The grand opening of Shotgun Johnny’s gun shop is set for today from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. with a Ruger 10/22 rifle to be given away to a customer in a 3:30 p.m. cashless raffle drawing.

The new store is located near Highway 99 and East Yosemite Avenue in the small fast food center anchored by Starbucks, Jamba Juice and In ‘N Out Burger.

Partners Tim Sumner and John Keefhaver have stocked the shop with over 200 self-defense and sporting rifles and hand guns along with a stock of used pieces.  While their supply of ammunition has been in short supply for the first month of their being in business, they are due for a shipment of .22 caliber long rifles and .556 for today’s ribbon cutting event.

“We are trying to keep our prices lower than the competition,” Sumner said.  “President Obama has been our best salesman so far, which is nice because I have never voted for him.  I encourage him to give gun control speeches daily.  I don’t want gun control but he can talk about it every day.”

Keefhaver is the great nephew of the late Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver who made a bid for the presidency in 1956.  John said he has some six years experience in working for gun shops, deciding there was more of a future in working for himself.

Sumner is the owner of the El Centro Jewelry store located on Crows Landing Road in Modesto. He has a longstanding interest in firearms and said his new shop has been busy in selling and trading weapons as well.

In addition to the standard semi-automatic hand guns, pistols and long rifles, the partners pride themselves in an assortment of vintage hand guns and legal semi-automatic modern sporting rifles.

They also have older rifles on their wall including Mousers and Moisen Nagant Chinese and Russian firearms dating back to WW II.