Shop makes own gun brand
Murphy – Cherokee Guns has entered the manufacturing business.
“Right now, there’s a big surge in gun sales, and my sales are through the roof,” Cherokee Guns owner “Doc” Wacholz said. “Because of that, we’re actually able to open a second company. We built a 1,500-square-foot facility just for manufacturing.”
Wacholz would not disclose the location of the manufacturing facility, which he jokingly called the “bat cave,” but he said the company will make “mid- to upper-level guns,” such as AR-15s. The firearms will be sold under the brand name Rack Arms.
“We sell guns and classes,” Wacholz said. “We want to educate you, so you know what you’re doing with the firearm.”
Wacholz’s expansion plans came to light last week when the Cherokee Scout spoke with him about a recent burglary. Around 6:25 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 13, four men executed a heist at Cherokee Guns that caused more damage than anything else.
The suspects threw a brick through the store’s front window to test the alarm system, then left the property. They returned about five minutes later and tossed another brick, this time through the store’s glass door. The suspects then pushed the glass out of the door frame and jumped on the scissor gates, bending them enough to enter the building.
One suspect ran into a rear office, where they stole a .22-caliber long gun that was built in 1909 and some other items. Meanwhile, another suspect tried to jump over a second set of gates that separated the front of the store from the main gun inventory.
“That set the alarm off,” Wacholz said.
The suspects then fled the store with only the goods taken from the office. The heist caused about $5,000 worth of damage.
“We have really good security,” Wacholz said. “I give kudos to the Murphy Police Department. They were here within one minute after being called.”
About an hour and a half after the burglary, Wacholz and police were outside speaking when an officer noticed the suspects’ car drive past the store. Police followed and eventually caught up with the car after the driver tried to hide behind a local restaurant. Three suspects fled into the woods, while the fourth man was apprehended by authorities.
The investigation later revealed the men drove past the store because they couldn’t figure out how to get back to their home state. It may be the only time the lack of broadband resulted in a positive outcome.
“They were trying to get back to Georgia, missed their turnoff and ended up in Tennessee,” Cherokee County sheriff’s Lt. Tiffany Holland said. “They had no cell service, so they came back. As they passed the store again, our officers were there. We had seen the surveillance footage and knew what the car looked like.”
Albert Clark Tindall, 53, of Decatur, Ga., was arrested not far from where the suspects ditched the car. He is charged with possession of a stolen firearm and several burglary-related offenses.
Authorities in Georgia later arrested Brian Vinson, 33, also of Decatur, in connection with the Cherokee Guns heist. He is awaiting extradition to North Carolina.
The other suspects remain on the run.
“Georgia is helping us locate the other two possible suspects,” Holland said.
Local officials say the suspects are not known to this area and may not have ever visited Murphy before the heist, considering they didn’t know how to get back to Georgia.
“If they’re using GPS, that tells you they are not familiar with the area, which means they probably came specifically for that store,” Sheriff Derrick Palmer said. “I don’t know that for a fact; it’s purely speculation. But with the notoriety of the store, I find it hard to believe they just chose it randomly. I think they knew about [Cherokee Guns] and knew what they were looking at.”
Palmer said this is the first time he can remember a gun store being burglarized in Cherokee County. However, he has noticed an increase in the number of people from out of state who commit crimes here.
“That’s one of the things that makes it a lot more difficult to solve a lot of these burglaries that are happening,” he said. ”We’re dealing with a lot of [people who are not from here]. But we have a very good relationship with police in other states, especially the Georgia counties.”
With Cherokee Guns manufacturing its own brand of firearms, it’s likely the business will gain even more notoriety. Plus, Wacholz’s outspoken political views will likely continue to create headlines.
Within the next few weeks, before the general election, Wacholz plans to erect another billboard bearing the faces of U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar and Ayanna Pressley, all Democrats. He has already created new stickers with their faces surrounded by text that says: “America, it’s time to vote these socialist idiots out. Signed, the American Patriots. Cherokee Guns. Murphy, NC.”
Wacholz would not disclose whether he plans to display the message on the same billboard as all of his previous messages.
“I can’t say where and when it will go up,” he said, implying that it may be erected somewhere other than U.S. 64 West. “But it’ll be a billboard.”