Amidst the many press releases from retailers like Walmart, Wegmans, CVS, and Walgreens last week all announcing new policies restricting the sales or carrying of firearms on their properties, one company is bucking the trend and proclaiming its support for the right to keep and bear arms. Illinois-based Rural King, which bills itself as “America’s home and farm store” and has more than 100 locations in 13 states, posted a letter to its Facebook page announcing it will continue to sell firearms and ammunition in its stores across the nation.

Many rural Americans are defenders and supporters of our rights and the 2nd Amendment. We at Rural King are proud to stand with these Americans to protect and defend our freedoms.

While some retailers are bowing to pressures involving the selling of firearms, Rural King will continue to sell firearms lawfully in all our stores and online at RKGuns.com.

Hunting, camping, fishing, and other outdoor activities are some of our most treasured traditions and are woven into the fabric of rural America. At Rural King we are dedicated to living, loving, and embracing the rural lifestyle and carrying the products our customers expect.

My only quibble with this statement is that while it’s true that for many people the “rural lifestyle” does involve lawful gun ownership, gun ownership isn’t just a rural thing. My right to keep and bear arms is the same right, whether I live on 40 acres in central Virginia, the suburbs of Washington, D.C., or (God help me if this ever happens) midtown Manhattan.

If you take a look at Rural King’s gun-specific website, you’ll see the chain offers plenty of AR-15’s , .223 and 5.56 ammunition, as well as magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds. The nearest store to me is a couple of hours away, so I can’t run over and check, but I don’t believe the company restricts the lawful carrying of firearms in stores either. The letter to customers certainly doesn’t mention anything about “leave your firearm at home or in your car, please.”

In a world of increasing corporate wokeness, it’s a treat to see a company like Rural King recognize that its customer base isn’t likely to respond positively to any embrace of the gun control agenda. Independent FFL’s and gun stores may benefit from Walmart’s move to stop selling handgun and some rifle ammunition, but clearly chains like Rural King believe they can benefit as well by continuing to serve their customer base. I just wish there was a Rural King in Farmville, Virginia. I’d gladly pay the store a visit for my goat and chicken feed, and maybe pick up some ammunition or even a firearm as a way of saying “thanks.”