City of Boise Threatens Meridian Gun Store for Violating Health Order?
By Greg Pruett • December 9, 2020Several weeks ago the city of Boise created a “hotline” where residents could file complaints against businesses who are not complying with the city’s health order or for businesses who are having issues with customers who refuse to comply with social distancing or mask-wearing requirements.
The city of Boise said that a number of complaints have already been filed and that they have also gotten bogus calls through the hotline.
However, Idaho Dispatch has obtained a letter from Independence Indoor Shooting, located in Meridian, with the city of Boise threatening the business if they don’t begin to comply with the health order.
The letter, posted in full at the end of the article, is indeed addressed to Independence Indoor Shooting with their Meridian address on the letter itself. The city of Boise’s logo is on the letter.
Independence Indoor Shooting has both firearms and ammunition for sale and has a range indoors. They opened their doors in Meridian in 2017.
Idaho Dispatch spoke with Ryan Later who is the General Manager of Independence Indoor Shooting and asked him what they thought of the letter and what their response has been. Here is some of what Later told us:
Part of me wants to think, oh they just made a mistake because we are obviously not in the Boise city limits, but then it’s like, you look at the letter and there’s our Meridian address right at the top of their letterhead. And apparently, we have heard that there is other places in other cities that are receiving this letter. We called Boise and they said they have accidentally sent some of these letters out to Nampa and Caldwell and some of these other places.
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Later went on to say,
It was really concerning, one that we got one and we are not in Boise, and two that they are that careless about the way they are handling this that they’ll do something like that. The letter isn’t just ‘Hey try to follow COVID policies’ it’s ‘Hey, if you don’t follow COVID policies we are going to come and arrest you or prosecute you or fine you or whatever.’ It makes you feel uncomfortable, that’s for dang sure.
Later also mentioned that if you call the hotline set up by the city of Boise that the hotline says claims can only be processed if the business is “located within the Boise city limits.” The recording then requires you to go through a series of options to report a business.
You can listen to the recording by dialing the hotline at 208-608-7040.
Idaho Dispatch reached out to Shandy Lam, Communications Manager for the city of Meridian, to find out if they were aware that at least one business in their city had received this type of letter from the city of Boise. Lam asked if perhaps the business was located on the border of the two cities and that maybe that is why Independence Indoor Shooting was given a letter.
Idaho Dispatch told Lam that while the business is close to the border, the letter itself is addressed to a location in “Meridian.”
Here is a screenshot of where the business is located (red marker) with the border between the cities separated by a red line. While Independence Indoor Shooting is close to the border of Boise, it is a Meridian-based business.
The letter itself indicates that on November 30th, someone complained that Independence Indoor Shooting was in violation of either the state or a local health order. The letter also indicates the city of Boise may forward the complaint to Central District Health for review and possible enforcement.
Finally, the letter indicates that if there is another complaint, the city will do an investigation and if the business is found to be non-compliant with the health order, the business owner, its staff, and patrons may face a criminal misdemeanor charge.
That charge can carry a fine of up to $1,000 and possible jail time.
Idaho Dispatch reached out to Seth Ogilvie, the Communications Director for the city of Boise for a statement on the letter sent to Independence Indoor Shooting for clarification on why the letter was sent to a business outside of Boise. We have not yet received a response and will update the article if we receive one or if the city responds on its own website.
What do you think of the city of Boise sending this letter to a business in Meridian? Do you believe this was an accident or intentional?
Let us know in the comments below.
Tags: Boise, Covid-19, Independence Indoor Shooting, Lauren McLean, Lynda Lowry, Meridian, Seth Ogilvie, Shandy Lam
18 thoughts on “City of Boise Threatens Meridian Gun Store for Violating Health Order?”
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I called 2 weeks ago and turned myself in for not wearing a mask. Where is my letter?
Pure idiotic thinking. In the first place people mind your own business. If you think you might catch a disease from this over hyped sickness then you stay home. You can get everything you need online or by phone. And don’t start with the umm well the older population doesn’t know how to use a phone or computer. Then get off your fat butt’s and help them you entitled little sh$ts. There is no reason to punish the one’s who want life to go on. We get a vaccine and guess what? Yup you guessed it. There is still people who are going to parish just like the ones who get the flu shot. So stop your whining and trear ridden speeches. I’m sorry for the one you lost. Quit infringing on my rights to live in a free country. Then threaten to arrest me because i was 5 feet not 6 away from you Karen. In short term MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS !!
The mayor needs to go, no good for Boise or it’s residents. She’s worthless. Stay open Boise. Defy the order. Support local all day every day. Don’t bend the knee, fight for your rights.
I’m curious. When did Central District Health become able to enact criminal laws?
They can’t!
so where the hell are all our attorneys suing the mayor and the city over
Boise City Code 1-15-10 and 1-4-1? This was probably a libtard call on a shooting establishment just because, being anonymous like all snitch lines are.
Oh!! I’m so very surprised that someone will use this hotline to try to destroy a business type they don’t agree with; a business that won’t pay their blackmail demands; or a potential competitor. (Sarcasm) And, I was not aware that the Boise Mayor’s ‘health’ orders applied to every city. How does the Mayor’s powers over the Boise police, work in cities outside of Boise?
Darn right!! I have been saying this all along.
Scare tactics. Just like most politics. Trying the just make businesses and people comply.
This reminds me, I need to go buy stuff from Independence Indoor Shooting!
The City of Boise and it’s liberal mayor need to mind their own business and stop trying to control everything and everyone.
To the men of Boise who voted for that stupid #$&@ of a mayor. If you get your act together and vote right, we will allow you to have your nutsack back.
Another example of Commissar McClown’s overreach. She has asked Americans to snitch on Americans regarding masks, for a start. Who knows what devilment she’ll come up with next.
All the mask wearing flies in the face of the Danish study (largest study to date on the planet) and the John Hopkins study which both concluded masks are completely ineffective. No wonder why the medical establishment tried t hide these reports for weeks.
Now, we are not being told the complete story about this virus. All we’ve gotten is the super negative mantra of masks, hand washing, social distancing yet the numbers are climbing. We Americans are optimists and the dreary drumbeat of the medical establishment has lost it’s impact for many. Why not tell us the good news; how many people survived, how many people went home from the hospital. It’s not surprising we are not listening to the experts anymore; especially the unelected functionaries who are closing our businesses and ruining our economy. Hopefully, someday we’ll have a reckoning of their misdeeds.
This is not a mistake or an accident. This is a form of intimidation coming from the socialist/communist government of the Boise People’s Republic. If people don’t stand up and put a stop to this stuff they will soon be subjects, not citizens.
Boise has NO jurisdiction over Meridian! I hope IIS stands and fights this. (One reason I patronize them is that they are NOT in Boise!!)
I agree! City of Boise needs to stay in their lane!
Sun Tzu said “Look strong when you are weak, and weak when you are strong” McClean trying to look strong. She is WEAK! Treat her as such.
We live in America. I’m a free man. People are so willing to give up their freedom and forget they are free. It shows how our education system has been ebbing away at the core of our people. Teaching weakness and subservience. Teaching that men are supposed to be skinny jean wearing, man bun having, submissive little b#tches. Those aren’t the kind of men that founded this country. The Constitution was written by men like that. The people who are easily manipulated by fear should just stay home. The rest of us should go about our day to day normally. Don’t ever apologize for exercising your right to be free.