Whittaker Guns is closed. A confidential Owensboro Times source says it’s permanent.
The owner could not be reached for comment Thursday. A sign on the door of the store simply reads “Closed to the public 2/27/2024.”
The phone line for the business was active as of Thursday morning but several calls went unanswered.
In 2019, the company completed an online rebrand. The storefront remained Whittaker Guns, but social media accounts transitioned to the name Whittaker Country.
As of February 29, the website whittakercountry.com says “503 Service Unavailable” and the “Whittaker Country” Facebook page could not be accessed.
A Facebook page named “Whittaker Guns” can be found but there are no posts. The “About” section of the page provides some details of the company’s history while it remained under the Whittaker family’s ownership.
The Rock Hill Gun Range, located at 9300 KY 815 and operated by Whittaker Guns, is also closed. Issues arose late last year with the range. Signs were posted at the storefront in December that said the range had been closed until further notice due to “a complaint from an adjoining landowner” and “a zoning issued from a Conditional Use Permit issued by the Owensboro Metropolitan Planning Commission in 1994.”
The “Rock Hill Range” Facebook page also could not be accessed as of February 29.
The parcel of land containing the range, as well as two other surrounding parcels of land, were listed for sale in December by Kurtz Auction & Realty. The Kurtz website currently says the sale is pending.
Whittaker Guns opened in 1988 and is located at 6976 West Louisville Lane. At one point, it was the state’s largest gun store. In addition to firearms, they sold clothing, grills, outdoor gear, and archery products. The Whittaker family eventually sold the business, but the store kept the name.
