For San Francisco's last gun shop, enough is finally enough.
High Bridge Arms is closing after a city official proposed a new law that would require the owner to videotape all transactions and submit regular reports on ammunition sales to police.
In a statement on Facebook, High Bridge Arms said it would close at the end of October after "a long and difficult ride."
"It's with tremendous sadness and regret that I have to announce we are closing our shop," the post stated. "It has been a long and difficult ride, but a great pleasure to be you're last San Francisco gun shop."
High Bridge Arms manager Steve Alcairo told the Associated Press that the latest proposed law was the last straw in what has been a constant struggle to operate in a hostile business environment.
"I'm not doing that to our customers. Enough is enough," Alcairo told the AP of the video recording proposal. "Buying a gun is a constitutionally protected right. Our customers shouldn't be treated like they're doing something wrong."
High Bridge Arms has been at the same Mission Street location since the mid-1950s, when Olympic shooter and gunsmith Bob Chow opened the shop, according to the company's website.
In 2010, the store had to fight to stay open, convincing the San Francisco Police Department to reinstate a permit that had lapsed because High Bridge Arms wanted to convert the location into office space. The city denied the proposal and when the owners of High Bridge Arms wanted to reopen, some neighborhood groups protested, arguing it attracted crime to the area.
In the end, the police department requested that High Bridge Arms increase video surveillance and install barriers outside the store to stop potential thieves from crashing through the window.
San Francisco's last gun store is closing. https://t.co/XIgsIW1vdQ
San Francisco Supervisor Mark Farrell, who proposed the law, didn't respond to a request for comment. But in a statement, he said easy access to guns and ammunition contribute to senseless violence crime in the city.
"Even though San Francisco has some of the toughest gun control laws on the books in the country, there is more we can do to protect the public," Farrell said.