A civil rights group is requesting the U.S. Department of Justice investigate a Kansas City gun range after a Muslim woman who refused to remove her hijab was not allowed to use the range.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) claims that employees at Frontier Justice discriminated against Rania Barakat due to her religion.
“I’ve encountered racism before, but it was never to the point that someone has told me to remove my scarf in order to enter a facility to do any type of activity like this,” Barakat told the Kansas City Star.
Her husband had used the range before, and she was visiting with him for the first time.
“He wanted to take me there for a fun experience, instead we experienced racism and discrimination,” she said.
There’s just one problem with Barakat’s story: the range has had a long-standing dress code that prohibits any type of head covering except “forward-facing baseball caps.”
“We cannot have a head covering on the range that could potentially catch brass and cause an adverse and unsafe movement of a person holding a firearm,” the company told the Star. “There are hundreds of videos of persons on a range that have brass hit their skin, who then flinch and have killed bystanders because of the uncontrolled action in response to the hot brass.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s a hoodie or a head scarf, potential hazard is there and as a business catering to the public, we cannot assume this risk.”
Even a cursory search online reveals videos like the one below, and anyone who has visited a gun range knows how difficult it can be to maintain control with hot brass pressing against the skin. It’s easy to imagine a piece of brass getting caught in a hoodie, scarf, or hijab and creating a potentially dangerous situation.
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In addition, GunsAmerica has confirmed that Frontier Justice didn’t simply invent the policy after learning about a potential investigation. We looked at the metadata of an old PDF containing Frontier Justice’s Range Rules and found that the document was created on April 11, 2019 – long before Barakat tried to use the range.
The document’s “Dress Code” section includes nine items of prohibited apparel, only one of which has anything to do with head coverings: “Hats, caps, bandanas or any other head covering will be removed in the facility, except baseball caps facing forward,” it reads.
The current version of the document contains the same prohibition against head coverings.
Frontier Justice President Bren Brown denies that his facility discriminates against anyone of the basis of their religion.
“It saddens us that anyone would say we are not inclusive, given that we serve all races and religions every single day in all of our stores,” Brown said in a written statement. “We pride ourselves on this fact, and we strongly believe in America and the second amendment that is for every single American. Period.”
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Just more “victims” trying to cause trouble and/or make a buck.
A private business is just that. Their rules apply.
A range I use doesn’t allow masks, Wu Flu or not.
Don’t like it? Leave.
The indoor range I go to and used to work at part time has no such rule for a headscarf. We’ve had a few Muslim women shooting there and they were never told to remove their hijabs. We do warn ladies of low cut blouses and everyone about flip flops.
Go back to school and learn, muslim is NOT a race, it is a peaceful religion, just like the “peaceful protests in Seattle and portland , chi-town, NY …..
If I’m selling tickets at a crowded movie theater a guy likely to be an arsonist tries to buy a ticket while holding a full gas can and a book of matches…he’s not getting a ticket on my watch whether Mohamed likes it or not.
This story was on the local news in Kansas City. I suspect every range has the same or similar rules. In my opinion, the head covering would interfere with the fit/function of hearing protection ear muffs. I don’t think hot brass would likely enter her clothing, which is specifically designed for maximum skin coverage, in accordance with her culture.
I spent many years in Catholic schools, taught by women who wore very similar head coverings. I don’t recall any of them going to shooting ranges.
The flying brass problem could be avoided by using a revolver.
I wear a trump hat or shirt, I can get asked to leave and no one cares. I don’t wear a mask into a business , I’m asked to leave. Why is this special ?
Thanks for your thoughtful reply. I am ashamed to admit I read the article a little to hastily and missed the point that she was not actually a shooter.
Going into this more deeply since she was not a shooter even if she would have had a piece of hot brass stick to her no harm would have been done because she would not have had a firearm in her hand at the time. Yes it is uncomfortable when you get a hot piece of brass down the neck but not harmful as I have done this myself. I would even go so far to say that the scarf probably would have prevented this not caused this as it would have prevented a hot piece of brass going down the back of her neck.
This is pure conjecture on my part as I have never been to this facility but I have a suspicion that if she had been wearing a scarf with he U.S. Flag on it they would have either said absolutely nothing to her or simply told her she was welcome but could not stand next to her husband on the firing line. If it had been handled this way instead of an abrupt gruff all or nothing manner things probably would have turned out differently. The range only ended up shooting themselves in the foot so to speak as they probably lost one potential member and one established member (her husband) that would have contributed to the financial wealth of the range. After all that is how you stay in business by attracting new customers not driving them away with religious insults or bigotry that may have only been perceived or at worst unconsciously given to them by the establishment.
What a coincidence, another guy with the exact same name as you said something totally different while stressing how he did “NOT stereotype.”
I am a non-Muslim and my nurses were sometimes Muslim, my doctors, my postman and a few fellow co-workers. I pride myself in treating people as individuals and as fellow human beings. I do not stereotype them because I am a product of higher education. I am also not affiliated with any organized religion so therefore I am free to actually follow the wisdom of the worlds religions and I discriminate against none of them. Its called being civilized.
I’m so above all that stuff too.
Hey it’s America. Rules to exclude Catholic nuns, Muslim women, Hasadic Jews and Siek men with turbans is just part of ignorant redneck racism.
Don’t wear your sniper head baclava either. It could protect you from hot brass too. And wear your cap Forward!
Hot brass down the back of your shirt is an American Right !!
What you say is true but you left out that it often is religious bigotry, hatred and xenophobia that is leveled against them.
