Confederate Flag Sales Boom in Valley During National Debate

A group of America’s top businesses have spoken. Confederate flags are coming off their shelves. Walmart, Amazon, eBay and Sears have all banned the sale of Confederate flag merchandise after a deadly shooting at a historic black church in South Carolina. Just the same, at some stores business is brisk with more people buying Confederate flags.

Inside a Clovis military supply store, you’ll find the flag flown by the South during the Civil War. While it’s just one flag it brings with it two viewpoints.

"That flag stands for your rights. Yes slavery was a part of that stuff back then, but that’s not all about what that flag was," said Robert Scott, a Fresno area resident.

"I think you have to consider what it’s implying. The hurt and the hate behind it as well," said Taylor Starks a Fresno area resident.

The national debate over the Confederate flag isn’t new, but a deadly shooting at a black church in South Carolina by a suspect seen poising with the flag has brought the issue to a boiling point. Now, people are still buying the flag even in the South Valley.

"we’ve sold out of flags twice now I think at last count we sold about 68 flags. We’ve got another shipment of them coming in," said Bob Reneau, owner of USA Supplies in Bakersfield.

"I talked to a few customers that think they’re going to be banned and the availability of them is going to disappear so they just want to purchase them for that reason alone," said Daniel Orozco of Top’s Military Supply in Clovis.

The spike in sales is only fueling both sides of the debate about the visibility of the Confederate flag.

"I hope that they somehow put them on their vehicles and fly them over their house anything. That’s what I think. I mean it’s all about freedom," said Scott.

"I just think it’s all for a reaction. They want people to be shocked. They want people to feel like oh, well I might as well go get it, but it has no meaning to it. I don’t think it really means a whole lot," said Starks.