Stars & Stripes TACTICAL

from Newtown Square Friends & Neighbors magazine, June 2022

Amateur Radio Field Day at Drexel Lodge Park

The Friendly Firearm Professionals

Business Profile by Sheila Turner-Hilliard

Photos courtesy of Shawn Brown

When you’re in the market to buy or sell a firearm, it’s best to seek the advice and guidance of experts. Fortunately for us, the experts at Stars & Stripes Tactical are just a short drive away, on West Chester Pike.

Shawn Brown has owned Stars & Stripes Tactical since 2015. Originally from New York State, Shawn’s path to business ownership had a few turns. He earned his college degree in offset lithography and spent much of his career in the printing business. He then turned to kitchen and bath design when the housing market was healthy. When the economy took a downward turn in 2008, Shawn decided he would begin his journey towards achieving his American Dream.

I have always been involved in the shooting sports industry,” said Shawn. “So I decided it was time to turn what I loved to do into a business.

Shawn moved from upstate New York to Downingtown and opened his shop in nearby East Goshen.

Stars & Stripes Tactical is not just a place to buy and sell guns. They carry a wide selection of ammunition, optics like lasers and scopes, gun safes and locks, cleaning supplies and tactical gear.

We provide our customers with excellent customer service and can help with the entire process,” Shawn said. “We welcome the opportunity to help people select the right equipment to meet their specific needs.

Shawn and his staff of experts take great pride in educating novice customers on everything from the best type of firearm to how to properly clean and safely store their purchases.

We have a lot of customers who participate in outdoor Trap Shooting, in which clay targets are launched into the air from an automated thrower,” Shawn explained. “When a beginner comes in to purchase their shotgun, we not only educate them in the shop, but we offer to take them to West Chester Gun Club where they can practice and get comfortable with their new equipment.

Stars & Stripes Tactical is also the premier shop for gun enthusiasts, collectors and expert shooters. “We carry an extensive inventory of guns and supplies in the store. But if we don’t have what you’re looking for, we will get it for you,” said Shawn. They also handle gun transfers, perform background checks and offer discounts for veterans and first responders. They also regularly donate to the West Goshen Police Department and the Veterans Foreign Legion.

**Firearm experts Connor McGonigle and Shawn Brown**

Shawn said that customers who visit the shop will have an experience unlike what the large retailers provide.

We are the friendly firearm professionals who are focused on education and safety,” he explained. “We know that purchasing a gun can be overwhelming and intimidating, and we are here to ease those fears.

Shawn and his staff treat everyone who walks in the door with the same level of respect and courtesy, whether it’s their first time in or they’ve been coming there for years.

June happens to be National Firearm Safety Month, which Shawn says is a good time for all firearm owners to recommit to year-round education, following the call of the National Shooting Sports Federation (NSSF) to “Own It? Respect It. Secure It.”

And the NSSF shows how to do just that, through its resources available to firearm owners in its safety videos such as "Introduction to Range Safety and Etiquette,” printed resources such as “Firearms Responsibility in the Home,” and the infographic “Safe Storage Options for Your Lifestyle,” all available at the NSSF website: www. NSSF.org.

For anyone who has owned and handled guns safely for years, we must always be mindful of the youngest among us who do not yet understand proper storage and handling of firearms,” said Shawn. “It’s our responsibility to teach and always practice gun safety techniques all year long.

His customers must commit to storing their firearms responsibly, which means not storing or hiding them in closets, drawers or under a car seat. “Firearms should be stored in a locked safe, gun vault or storage case that must not be accessible to children,” advised Shawn. He also stated that gun-locking devices, which make firearms inoperable, should be used in addition to locked storage of disassembled firearm parts, and ammunition must always be stored in a locked location separate from firearms.

For more information about Stars & Stripes Tactical, contact our federally licensed firearms safety advocate and hometown magazine Sponsor, Shawn Brown, at 610-556-0223, or visit Shawn’s store located at 1313 West Chester Pike in East Goshen and his website at www.StarsNStripesTactical.com.