Muslim is not a “race of people” so no racism occurred by definition. It is a religion. The woman is stupid.
Our country’s victim class grows everyday.
Indeed, despite the Wuhan virus and big pharma.
Muslim is NOT a race, therefore, being anti-muslim is NOT racism.
Christ, somebody please show the chic in the video a proper stance and grip. Jesus.
And these people want to know why non-muslims and non-religious people want nothing to do with them.
I honestly don’t know why people commenting saying it’s for someone to act American or to assimilate themselves as Americans if they chose to decide to live in America. If that were the case then everyone would be assimilated as Native Americans and speaking Navajo or some native American dialect. Really? what is it to be American other than being born in America? Apple pies, hot dogs and driving a truck? America was built as a melting pot from colonies from many countries all over the world including religious beliefs. That’s why the founding fathers wanted independence from tyranny. Now some of these remarks are only about control and enforcing a new yet old form of tyranny. Bottom-line for me is that she should be respected and welcomed to the range and as long as her garment wasn’t interfering with being able to shoot safe, then she should been allowed to shoot. I see it as a complete missed opportunity of the range to offer support including the mission of the NRA by providing support, education and training to all shooters. I’m an NRA certified firearms instructor and this type of ignorance from people that are fearful of others (for their beliefs or culture) has no place in real American society.
Wow! I didn’t know being an NRA instructor meant that one was also an authority on the daily lives of AMERICANS.
Part of the instruction that I received in my youth was that RULES are RULES. If you don’t like them either move on or try to change them. If you flaunt them you pay the consequence. Apparently your training is that if one does not like the rule, ignore it and if someone takes exception to what you are doing, by all means play the race/ sex/religion or whatever card, to advance your agenda.
One weasel squeaks and the rest of the world is supposed to cave. SCREW THAT!!! If she doesn’t like the rules, GO TO A DIFFERENT RANGE!! Of course that may be beyond her capability to understand.
If she would have not used ear & or eye protection or muzzled some that would be OK also because of her religion?
I think not. Range rules are there to protect EVERYONE. Even if she is not shooting she can still get hit with hot brass. Most of use have been hit with hot brass as bystanders. Hot brass burn the skin & can leave scaring.
Scaring= law suit which = 1 less range.
Seems to me that it is a safety issue and nothing more. We as Americans need to take things for what they are. Not all restrictions are racist or “anti”. The range has requirements for safety and they can’t be compromised.
She should leave the country this is America. Are house are rules. In God we trust.
First, I think it is a great step for the husband to invite the wife to share activity at the range. Second, I think there is a misunderstanding at work here where if wife was informed about the safety rule in a normal manner, there should have been no issue. They could have made a decision to remove the headware while on the firing range. Third, she was a spectator and should not have been on the firing line. When informed of the safety regulation, she could have merely stepped back to a safe line for visitors.
Clearly there are a few missing items in this article to show exactly what happened. We are all Americans, the great melting pot of cultures, nationalities, religions and so on. NO ONE has the right to hate or cause harm to any other American because they do not share the same ideals, etc. We fiercely defend our Bill of Rights but must understand that the Bill is for ALL Americans regardless of their background or beliefs.
This is who we are.
“NO ONE has the right to hate”
WRONG! I have the right to hate whatever I want, I just can’t act on it.
” our Bill of Rights but must understand that the Bill is for ALL Americans regardless of their background or beliefs.”
So now she is an AMERICAN which allows her to pick and choose what rules she wants to follow? Seriously??
The problem with CAIR is that they are a terrorist organization. Period. Their officers, their members, their supporters are terrorists, and should be treated as such.
Right…a Socio-political group aimed at the destruction of western culture and its people, per the Koran, but what do we know.
KAG🇺🇸🦅💪👀🇺🇸
…And.
These snowflakes are now entering businesses to interrupt or to get shutdown these places like this all over the country now. They keep trying different ways to hurt us , and I believe this is another attempt to do just that . It plainly states the dress code for all to see , if she don’t like it leave. Like I say about all of the liberal ,progressives that don’t like this country anymore, just leave, why must they always stir up unnecessary crap to cause problems.
Agreed. This is the reason. To try and get them shut down or pay enough in lawyer and court fees to put them out of business
Yep. It’s their MO.
Sorry. Islam is a race as much as being Catholic. It would be discrimination not racism. With the current situation with Muslim ideology, I personally do not like the idea of them being on U.S soil let alone being armed or driving mobile murder wagons.
They are a Socio-political group aimed at destroying western culture per the Koran. Islam IS NOT a religion, yet, the book of said intent destruction.
Truth
I agree with SuperG, it’s a private business. I was also under the impression that in Islam that all non believers were infidels so I say turning a Muslim away at any private business that involves guns is a safety measure for all employees and patrons.
If she really is Muslim her husband should’ve told her to shut her mouth.
“We pride ourselves on this fact, and we strongly believe in America and the second amendment that is for every single American. Period.”
AMERICANS dress and act like AMERICANS> This organism want’s all the benefits associated with being an AMERICAN but refuses to assimilate into the AMERICAN culture. If her arab/muslom garbage is so important to her then go back the country that practices all that nonsense and then she won’t be offended by the rules and regulations that exist there.
It’s a private business with a published dress code. And how is it racist to be told to remove your headscarf, snowflake? You should have claimed Islamophobia when looking for your free money. I hope the business can afford to fight this, else the public will loose another gun range. But maybe that is her goal.