Hummer Showroom Becomes Display Area for Guns, Too

Lynch Hummer, a top-volume volume dealer of the rugged SUV, has opened what's billed as the world's first combined Hummer and firearms dealership.

Jim Lynch has turned his $7.5 million Hummer facility in Chesterfield, MO, an upscale suburb of St. Louis, into what he calls a shooting enthusiast's must-visit attraction.

“It is a natural fit,” Lynch says. “Our customers enjoy outdoor sports and the firearms have been a big hit.”

He says that with the auto industry suffering sharp sales declines, he found himself with a beautiful but vastly under utilized facility.

“We have been very fortunate with our newest venture,” he says. “Firearm manufacturers have embraced our vision and have provided us with a huge inventory of items that are in demand and hard to find elsewhere.”

Firearms from top-tier manufacturers — including Sig Sauer, Smith & Wesson, Kimber, Colt, Benelli, Beretta, Browning, FNH, H&K, Springfield Armory, Glock and Ruger — are displayed in the large showroom once occupied only with Hummers.

Lynch Hummer has a reputation of offering something different for customers, including a rugged 60-acre offroad course along the Missouri River. That track has been featured in media stories, including a Travel Channel special.

“We take our mission of providing a pleasant shopping environment for our customers very seriously,” Lynch says.

Meanwhile, in Butler, another Missouri community, a local car dealer, Walter Moore, drew attention by offering anyone who buys a car the choice of a free semi-automatic gun or $250 in gasoline.

It is a gun lover's equivalent to having floor mats thrown in to sweeten the deal. Moore, owner of Max Motors, sees a practical side to the offer.

“It's a choice — protection or gas,” he tells the local media.

Although most of his customers already own guns, many of them still opt for the semi-automatic. To get one from the dealership, which provides a certificate not actual weaponry, customers must first pass a background check.