Black-owned gun store tries to bridge gap between Black community and gun community

Prime Protection STL: Tactical Boutique takes pride in educating and protecting the community. The owner said they are the only black-owned gun store in the St. Louis area. It’s tucked away in a small office plaza off I-270 in Hazelwood.

“Anything that you could want that’s legal, we can get it for you,” Armon Reed-Wynne, the co-owner said.

Each sale starts the same way the company began, with education and training.

“That’s what we are here for because there’s too many good people lost to the hands of criminals,” Armon said. “It really helps when you get that call at 3 a.m. and your student is on the other line telling you ‘thank you.’ We’ve had a few instances where our students have had to use their firearms”

“For us to be able to provide that to them makes us sleep well at night,” his wife and co-owner Bridgette said.

The owners of the tactical boutique began training the community in Bridgette’s mother’s basement in 2016. The north county natives opened their shop in Hazelwood in 2021.

In March, they will be moving into a larger space in Bridgeton. In addition to expanding the store, it will allow the owners to provide more educational opportunities. They hope as their clientele grows, the void between the Black community and gun community shrinks.

“We went to those NRA shows where we didn’t feel welcome,” Armon said. “We went to the gun shows where they were flying the Dixie flag. We did those things. Yes, we did feel uncomfortable, but we did it for the greater good of our community. It’s so important to make sure people have the ability to be comfortable when doing this. And to know they aren’t a criminal for exercising their 2nd amendment rights.”

The owners said they teach gun certification and safety classes. They also sell non-lethal weapons for people who want extra protection but don’t want a firearm.

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