that it means and have heard the actual word before.

    • If you use the euphemism “F-Bomb” with the certain intent that everyone who hears or sees the term knows and understands EXACTLY what you meant by it, how is it in any way different from actually saying it? The whole concept is stupid.

      The idea of using people’s outrage against them is extremely clever, however. F-Bomb is a controversial and publicity inducing name for a gun store. FUCK. NET just doesn’t have the same feel to it.

  10. I love the F.U. name even better. If the fools don’t FOFF and force a name change, then they should go with F.U. and fight the lowlife COMMIES in court.

      • Yeah, Scarf and Barf implies that your food is not very good. Not a good choice if you want customers to buy your meals.

        • Well, this place would offer the finest cuisine, linen table cloths, the finest wines, you get the picture? After a while, the word would get around, in the meantime, some folks would just want find out what kind of a place it was, with a name like that.

      • Back when I lived in Utah, somebody actually opened a restaurant named Squat ‘n Gobble. I drove past it every day on my way to work (never went in). They actually lasted about six months before going out of biznis.

  12. I hope they have access to several lawyers and I hope they are willing to stand their ground.

    The name was approved by whatever local ordinance governs getting the business license to operate where they are operating. If the physics of the signage comply with the rules, only so big or whatever color there there isn’t any issue. And since it implies, but does not actually say anything that could be a problem….

    Basically… Fukem and their ideas of it not being an ‘appropriate name’ for a business. If you don’t like the name then don’t shop there and hope they go out of business.

    • name was approved by whatever local ordinance governs

      Not EVERY municipality has overreaching gov’t that dictates what side of the toilet the handle must be located, how often you have to mop the floors, or what special group you must hire.

      IE can name the business whatever the hell you desire.

  14. As someone who strongly believes in the separation of church and state, I insist that St. Croix Falls change its name to Mr. Croix Falls, immediately and forthwith.

    And burn that racist Wisconsin state flag with the two white guys on it. Unless the two guys are getting married or something, in which case it’s okay.

    • Pretty sure Croix is a Injun name (or French) can’t have that. Mr Falls. Except that might be anti-handicapped/walking impaired.

      Perhaps Iman Kneels would work

  16. He’s got every right to name his business that. My personal thought is that it is a dumb name for a business and he’s hoping that controversy will drive people to the store instead of concentrating on providing excellent service and products. To each his own.

  18. It took me a while to see that there was signage in that photo. I was beginning to doubt that the photo showed any kind of retail business…

    But if they want to be “that guy”, we’ll see how it works out for them after a couple of years.

  19. Back in the 70s I had two cousins in Atlanta who each owned a store called Gay’s Men Shop. That was because their last name was Gay. Nobody made a fuss about it, and yes, some of their clientele wore bantam weight shoes (is that politically correct enough for you?).

  21. Having spent a couple of years living in small-town Wisconsin, I can certainly see people getting their boxers in a bunch about this. Lots of folks there spend way too much time minding everyone else’s business. Many of them are in one of the redundant layers of local government and are all too happy to use that little bit of power to make people comply with their vision.

    Sad to say, it’s not unique to Wisconsin.

  22. So does this tie into the preceding blog post about having to bake cakes for homosexuals?
    Government whims reign supreme over the rights of entrepreneur private property.

  23. I could see myself doing something like this to mess with people.
    Then, when they got their panties in a bunch, I’d change the name to “Openly gay muslim firearms and ammo shop” and dare them to say anything about that name.

  24. “F-BOMB ORDNANCE, BECAUSE WE BELIEVE IN BEING THAT GUY!”

    Actually chuckled a little from this, if they wanna do it, let em. The perpetually butthurt PC crowd will find something to clutch them pearls about regardless, although they may not win the fight against the city. I’m pretty sure I read this in a comment on here but it went something like: Their hate will keep me warm tonight.

    • Yeah, well, it should be “FU Ordnance. Because FU, that’s why!”

      You gotta admit, it’s catchy. And “Dick’s” is already taken.

    • perpetually butthurt PC crowd

      Careful, that’s a SOCTUS favored “minority” group you must endorse and support.

  25. To get bent out of shape over a name like this is dumb. If you think it is hurting the 2A cause you are even dumber.

  27. The name: All a matter of interpretation and opinion. No one is hurt, unless they want to be. Not so long ago, the phrase meant nothing, only invented so as NOT to offend anyone and or to slip-through print/verbal censorship. It is an anti-gun issue, as suggested by replacing with the word, “record.”

    What about the historical Calvin Klein adverts? Some guys wang neatly outlined in his shorts or a engorged female bulging under panties then displayed the size of a 747 on the public street? What’s the difference regarding Rights.

    I’m no prude, but I find this company name to be of zero reaction by comparison.

  28. The world really has become a bunch of whiny pansy ass crybabies,smh..All some people has going on in their pathetic lives is looking for something,hell anything that offends them..

  31. I used to live by a bar called ‘Diligaf’s’ Do I Look Like I Give a etc…

    Not quite the same thing. And I didn’t get it for a while, someone had to explain it to me.

    It is nice to read about someone that refuses to apologize for once. We aren’t sorry, deal with it.

