INSIDE: Inslee visits landslide area ... A3
RECORD SOUTH WHIDBEY
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013 | Vol. 89, No. 89 | WWW.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.COM | 75¢
Gun store opens with fanfare, sales By BEN WATANABE Staff reporter All the online bluster of protesting the Whidbey Arms gun store disappeared like smoke from the barrel when it opened Tuesday. Dozens of shoppers filed into the small store in Clinton. They bought novelty shirts like "I love guns & coffee" in the style of the Starbucks logo and "Killin' Zombies" like Dunkin’ Donuts. Robert Boenish, a Clinton resident, purchased the first gun from Whidbey Arms, a 9 mm Smith & Wesson, 30 minutes after the store opened its doors. "I'm one of those who used to hunt on the way to school," Boenish said. "I think it's great to have a local shop. Instead of having to go over town, I'd rather buy here." He planned to visit the store to buy ammunition, cleaning supplies, targets and reloading supplies. The shirts were a nice touch, he said, and may suit his sons. Gun bags, holsters and cleaning supplies are for sale. And in addition to the gun paraphernalia, there are guns, lots of guns. Rifles mounted on the wall behind the register range from shotguns to semiautomatic rifles. In the display case rest handguns from a Smith & Wesson to a 9 mm Ruger. Protesters were nowhere to be seen. But Jim Childers, Whidbey Arms' owner, was ready for them.
Ben Watanabe / The Record
Ben Watanabe / The Record
Rob Felding speaks with Jonathan Harper, the small arms expert at Whidbey Arms. The gun store recently opened at Ken’s Korner in Clinton. Not in the Old West style where he'd kick them out of the shop, but Childers had coffee, bagels, cookies and banana bread out for any wouldbe detractors and for customers. Lots of residents took in the new
Dog euthanized after mauling young woman By JIM LARSEN Record editor The owner of the dog that chewed up a young Clinton woman had him euthanized by a veterinarian Thursday. Carol Barnes, Island County Animal Control office, said the dog was declared dangerous and was ordered euthanized. The owner, Elisabetta Poggi-Blethen who lives on Deer Lake Road, brought the dog in herself, Barnes said. Alex, described as an adult male guard dog of shepherd/husky mix, was chained to a wire runner in his yard. Two pups he sired
shop as soon as it opened at 10 a.m. Tuesday. Many of them were longtime gun owners and shooters. A few were members of the Holmes Harbor Rod and Gun Club. Rob Felding, one of the store's
were also chained. Amanda Gates, 19, was housesitting March 18 and noticed the pups were tangled. When she tried to straighten them out, Alex pulled his chain from the runner and attacked Gates. Gates was knocked down and had to crawl and stagger to the road, with bites bleeding in her scalp and others on her arm and back. A good Samaritan driver, whose name was unknown at the time, stopped to help. There was also a nurse in the car. Driver Scott Learned later told The Record about his experience. "We both saw this girl on the opposite side of the road moving toward us, waving her hand; she was crying out for help," he said. The nurse, Sydney Anderson, tried to comfort the young woman and tend to her wounds as the dog circled around. "The dog came right at me on Deer Lake Road," Learned said. "I kicked it right in the nose and it fortunately left the scene." Learned said the extent of Gates' injuries SEE DOG ATTACK, A10
perusers and a gun club member, eyed ammunition. His desires were not isolated. Fellow early-bird ammo hunter Gary Formhals was there to buy bullets. Shopping locally and convenience are key factors in why
This holstered handgun was on the hip of Jonathan Harper, an employee at Whidbey Arms. Felding and Formhals plan to purchase rounds from Whidbey Arms. "I'm not a hunter," Felding said. "I just enjoy shooting. It's fun." "I'll try and support them. They have overhead, and they have to stay in business." SEE GUN STORE, A10
Photo courtesy of Island County Animal Control
Alex was euthanized Thursday for viciously attacking a young woman who was house sitting.