Linc Sample, Maine resident, catches flak for ‘Black Rifles Matter’ sign

The display of a large sign promoting gun rights along a main thoroughfare of a Maine vacation town is drawing scrutiny for playing off of the Black Lives Matter protest movement.

Boothbay Harbor resident Linc Sample erected a hand-painted sign on his property that reads, “Black Rifles Matter: Yes, we have ’em. No, you can’t take ’em,” several weeks ago in support of Second Amendment rights, according to the Bangor Daily News. But city officials said they have received complaints about the sign from visitors and residents alike since it was erected.

The Black Lives Matter movement was started to protest police brutality against minorities. Mr. Sample, who has posted controversial signs on his property before, defended the display saying it was about gun rights — not race.

“We have AK-15s, or what the press generally calls assault weapons. Everyone knows I’ve got guns,” Mr. Sample told the newspaper. “The sign never had any meaning in it, it was never meant to be a reflection on race or a threat to Black Lives Matter. This is just a tongue-in-cheek way of saying, ’You’re not taking them.’ It’s a rallying cry for the Second Amendment.”

Rick Prose, executive director of the Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce, shared with the Bangor Daily News a handwritten anonymous letter from a family who has vacationed in the town for years but said they cut their recent trip short on account of the sign.

“With regret, we are cutting our vacation short because we do not agree with this brazen signage and feel the security of our family comes first,” the letter states.

“I think it’s racist,” Mr. Prose said of the sign. “It’s insensitive and it’s certainly not welcoming.”

Town Manager Thomas Woodin told New England Cable News that he has received similar complaints from visitors who have left early on account of the sign, but he said Mr. Sample has proper permits for the large sign and that he was exercising his right to free speech.

“There isn’t much the town can do about it,” Mr. Woodin said.

Mr. Sample is known for posting signage on his property and has drawn scrutiny for his messages before, including in 2015 when one sign featured the Confederate flag, the Bangor Daily News reports.

Firearms laws are a ballot issue in Maine this November. Voters will decide whether to require background checks for all firearms sales and transfer.