    Maybe they should fly a confederate flag…

  32. …
    When I was in London several years ago there was a chain of stores that used FCUK
    as their logo – This was right on Oxford Street, a main shopping street, right near Marks & Spencer.
    This company is a global fashion retailer – So it worked for them.

    http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/fcuk-the-logo-that-became-a-no-no-7704257.html

    French Connection (also branded as FCUK) is a UK-based global retailer and wholesaler of fashion clothing, accessories and homeware. Founded in the early 1970s by Stephen Marks, who remains chief executive, it is based in London and its parent French Connection Group PLC is listed on the London Stock Exchange.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Connection_%28clothing%29
    …

  33. I just dropped an O-bomb in the toilet. Hope no one was offended. If they are they can go F-bomb themselves.

  34. Alright, “F-Bomb” is offensive to some people…? I must be behind the times, but “F-bomb” seems pretty new to me, I don’t think I heard the phrase ever before ~10 yrs ago (I’m middle age bty). I could understand the backlash if they had graphic signs or what not, but it looked pretty low key to me, and I guess I have thicker skin.
    You know whats more offensive, and I have not heard anyone complain about is the “TV Guide” station I have. I can’t speak for anyone else, but there are around 16 porn channels (PPV, I don’t get them) that list their full titles, all day, anytime you flip through the channels…( I just checked), names like “Face down in Lesbian P…” & “Blasted Teen Faces”…Really? Any kid flipping channels could come across it…I don’t have kids, but if I did, this would piss me off, not a business name on main street.

    • You have the choice to get rid of your TV if you’re concerned about what your children are exposed to……or take the high road and educate them about the real world………….

      p.s.
      Don’t forget to teach them to look both ways before crossing the street and don’t gloss over the STRANGER DANGER issue…..

  35. I had a Mormon coworker who would complain about people using the “F-bomb” until I started asking “what the f4ck is the F-bomb?”

    N-word, R word, LBGTQIA+ – just say what’s on your mind.

  38. It’s sort of funny but it is in poor taste. Wisconsin outside of a few places like Madison and Milwaukee city is very Second Amendment. I would not name my gun store F-bomb. I agree with whoever said that this could be a false flag operation.

  39. Got a place called double tap in a small town up near my families place in WI. I wonder how long it will take some of the carpet baggers to visit that town to go OMG !!!!!! DOUBLE TAP!!!!!!! GUNS!!!!!!!!!! THREATENING US!!!!!!!!!! THE CHILDREN!!!!!!!!!!! OMG!!!!!!!!!

  40. Tell the council that the F is for fag, that it is a gay friendly business. That should make it untouchable.

  42. I dont have a problem with the name, I unlike silly little liberals am not so easily offended. Hope they do well and I wish them nothing but success.

  44. Lovely thing about the internet… you or I can tour up and down that street ourselves and see the neighborhood in question, from the convenience of our desk. We just have to know what to look for, and in this case, that data-gobbling bastard Google is our best friend. We can peruse their store and see what they are carrying as well.

    So here’s what you see in Google street view. An auto body shop, a barber, an attorney, a dentist, a six screen movie theater, coffee shop, a couple sundry shops… tsk tsk… if I were running the show up in this burg, I’d have a thing or two to say about that fat overflowing dumpster… a couple empty lots, one in the process of being turned into a park so it won’t be as big an eyesore… And what looks like an old Giant Eagle that they’re gonna make into the town library, if they haven’t already.

    And in this callback to Mayberry we have the new kids, a buncha dudes selling modern, hi-speed low drag tacti-cool stuff and using the INTERNET to do it!

    Anyone who has ever dealt with this flavor of “small town america” knows that they’re as much kicking back against something that is new and changed in their small town sphere as against the name, or the product. If you changed the name and turned the place into a sleepy little gunsmith selling fudd guns that was barely getting by, they’d still kick. If you changed the name and the product but they were still raking in the dough from nationwide internet sales, they’d still kick. They’ll kick and kick and kick till something new moves in down the street and then they’ll go kick that instead.

  46. While the name isn’t necessarily clever it is amusing, but I can understand the face value issue of not wanting “F-Bomb” on main street. A compromise would be to simply change the signage to F-B Ordinance and call it a day.

    • So the word “bomb” is what people find offensive? Will they need to change the name of “Bomb Pops” popsicles to “B Pops” or is this selective taking of offense?

  47. It could be worse…It could have been named confederate Ordinance and display that flag that everybody thinks walked into a church and shot a bunch of people.
    I wonder if they will be required to have a gender neutral bathroom or call his kids purple penguins instead of boy and girl. If the world can idolize a freak runner that was on a wheaties box 30 years ago, that used to be a man but now is supposed to have turned into a woman, they can get over a word on a store they don’t like.

  48. Wow! It’s not even the actual word “Fuck”. It’s “F-bomb” as their actual name. Naaa it’s not because they’re a gun store….

  49. They have every right to name their store that, just as I have every right to take my business to someplace with a bit less attitude.

  50. They’d really get bent out of shape by some company names I’ve encountered: Erection Services, which put up steel frames for buildings, and Quick Erection, which provided easy-to-assemble scaffolding and advertised that “You can get it up fast” and offered “Or we can get it up for you”.

  53. The people running this store are very out going towards their customers. I live 7 miles from their store and grew up in st croix falls. It was the library group that started all the fuss (12 people) I bet their are more offensive things in their library than the word f-bomb………

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